Cloud Sherpas 2.0 (Part 3): A Shared Vision of Community, Collaboration and Philanthropy

The following is the third in a series of articles that seeks to offer an inside perspective, from our own team members — the Cloud Sherpas, if you will — on our recent merger with GlobalOne.

One of the greatest rewards I’ve discovered in being a part of the Cloud Sherpas global family lies, perhaps surprisingly, in our company culture, which encourages employees to give back to their local communities in much the same way we share our knowledge and expertise to customers. (Crazy idea, right?!)

To contribute something with a positive, lasting impact to society — or, even, to offer something of unique, lasting value within the global cloud marketplace — means cultivating a shared vision across our organization that transcends geographic barriers and professional responsibilities.

Cloud Sherpas Philanthropy, an entirely employee-operated group charged with organizing company-wide initiatives in support of charitable causes and nonprofit organizations, is one living example of how our company’s internal culture already seems destined to thrive and flourish under the Cloud Sherpas brand following the merger of Cloud Sherpas and GlobalOne in March.

A Brief History of Philanthropy

Nearly two years ago, in October 2010, a group of then-GlobalOne employees here in Cloud Sherpas’ Manila offices organized an impromptu day of volunteer work at a local foundation that cares for lost, neglected and abandoned children.

The heart-wrenching/hilarious/passionate tale of our enlightening experience that day — not to mention a few pictures of some truly adorable children thrown in for good measure — bore an immediate impact on other members of our team, many of whom joined us as we volunteered again.

And again.

And again — until, one day, a modest group of five coworkers (who also just happened to have become friends in their work together at GlobalOne) had grown into a group of 20, bonded by our contributions to the community and committed to facilitating longterm philanthropic initiatives for the company at large.

It wasn’t long before our leadership team took notice of our enterprising spirit, and with their full support, the Philanthropy project was born.

A Culture of Passion

Today, our team here in Makati City, a large suburb of Manila, takes an active role in community service by participating in volunteer and fundraising activities for various nonprofit organizations, including children’s homes and public daycare centers; we also help out underprivileged families in various surrounding communities.

Our goal is never only to aid those less fortunate than us, but also to facilitate awareness — at work, and in both the local and global communities — of philanthropic causes and other social development initiatives in hopes that we might inspire others to follow in our footsteps.

I was thus elated to discover one day just a few weeks ago, after sending a simple email introducing the Philanthropy program to a couple of legacy Cloud Sherpas based in our Atlanta headquarters, that philanthropy was already high on their list of priorities. They shared some of their own recent work in promoting charitable causes on behalf of Cloud Sherpas, and I — and some of my team members — offered further insights into what we’ve endeavored to accomplish in the Philippines with regard to the Philanthropy project.

In the series of emails that have followed, which have covered everything from new marketing projects to coordinating content for this blog, I realized that our shared vision extended well beyond our belief in the value of collaborative philanthropy (to both community and company). It’s just as apparent in our common understanding, and passionate support, of the core tenets of social collaboration itself, many of which now provide the framework for Cloud Sherpas’ new business.

Through the conversation that continues today — across timezones, messaging systems and social networks — I believe we’ve experienced some sense of mutual affirmation that the physical distance between us is no match for the length of time it takes to type a quick email or tweet to one another.

It’s clear that we all — new Sherpas and old — take very seriously the responsibility we inherit as ambassadors of global business: To exemplify social leadership and to become not merely the voices of change, but the change, itself.

Today, I am proud to call myself a Cloud Sherpa: 1 month, 6 days, and counting.

More Background on Cloud Sherpas Philanthropy

The Cloud Sherpas Philanthropy group has participated in several outreach missions, some of which require us to travel to remote underprivileged communities in the Philippines where basic needs are scarce.

The volunteers on their way to Maharlika Paradise, Daycare Center. A remote community in one of the provinces in the Philippines.

Our contributions — trivial though they may be in the grander scheme of things — empower us with a sense of pride and passion for what we do, which, at its core is little more than helping the less fortunate to [find] hold tight to life’s many joys — in essence: Hope.

A smile can often inspire as much gratitude as the donation of food, or money or clothes. A smile exchanged, however, brings me so much joy, sometimes I think the people we support on each Philanthropy mission are giving us far more than we could ever hope to give them: A sense of fulfillment, of purpose and of….

The volunteers with the families of the Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette community.

Beyond the Missions

Cloud Sherpas Philanthropy aspires to cultivate volunteers’ talent and creativity to make a lasting impact on the communities they serve, and to leave a mark of generosity that others can emulate and pay forward. The culture within Cloud Sherpas gives the employees an opportunity to become better citizens of society, to be advocates of sharing and caring and to become the voices of change.

Karen Tomas (0 Posts)

Karen Tomas is a marketing executive and Outreach Program manager based in Cloud Sherpas’ Manila office. In addition to her extensive work in service to community and volunteer initiatives, Karen has a comprehensive background in marketing and communications, specializing in IT and capital markets.