Cornerstone OnDemand’s mission is to empower people, businesses and communities. We do this most visibly through our talent management software and services and the work of the Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation.
Closer to home, however, we’ve developed an innovative program we call the Corporate Sponsorship Program (CSP), aimed at directly supporting community non-profits and programs that are important to our employees. In fact, our employees are the ones selecting the non-profits to which Cornerstone awards grants.
Listening to our Employees
The development of Corporate Sponsorship Program is great example of how everyone benefits when employers actually stop to listen to their employees. In this time when everyone in HR is talking nonstop about employee engagement, listening turns out to be an old-fashioned tool for engagement that really works.
In this case, the entire idea behind the CSP came from a single Cornerstone employee, Michael Stevens (currently working in his day job as a CSOD Mid-Market Implementation Consultant). Michael came to Cornerstone already personally interested in the work of non-profits – he had worked for a few in the past and, once he joined CSOD, he continued to support his favorite non-profit in his spare time.
Michael saw an opportunity to develop an innovative and unique corporate program to engage Cornerstone employees by using company funds to allocate grants to specific community non-profits – particularly those organizations that matter most to CSOD employees. So Michael worked with CSOD leadership to formalize the CSP, including processes around applications, eligibility criteria, grant-making criteria and more.
"While other companies often support non-profits informally, what we’ve put in place here at Cornerstone is certainly innovative and possibly unique," Michael offers. "With the CSP, we have a formal program for listening to employees and making grants based on their personal involvement with non-profits. The focus here is on our employees."
Making a Direct Impact
The CSP takes applications on a quarterly basis from Cornerstone employees. Anyone who has a personal interest in or involvement with a non-profit and wants to ask CSOD to make a grant to support their activities can submit an application.
"We’ve seen a very enthusiastic response from Cornerstone employees," says Michael. "Some applications have come from people with decade-long personal involvement with non-profits while other employees actively serve on the boards for some of the proposed grant recipients. But any deserving non-profit is eligible -- the CSP is designed to reward employees for being involved in any way."
Applications are reviewed by the Community Empowerment Committee. In only the first two quarters in existence, the committee has reviewed dozens of applications. The committee members represent a broad cross-section of Cornerstone, drawing members from all the different departments in the company – but all share a common interest in community service and philanthropic giving.
The goal here is to increase impact for the selected organization. We want to see smaller, local non-profits use our grants to further their impact in the communities they serve.
Part of Cornerstone’s Long-Standing Commitment to Empowering Communities
Separately, the Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation runs a set of programs to support non-profits and the HR community on a global basis. The Foundation has a very specific mission to provide non-profit and other charitable institutions with the tools and assistance needed to maximize their effectiveness. You can learn more about the activities of the Foundation by checking out this video.
The Corporate Sponsorship Program, on the other hand, is a specific Cornerstone initiative to support community non-profits that are near and dear to our employees. It’s a way to engage employees and to support them and the interests they might have outside the four walls of the office.
So far the CSP is a great success, attracting applications from Cornerstone employees who are interested in supporting a wide variety of non-profit missions. Here is only a partial list of organizations that have received grants to boost their impact in the communities they serve (and it’s just the beginning!):
Photo: Creative Commons
Related Resources
Want to keep learning? Explore our products, customer stories, and the latest industry insights.
Blog Post
Cornerstone and Chelsea FC Women: two titans team up for talent
Cornerstone is the official learning and talent partner of Chelsea FC Women for the 2023/2024 season! We're so excited to help the Blues power potential on and off the pitch as they strive to repeat their domestic Double with a fourth-straight FA Cup triumph and fifth-consecutive Women's Super League Championship.
Blog Post
Laying the foundation for a standout year – Everything Cornerstone was up to in Q1
In 2022, we were intentional about setting ourselves and our customers up for greater success and an even deeper innovation roadmap. So, you can imagine our excitement when we say that 2023 is already gearing up to be a standout year.
Blog Post
Cheers to a year of innovation – closing out Q4 strong at Cornerstone
If Q4 cemented one thing, it's that our industry is ripe for reinvention. We’ve watched as talent experience continued to take on new meanings, adapting to the new world and new rules we’re living in. As leaders in the HR and talent space, we’re energized by the role we play at the forefront of this transformation, and the opportunity to create talent experiences that motivate, inspire and support people so they can reach limitless potential and success.