Sparking Change: Q2’s CSR Program & 2021 Community Impact

I’ve written about Q2’s people-centric philosophy before. Our value as a company comes from our employees. We’re also passionate about our mission to build strong and diverse communities around the world. One way we do this is by strengthening our financial institution customers. Another way is through corporate social responsibility (CSR) and supporting our employees as they use their time and talents to positively impact their communities.

Many organizations take a top-down approach to CSR, where initiatives are determined at the executive level, and employees are invited to participate. Indeed, Q2 has supported hundreds of global organizations in the communities where we live and work, and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved. 

Last year we supported wide-reaching organizations and initiatives such as the Q2 Compassion Fund, which provided an immediate response for employees in India who were affected by Covid-19. We co-sponsored a blood drive to support We Are Blood in Texas. In honor of veterans, we supported the work of Homes for our Troops and our 2021 Q2 Dodgeball Tournament raised more than $81,000 for JDRF. Q2ers stepped up in 2021 resulting in a 116% increase in employee giving over the prior year, which supported 147 philanthropic organizations. In combination with employee donations, Q2 donated more than $965,000 to philanthropic organizations throughout the world. An overview of our total community impact in 2021 can be viewed here.

We’re extremely proud of the work we’ve done as an organization, and we asked ourselves how we could put our stake in the ground to amplify our values, capture our CSR story and identify ways to maximize our impact. And that question led us back to our people.

The result is Q2’s new CSR program, Spark, which launched at the end of 2021. Within Spark, we’ll focus on and amplify all the ways our employees contribute to our global communities. But we’re turning the old model on its head. In addition to company-wide initiatives, our employees will choose where and how they want to focus their time and talents in their own communities. Better still, they’ll earn charitable donations for their efforts, thus increasing their impact. 

For example, when an employee volunteers two hours with their favorite nonprofit organization, we’ll give them $50 per quarter to donate to the organization of their choice. And if an entire team volunteers together, they’ll receive $500 to donate. 

In addition to contributing money, we’re supporting our employees through learning and development opportunities. For instance, we’ve hosted classes such as “Ignite Your Inner Philanthropist,” where folks learned the history of philanthropy, why it’s important and how they can become one (or already are one!). 

We believe people want to work for – and do business with – companies that do good in the world. We also understand that people are passionate about making a difference in their own communities, and we want everyone in the Q2 family to know their passions matter and can be supported. We want our customers, partners, and stakeholders to know we’re a company that cares. We want them to understand we’re committed to improving our communities and delivering on that mission. 

Again, it all comes back to our people. Our Spark program is empowering, inspiring, fueling and building this community of philanthropists across our culture and across our company. We’re proud of what we accomplished in 2021 and know that Spark will magnify our impact in 2022. We hope you’ll join us.