Q: Can you introduce yourselves and your roles?
A: Missy Peck (Host, Senior Director of Global Engagement at Goodera): Hello! I lead Global Employee Engagement and Volunteering Programs at Goodera, based in Dallas, Texas. I’m passionate about corporate volunteering initiatives, employee engagement, and disaster relief programs, and I also love cats and plants.

A: Michael (VP, Giving & Nonprofit Innovation, Deed): I manage Global Volunteer Engagement and CSR Campaigns at Aero Electronics. Originally from Brazil, I’ve spent 16 years in the U.S., which has shaped my approach to managing cross-cultural employee volunteering programs, especially those focused on disaster response and community support initiatives.

A: Mallory Burke (Atlassian Foundation): I serve as Senior Manager of Social Impact and Employee Engagement at Atlassian Foundation. I oversee global corporate volunteering programs, employee giving campaigns, and philanthropic initiatives for 12,000 employees. My experience in homeless services and AmeriCorps drives my commitment to impactful disaster relief and community programs.

Q: Can you provide an overview of your disaster relief volunteering programs?
A: Mallory Burke (Atlassian): Atlassian runs several employee volunteering campaigns tied to disaster response:

• Local support initiatives: Employees help communities affected by floods, fires, and other natural disasters through donation drives, housing support, and food distribution.
  
• Tech-enabled relief programs: Atlassian contributes free or discounted software to nonprofits involved in disaster management.
  
• Collectively, these initiatives have contributed over 200,000 volunteer hours and $54 million in support to nonprofit partners globally.
  

A: Michael (Deed): Aero Electronics, with 22,000 employees worldwide, focuses on disaster preparedness and response:

• Global volunteer champions: Around 160 employees organize donation drives and relief activities.
  
• Seasonal volunteering campaigns: Earth Month in April and Tech for Good in October integrate community service with employee engagement, including disaster relief initiatives.
  

Q: Why is running disaster relief volunteering campaigns important?
A: Missy Peck: These programs boost employee morale, strengthen community connections, and build long-term engagement. Corporate volunteering during disasters demonstrates tangible social impact while empowering employees to make a difference in times of crisis.

Q: How do you ensure inclusivity across global teams and diverse communities?
A: Mallory Burke: We focus on acts of giving rather than specific events or holidays. Employee resource groups like “Faith in Action” help create culturally relevant volunteering opportunities, ensuring every employee can participate meaningfully.

A: Michael (Deed): We avoid emphasizing a single cultural or geographic context. Volunteer champions are empowered to design initiatives that resonate with their local communities, fostering inclusive disaster relief efforts.

Q: How do you keep volunteer champions motivated during high-demand periods?
A: Michael (Deed): Providing tools, resources, and simplified event planning ensures strong participation even during busy disaster relief campaigns. Platforms like Goodera streamline volunteer engagement management.

A: Missy Peck: Pre-packaged volunteering activities help reduce planning stress, enabling volunteer champions to focus on meaningful impact rather than logistics.

Q: Biggest challenges in planning disaster relief campaigns
Poll Results:

• Employee engagement: 39%
  
• Finding time to plan: second most common
  
• Setting realistic goals & leadership involvement: additional challenges
  

A: Missy Peck: Successful disaster relief programs typically follow these steps:

• Listen to employee preferences and interests
  
• Define high-level goals and priority causes
  
• Engage leadership and secure buy-in
  
• Plan logistics for events, volunteers, and resources
  
• Promote internally to encourage participation
  
• Launch and track volunteer engagement
  
• Measure and share impact using both quantitative and qualitative metrics
  

Q: Pro tips for successful disaster relief volunteering campaigns
A: Michael (Deed): Start planning early, listen to employees, provide a bank of volunteering ideas, and ensure volunteer champions have all necessary support.

A: Mallory Burke: Keep campaigns fresh each year. Engage leaders early, offer hybrid volunteering events, and empower employees to lead disaster relief initiatives.

Q: How do you measure success for volunteer campaigns?
A: Michael (Deed): Qualitative measures like employee excitement, photos, and feedback often reflect true engagement better than counting volunteer hours.

A: Missy Peck: Numbers are useful for planning, but storytelling and visual content showcase the real impact of disaster relief and corporate social responsibility programs.

Q: Common pitfalls to avoid
A: Mallory Burke:

• Over-scheduling campaigns during busy periods
  
• Ignoring diverse communities’ availability and needs
  
• Overplanning, flexibility is key
  
• Overloading employees with too many initiatives
  

Q: Sustaining volunteer momentum post-disaster
A: Missy Peck:

• Celebrate and recognize volunteers and volunteer champions
  
• Keep platforms and tools ready year-round
  
• Share impact stories via photos, videos, and reports
  
• Integrate volunteering into company culture and leadership practices
  

A: Michael (Deed): Maintain a global calendar to balance ongoing campaigns with new employee engagement programs.

A: Mallory Burke: Encourage employee-led campaigns and reward grassroots programs to continue volunteer participation.

Q: Personal motivation after campaign execution
A: Mallory Burke: Seeing employees excited and creating community impact is the most rewarding part, along with documenting stories for wider reach.

A: Michael (Deed): Direct participation and witnessing the community impact provides energy and motivation to continue programs.

Q: Thoughts on Volunteer Time Off (VTO)
A: Mallory Burke: VTO policies help, but even without formal programs, teams should be encouraged to participate in disaster relief volunteering initiatives.

A: Missy Peck: Policy alone isn’t enough; a culture that values employee volunteering is crucial.

Q: Aligning disaster relief volunteering with strategic CSR focus areas
A: Michael (Deed): Aero Electronics has four CSR pillars: Green, Good Back, STEM for Growth, and Giving for Good. The “Giving for Good” pillar allows employees to propose and lead volunteering programs, including disaster relief, ensuring alignment with company priorities while supporting creativity.

Q: Securing leadership buy-in
A: Mallory Burke: Demonstrate business value through retention, engagement, and advocacy metrics; embed volunteering into OKRs and highlight storytelling.

A: Michael (Deed): Leadership support is strengthened with data on employee engagement, volunteer impact, and social outcomes.

Q: Eye-opening volunteer experiences
A: Mallory Burke: Programs supporting education for incarcerated individuals highlighted the transformative power of employee volunteer programs when leadership is fully involved.

A: Michael (Deed): Personally participating in community volunteering and witnessing the impact is highly rewarding.