It’s a way to get people connected and excited while also contributing towards a good cause.”
When Shilpa Pherwani, principal and CEO of IBIS Consulting Group, was looking for a partner for an employee program, ensuring that they aligned with IBIS’s values was her top priority.
IBIS Consulting Group is a leader in global diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training and consulting. “We help our clients be more strategic and holistic about their DEI initiatives,” explains Shilpa.
When starting IBIS’s new employee engagement program, “we wanted to make sure we partnered with an organization that aligned with our mission and vision around diversity, equity, and inclusion,” says Shilpa.
“Our other goal was to get our team involved and excited because we have been working remotely,” she adds. “We wanted something to do together in a virtual format.”
Charity Miles was a win-win. “It’s a way to get people connected and excited while also contributing towards a good cause,” says Shilpa.
Shilpa and her team decided to vote on a new organization to support every quarter.
For their first quarter with Charity Miles, IBIS sent every teammate a survey with 5 charities that aligned with IBIS’s mission and values. The team chose FOKAL, an organization the office administrator had suggested.
FOKAL provides relief efforts for Haiti, which aligns perfectly with IBIS’s mission. “With all the work that IBIS does around DEI, our goal is to provide opportunities to members of marginalized communities with a global perspective in mind,” says Shilpa. Haiti was also facing natural disasters at the time, which made their support feel even more urgent.
In January, the IBIS team chose a new organization: Together We Rise, which supports children in foster care. One of the team’s senior leaders had suggested it.
“We want to make sure our team members feel connected with the cause, and many of them are experienced with foster care,” says Shilpa.
The program has been helping the team connect.
“It’s a way to bring the team together to talk about something that’s not fully work-related, but still a common cause we’re all pursuing together,” says Shilpa.
“We get to hear stories from team members and get to know them a little better,” Shilpa continues. “For example, one team member bikes hundreds of miles, and we joke about how we can’t keep up with that. Another team member has been setting a goal every year to walk the number of miles that corresponds with that year. So, 2,022 miles in 2022.”
Most importantly, the team enjoys having a way to contribute to a good cause while staying active.
We’re so glad we could help IBIS Consulting Group support such wonderful causes! Our congrats to the whole team. #EveryMileMatters