Apple Launches 'Global Volunteer Program' to Encourage Employees to Volunteer in Local Communities

Apple today notified its employees about a new volunteer program that it's launching, which is designed to encourage Apple employees in select locations to volunteer in their local communities.

Under the new Apple Global Volunteer Program, Apple is offering employees a way to receive training and tools to help them create and publicize local volunteer events to better their communities. The program, currently available in the United States, Sydney, and Cork, also aims to help employees find activities to volunteer for.

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Since its launch in 2011, the Apple Matching Gifts Program has been an astounding success, with a combined total of over $78 million donated to charities and non-profits around the world. Now employees in the U.S. have a new way to make an even bigger impact on the causes they care about where they live: the Apple Global Volunteer Program. The program empowers employees to become Volunteer Champions and receive training and tools to help organize and publicize volunteer events in their communities. It also makes it easy for employees to find activities where they can volunteer their time and qualify for Matching Gifts. Right now we're piloting the program in the U.S., Sydney, and Cork with the goal of expanding it worldwide in the future.

The launch of the Apple Global Volunteer Program comes just months after Apple made efforts to expand employee benefit packages under the direction Denise Young Smith, who took over as head of human resources at Apple early last year. Improved benefits included more maternity/paternity leave for parents, educational reimbursements, and an expansion of Apple's long-running donation matching program.

Apple's Matching Gifts Program [PDF] has existed since 2011, seeing the company match the money its employees contribute to charities (up to $10,000 per employee per year), but with the expansion, Apple also began matching time volunteered. As of October 2014, Apple donates $25 per hour to any non-profit where an employee volunteers.

As stated in the memo sent to employees, Apple's charitable efforts have thus far raised a combined total of $78 million for charities and non-profit organizations around the world.

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Top Rated Comments

kiantech Avatar
138 months ago
not like you have any iOS bugs to fix or anything.

Why am I not surprised this comment is here.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
138 months ago
not like you have any iOS bugs to fix or anything.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Alith Avatar
138 months ago
Or they could just reduce their massive and ethically incomprehensible tax avoidance, which would pump money into communities commensurate with the amount of money they make out of those communities and act as a shining example for all the other multinationals that take the piss as well.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
madsci954 Avatar
138 months ago
not like you have any iOS bugs to fix or anything.

Right, because Apple only has 1 team that does EVERYTHING!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IJ Reilly Avatar
138 months ago
Does anyone know if there is an Apple internal "approved charity list" or does any local jurisdiction non-profit qualify?

Presumably any charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code would qualify.

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It's things like this that make me think I'd hate to work for Apple.

And it's also why you'd probably never get a job there.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iSee Avatar
138 months ago
not like you have any iOS bugs to fix or anything.

That this is the first reaction to this news is pretty sad.

Oh well, I guess to be first, it helps if there is no thought or depth behind it.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)