Corporate Philanthropist and Tech Entrepreneur, Marc Benioff, Discusses Innovative Approaches to Corporate Giving

Mark Benioff, founder and chairman of Salesforce.com and a leading philanthropist, discussed the need for companies to foster a stronger internal culture of giving. Mr. Benioff developed the 1/1/1 model of giving, which encourages companies to commit 1 percent of their profits, 1 percent of their equity and 1 percent of employee hours to social needs, and he has actively persuaded powerhouse corporations such as Google to adopt the practice. During his presentation, Mr. Benioff noted General Colin Powell's influence on the development of this 1/1/1 model.
    Mr. Benioff, the author of two books on corporate philanthropy, further discussed the current economic climate and its effect on philanthropy. His comments were echoed by Charlie Moore, the executive director of the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy, who provided a few comments to the audience.
      Colin Powell Center scholars who have been researching corporate philanthropy invited Mr. Benioff to speak. The scholars, Melissa Frakman, Cory Ip, Jessica Raatz, and Lindsay White, joined him on stage for a question-and-answer session as part of their policy and leadership training.
       Salesforce.com is a leading on-demand information management service that Mr. Benioff founded in 1999. Within six months of the company’s launch, Mr. Benioff started the Salesforce Foundation, a global philanthropic organization. Among its efforts, the foundation has enabled more than 1,500 nonprofits to use Salesforce.com’s online applications gratis.