Leading the Way on Volunteering

By Kimberly Bishop, Corporate Responsibility

Volunteering is both critical to a thriving community and important as it teaches valuable skills applicable to the workplace, such as teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership. Volunteering helps give us a deeper understanding of ourselves, provides a sense of purpose, and strengthens relationships.

As the pandemic forced us to use technology to navigate daily life, NortonLifeLock leadership championed the opportunity to establish a culture of giving, one where we continue to serve our communities by volunteering virtually.

Our leaders took action and have provided overwhelming support and participation. Our leaders understand the importance of taking the time to give back to our communities and the impact that can be made when we all give together.

Vincent Pilette, our CEO, led the management team, shown above, in a volunteer event to support the Kids in Need Foundation. The foundation works to ensure all students in America have access to a quality and equal education. Fifteen volunteers packed bags full of school supplies for 45 students. Volunteers also heard from Kristine Cohen at Kids in Need who talked more about education access and how properly resourced learning environments empower teachers and students to succeed.

Natalie Derse, our Chief Financial Officer, hosted an event for her Finance team. More than 50 people participated in the live event to kick off the project supporting Pencils of Promise, a global nonprofit also working towards equitable education access. After the kickoff event, team members formed smaller groups to build a virtual lesson plan to teach basic math, finance, or life-skills. Sixteen educational videos were made by NortonLifeLock employees, like this one on currencies around the world and this one on big mac economics.

Ron Lescinskas, VP of Business Operations, led his team in writing letters to seniors facing isolation and Kara Jordan, Chief People and Culture Officer, led her team in an event that supported American Indigenous Business Leaders (AIBL) by packing and sending needed supplies.

In addition to hosting team-building volunteer events, we also volunteer regularly, demonstrating our culture of giving to our employees. As an example, Kara Jordan, Mark Giles our Head of Transformation, and Krista Todd our Chief Marketing Officer recently volunteered to run one-on-one mock interviews with Year Up students virtually. Year Up works to close the opportunity divide by providing young adults from non-traditional backgrounds with education, training, and experiences that empower them to reach their full potential.

I am so impressed with how NortonLifeLock leaders across departments and divisions have championed virtual volunteering, bringing their teams together to support our communities, and look forward to an even more impactful year.