An inclusive future for all starts with each one us deciding to take action to make a positive difference in our community or to support a cause we care about. There are so many ways to be inspiring – donate, volunteer, or become a change agent. Contributing dollars, time, or expertise can create a ripple effect that has a lasting impact on the world around you.
Cisco employees are allocated up to 80 hours of Time to Give and an additional $25,000 in Matching Gifts towards donations and volunteer hours. It’s your time. Your cause. Your passion. What will you do to be inspiring today?
Community Impact is driving Cisco’s innovative approach to recognizing and celebrating all the ways we make a positive impact on people, society and the planet. Take the Pledge to make an impact in your community.
Donate to support the Ukraine Humanitarian Assistance Fund to help families impacted by the war in Europe. Read more about how Cisco is standing with Ukraine.
Join the Social Justice Movement to learn how you can become a change agent and drive an inclusive future for all.
Check out these Virtual Volunteer Opportunities on Bright Funds.
I am inspired by and in awe of women who have been in the workforce before me, to trail-blaze new paths, who were the first but not the last and who challenged status quo, so we could have role models, #sheroes and goals to aspire for.
At Cisco, I know that I am not alone. We have an incredibly strong community and when shared values merge, we can come together on the big stuff, like encouraging young people and especially girls and young women to consider a career in tech, and really make an incredible impact. So when International Girls in ICT Day pops up on the calendar as an opportunity to scale up, we're all there with bells on
My work with Operation Smile enables me to see firsthand how a simple operation can positively impact the lives of children and their parents. An impact that extends into a lifetime. Cisco and our employees have become the bridge in connecting with the people in need to help create impactful changes.
I decided on this giving back activity to honor my late mum, who gracefully lost her battle to cancer in February 2021. She was a nurse and always wanted to give back to the kids in remote villages in Africa. Unfortunately, her health didn’t allow her to do so. I’m extremely grateful to Cisco for giving us extra days to spend on something as purposeful and as such allowing me to make my mum’s wish come true on her behalf. We went with a group of Cisco volunteers from the Dubai, UAE office and one volunteer from Cisco Norway.
I wish to help de-stigmatize mental illness, promote treating mental health as equal to physical health, and provide an example of how impactful the skills the women attending can be when applied to social causes
I am on the board for a local women's community group called Chatty LaGrange Women. We're a group of 5000+ ladies in our community looking to make a difference in the lives of other women. There are so many stories I could tell, from pairing up and walking alongside someone that's had a terminal health diagnosis to dropping off soup for ladies with COVID to collecting baskets that are used for ladies in our community diagnosed with breast cancer. One story I'll highlight is a birthday parade for a ten-year old with special needs. His mom suffers from severe health issues, and during COVID couldn't risk a close contact birthday party. I, along with other ladies, arranged a birthday parade that included a fire truck, police car and ladies that just wanted to be sure he had a great surprise for his tenth birthday. I prepared his favorite dinner and dessert and we dropped off presents. It was such a moving example of the impact of community and how a little creativity has a big impact. The look of pure joy on his face is my inspiration to keep giving back in big and small ways
A few years ago, I donated a kidney altruistically to a stranger. At the time, I was simply grateful to be able to save one person's life. What I did not realize at the time, was that my kidney donation would INSPIRE at least three friends to do the same! And, although not confirmed, I like to think that when my three friends donated their kidneys, they in turn inspired others to do the same. It's incredibly rewarding to know that I've been an inspiration for not only saving one life but saving many lives.
One can bring sustainable social change in the society only by investing in children and women. It is important to invest in their development process. Education is a basic human right of any individual, but everyone is not born with the privilege to access it. The thing that keeps me going is the children. The way their eyes light up when we introduce something new to them cannot be put into words.
Friday, June 23, 2017, was the worst day of my life! What started out as an ordinary day turned into a complete nightmare – my husband and I lost our first child due to undiagnosed gestational diabetes. However, the events of that day changed my life and ignited a fire in me to raise awareness about the challenges and obstacles women face during maternity and diabetes, especially Black/African American women. Today, I share my story to encourage women to be your own advocate in health care and I give back by servicing as a co-leader of the Diabetes Network, an inclusive community
I am a color specialist and stylist. During COVID period especially, run my Connect with Colour' workshops (inside and outside of Cisco) to help others understand how a tool as simple as colour can help them with their emotional and mental wellbeing. In the process, I did these workshops to raise funds for Shooting Star- a hospice for Terminally Ill children- a cause that is close to my heart.
