DigitalOcean Case Study

Some stories stand the test of time. While this case study with DigitalOcean was originally published several years ago, it continues to make a lasting impact. We've recently refreshed the study below.

Program Vision

With no formalized corporate citizenship program prior to 2016, DigitalOcean aimed to launch a workplace giving program that would align with, as well as amplify, its company culture and talent acquisition efforts. At the core of DigitalOcean’s company culture is a stated commitment to building and supporting community. Therefore, the team sought a way to more formally engage the company’s employees in both giving and volunteering.

How to expand engagement with giving incentives

Find out how DigitalOcean, a leading cloud services company, integrated Bright Funds giving incentives into its employee referral program for increased engagement and impact.‍

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Strategy

In early 2017, DigitalOcean decided to take a closer look at its employee referrals program, focusing specifically on how they incentivized and rewarded their employees. In May 2017, Olivia Melman, Recruiting Operations Program Manager, partnered with Bright Funds to launch a new employee referral incentive strategy that would highlight the company’s community commitment as well as build upon the successes of its existing employee referral strategy. Bright Funds worked closely with Olivia to develop creative strategies that would ensure a successful launch. The teams prioritized working together to develop and roll out the robust Personal Referral/Credit Grants plan to reward employee involvement. For Bright Funds’ clients and partners, credit grants are one of the most utilized and effective features for driving participation on the platform and thus were a logical use case for the reimagination of the company’s referral program.

“When a DigitalOcean employee’s referral is hired, they complete a quick Google Form that funnels directly to the Bright Funds team. Bright Funds then schedules, releases, and reminds employees of their Credit Grants, keeping me informed all along the way,” said Olivia.”

The Program

In May 2017, DigitalOcean launched its new referrals incentive structure. Now, for each referral candidate who is hired, the referring employee receives a $3,500 Referral Bonus in addition to a $1,500 charitable donation paid by DigitalOcean on the employee’s behalf via Bright Funds. If the employee chooses to contribute an additional portion of the payout to charity, the company matches that added donation. For additional donations of $500 or more, the employee is automatically entered into the annual “Golden Ticket Raffle” – the winner of which is awarded an all-expenses paid trip to thank them for their philanthropic contributions.

The Results

By using credit grants to empower employees to create and use cause-based Funds and encouraging recurring donations, DigitalOcean was able to reach an impressive 43% participation rate (4x above industry standard) in the Golden Ticket Raffle.

To learn more, download the full case study “How DigitalOcean Is Driving Engagement in Workplace Philanthropy Through an Employee Referral Program"