Can A “Helper’s High” Boost Your Bottom Line?

^{Giving again to society is nice for the psyche—and for enterprise.}

For those who’ve ever volunteered to spoon out helpings of soup on the native meals financial institution or put hammer to nail to assist a house construct for a household in want, you know the way nice it feels. Scientific research reveal that givers can expertise a euphoric sensation within the mind, typically referred to as a “helper’s excessive.”

And right here’s a enjoyable truth: The act of giving lowers stress and boosts the immune system. Past the non-public good points of philanthropy, management groups acknowledge these advantages result in happier and more healthy staff. Throughout a company, volunteerism ignites function, improves belonging, and influences the underside line.

I spoke to Gina Mastantuono, CFO and government sponsor for the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) technique at ServiceNow, to know her “why” for giving, the ripple impact of neighborhood engagement, and the way to encourage others to steer with function.

You’re in finance, but right here we’re speaking about volunteerism. The place does service match inside your operate and general monetary technique?

Gina: We’ve seen the function of the CFO evolve over the past decade. Progressive CFOs, in partnership with their friends, are liable for implementing a method to drive long-term enterprise development, mitigate danger, preserve accountability, and guarantee worker engagement is on the coronary heart of the group.

So, two years in the past, when Invoice McDermott requested me to steer our ESG technique, it made good sense. Our staff, traders, and prolonged ecosystem need to work with organizations that stroll the speak. Our ESG technique offers an moral, sustainable, and equitable framework that guides our funding plans and informs our essential enterprise choices. Volunteerism and giving again to the neighborhood sit squarely in our function: to make the world work higher for everybody.

Consider it or not, I spend as a lot time with our chief folks officer working to drive significant worker experiences as I do working to make sure our fiscal success—the 2 are indelibly intertwined.

Once you carve out time to provide again, what impression does which have on you, and the way does neighborhood engagement drive worth throughout the enterprise?

Gina: The helper’s excessive is a incredible feeling. There’s reciprocity in giving again, and selfishly, it feels good to know I’ve positively affected another person.

John Bunyan summed it up completely when he mentioned, “You haven’t lived [today] till you’ve finished one thing for somebody who can by no means repay you.” When this mentality is instilled in a company’s core values, it turns into a power multiplier. We turn out to be stronger collectively. Staff have a way of belonging and really feel linked to our group’s function.

I firmly consider that income and function don’t must be mutually unique.

These values attraction to our stakeholders too: clients, new expertise, traders, and so forth. We all know that C-suite leaders and funding professionals agree that ESG packages create shareholder worth. By deepening belief and strolling the speak of constructing the world work higher, the advantages mirror our backside line and drive actual enterprise worth—from a rise in worker retention and expertise acquisition to a lift in product capabilities and gross sales.

All this stuff transfer the needle and strengthen our aggressive edge. I firmly consider that income and function don’t must be mutually unique.

How are you encouraging staff, companions, and clients to take part?

Gina: All staff have entry to a portal that not solely acts as a volunteer useful resource, but additionally serves as a pipeline. Folks can seek for firm volunteer alternatives, log volunteer time, and even create functions. We provide a mixture of paid time without work to volunteer and an identical donation program. Our engaged worker base represented 22% of general grants in 2021. This 12 months, we’re aiming even larger.

I’ve additionally seen ServiceNow staff use our know-how to assist others. Considered one of my favourite examples is of a workforce that helped German nongovernmental group (NGO) Blau-Gelbes Kreuz (BGK) get medical kits to Ukraine. The NGO was going through logistical and bureaucratic challenges. Inside days, this group of staff used our low-code know-how to develop a cellular app to get the NGO’s operations on top of things—planning flights, monitoring parcels, and extra. Twenty tons of cargo and 30 passengers (and counting) later, BGK has offered greater than 100 medical kits to Ukraine—sufficient to save lots of 10,000 lives. This instance demonstrates how our staff can drive our function!

What recommendation are you able to give to organizations that need to strengthen their neighborhood engagement technique?

Gina: Have interaction in a whiteboarding session with staff and leaders. Hear, hear, hear! I can guarantee you that your staff have daring and modern concepts. Showcase the worth and align priorities and objectives to optimize a neighborhood engagement technique. I typically say that you must decelerate to go quick. For those who’re nonetheless questioning the place to start, heed Arthur Ashe’s recommendation: “Begin the place you might be. Use what you’ve. Do what you’ll be able to.”

I can inform you, as a CFO and an individual who cares about giving again to make the world work higher, it’s price it.