During one of the volunteer events in which I was teaching kids how to code, one of the students, age about 7-8 years old, came up to me and asked me "why did you want to work on that field?" to which I answered "because I like to build new things and one day I hope to build things for people that look like us" She looked at me straight in the eyes and said "you will! and one day I will too" At that moment, I didn't know how to react but to smile back at her and say "yes we will". After the event, I reflected back on that specific moment and thought to myself that is exactly why I spend time volunteering
After losing my father during the pandemic, I wondered about the purpose of life and my existence. I researched how COVID impacted different segments of the human population. Families with special needs children are also one of the afflicted groups. This period was extremely difficult for those who could not get help from external resources due to financial or medical reasons. Upon further research, I understood the various aspects of support required for families with special needs. Although there is a lot that I could not comprehend such as the early intervention, medical diagnosis, causes, prevention and many others, I did not want to feel helpless. So, I spoke to parental groups, sieved the internet and spoke to teachers who were in the special education sector. My journey through this exploration was an eye opener. The kids and adults who are diagnosed with special needs are extremely talented and compassionate about life and connections, and also very intentional in their actions. Then I knew that there was something I could do. After doing research I Cisco allocated 10 days towards “Time to Give'' which gave me bandwidth to take the first step. I established a nonprofit from scratch to help children and adults who are diagnosed with special needs.
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Buy Women of Impact gear - proceeds will be donated to 3 charities!
Celebrate and give back with Women of Impact 2022. For every purchase made from the Women of Impact collection, proceeds will be donated to one of three organizations supporting girls and women around the globe. The Women of Cisco community has identified one organization from each geo for you to choose where your purchase is donated. Thank you for your contribution and the impact you’re making in the world. Shop now!
Find out more about where your donation will go by geo. Feel free to donate directly to the fund, too!
AMER, Rising Worldwide on BrightFunds
Rising International's mission is to provide entrepreneurial paths to self-sufficiency that enable women in the U.S and women across the world to lift each other out of systems of oppression and poverty.
APJC, Code.org on BrightFunds
Code.org is a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to computer science in schools and increasing participation by young women and students from other underrepresented groups. Our vision is that every student in every school has the opportunity to learn computer science as part of their core K-12 education.
EMEAR, Règles Elémentaires on BrightFunds
First French association for the fight against menstrual precariousness, Elementary Rules collects periodic protections for the most deprived and breaks the taboo of menstruation. Together, we can change the rules! Basic Rules is an association law 1901 which collects products of intimate hygiene for the homeless women or in situation of badly housed in order to help them to protect themselves and to find their dignity. We want to educate all audiences and break the taboo of the rules, in particular by involving boys!
Cisco is committed to positively impacting 1 billion people by 2025. As part of our work, we seek to inspire and empower a generation of global problem solvers who will not only survive – but thrive – in our increasingly digital economy. With digital technologies connecting devices and data, good ideas now have the ability to make a difference more quickly than ever before – and we’re here to help.
Our 6th annual Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge aims to recognize new business ideas that leverage technology for social impact from early-stage entrepreneurs around the world. $1,000,000 USD in prize money will help accelerate the adoption of breakthrough technology, products, and services that drive economic development and/or solve social or environmental problems.
More info on the 2022 challenge can be found here.
For more information, please visit https://cisco.sharepoint.com/sites/InternationalGirlsinICTDay
On behalf of Women of Cisco, a heartfelt farewell and best wishes to Tae Yoo, who recently announced she will be departing Cisco after 30+ years. Tae will be remembered as the visionary behind Cisco’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy and for championing a triple bottom line framework (social, environmental, and financial) across the business. She was also responsible for driving the company’s early approach for engaging public-private partnerships and leveraging Cisco’s business, technical, and financial assets for inclusive growth and social impact in communities around the world. Under Tae’s direction, Cisco has accelerated global problem solving to benefit people, society, and the planet. After a commitment in 2016 to positively impact 1 billion people through our social impact grants and signature programs by 2025, Cisco has already impacted 716 million. And through Tae’s leadership, the Cisco Networking Academy program has become one of the largest ICT education programs in the world, reaching over 15 million students since the program’s inception in 1997 and helping 2.9 million people get jobs since 2005. Most recently, Tae spearhead the company's commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions for scopes 1, 2, and 3 by 2040, and the Cisco Foundation's $100M commitment toward climate regeneration. Other programs under Tae’s leadership have included the Jordan Education Initiative, which the World Economic Forum called “one of the world’s largest successful working models of collaborative public-private sector partnership in education,” and the 21st Century Schools Initiative, designed to help transform communities in the U.S. through education.
Tae is a true CSR trailblazer. She has been recognized as CECP’s Charles H. Moore Award winner for her perseverance in the pursuit of societal advancement, as well as one of GreenBiz’ 25 Badass Women Shaping Climate Action in 2021, Silicon Valley Business Journal’s Women of Influence, and Assent Compliance’s Top 100 Corporate Social Responsibility Influence Leaders. We also recognize Tae internally as an iconic Woman of Impact. Thank you, Tae! Your impact on us, Cisco, and communities around the world over the past few decades is immeasurable.
Learn about Cisco’s CSR impact in the 2021 Purpose Report
