Newell Rubbermaid Makes a Social Impact
In times of hardship, global communities rely on Newell Rubbermaid’s (www.newellrubbermaid.com) continued commitment to provide assistance as a corporate citizen. To that end, the company kicked off a two-year, $1 million global partnership with Habitat for Humanity International (www.habitat.org) by hosting its first-ever Global Day of Service in 21 different countries in June 2013. “Until recently we have not always had the opportunity to unite globally under one social cause. Our first ever Global Day of Service allowed us to do just that,” says Jackie Parker, president, The Newell Rubbermaid Foundation, and vice president, Corporate Philanthropy, Newell Rubbermaid.
The unique challenge Newell Rubbermaid faced was to connect an employee base that spans from the United States to Asia Pacific and beyond, who rarely work with each other. Coordination started at the top by recruiting senior executives to serve as ambassadors for their team’s involvement in the Global Day of Service.
“Buy-in at every level of the organization — with a blessing from the top — was key in the event’s success. Coordinating 73 simultaneous events worldwide required activating a network of passionate local contacts within Newell Rubbermaid and our community partners around a detailed plan,” says Parker.
One of the most important aspects of the Global Day of Service, and perhaps the most challenging, was ensuring the event was communicated to employees in a way that would engage a globally diverse population, wherein volunteering and its perception differ.
The company’s Global Communications team developed an innovative plan to use internal and external social media to amplify the event. From its headquarters in Atlanta, the company sent out a global call to action, encouraging employees to share their experiences online, using the #NewellVolunteers.
On the morning the Global Day of Service kicked off, U.S. employees woke up to find pictures on social media of their global counterparts already participating in service projects throughout APAC and Europe. In that moment, the event truly became a global experience.
In the end, employees shared more than 1,000 photos from 73 volunteer sites worldwide. Newell Rubbermaid utilized a social content aggregator to pull the photos and conversations together into a single viewing portal where employees could see and celebrate what each other were doing.
“Social connectivity made every local event feel global. As I helped raise the roof on a Habitat for Humanity home in Atlanta, I was able to directly connect with those volunteering in similar ways in locations from Australia to Poland to Colombia. It really brought together our 19,000 employees and drove engagement in an amazing new way,” closes Parker.
FAST FACTS
United Online
United and energized by social media sharing, more than 1,200 Newell Rubbermaid employee volunteers participated in its first-ever global philanthropic partnership with Habitat for Humanity International.
All About Community
Newell Rubbermaid is committed to addressing unmet social needs that its brands can help to fill. The Global Day of Service was a way to engage as many employees as possible locally while building upon its corporate philanthropic strategy to help communities flourish.
#NewellVolunteers
Employees from Melbourne to Shanghai to Geneva, Bogota and Atlanta shared their excitement with more than 1,000 photos, 520 tweets and 158 mentions on Twitter, 606 likes and 126 shares on Facebook, and 116 Instagram photos tagged to #NewellVolunteers — generating more than 1.6 million impressions.
“The use of social media brought employees together in a way we have never experienced before, making the Global Day of Service a true global experience. This is a good start and a milestone we can build on.”
—Jackie Parker, President, The Newell Rubbermaid Foundation & Vice President, Corporate Philanthropy, Newell Rubbermaid