Corporate Engagement Awards is an annual award by British Corporate magazine which recognizes successful and innovative collaborations. It honors three key areas – CSR programs, corporate sponsorships and the communication strategies around those collaborations.
SoftServe, an IT company with Ukrainian roots, has won bronze in the category “Best pro bono work for a charitable, social or ethical cause” for its corporate project OpenTech. The platform was initiated and created by SoftServe’s associates to help socially meaningful projects with technologies. In particular, the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine, UNICEF Ukraine, Rakuten Viber, Ukrainian Cultural Fund, Ukraїner, Plast, No waste Ukraine are among OpenTech partners.
The platform was introduced in March 2021. Since then, it has successfully launched 13 projects in Ukraine, Bulgaria and USA. They include StopCovid-19 website where users can quickly find the contact information for their family doctor, learn more about the symptoms of the illness; Crowdfree – a crowd tracking solution to determine the number of people in a particular location; “Grains of Truth” fundraising platform that helps to collect charitable contributions for the main exposition at the Holodomor Museum and others.
The awarded OpenTech platform is carried out by volunteers within and outside the company. For now, more than 200 people have joined the project.
“OpenTech became a logical continuation of the SoftServe volunteer movement. It created an opportunity for our IT specialists to apply their expertise to develop digital solutions for addressing acute social problems in communities where we live and work. In less than a year, volunteers and the company have implemented 13 projects for nonprofits, local and national authorities that help them improve efficiency in everyday work. It’s been very unexpected and extremely pleasant to receive the award, and this reaffirms that we as a company and a community are going in the right direction. This volunteering program also empowers our mission – to enable talented people to change the world,” says Corporate Reputation & CSR Director Mariia Kucherenko.
Currently, there are 19 active projects for educational, ecological and other non-profit organizations.