Giving Back with Docusign: Global IMPACT Day Turns 4

Every year since 2014, Docusign employees around the world have taken one special day to give back, by volunteering with local nonprofits that make a difference.

We call it Global IMPACT Day. And it’s an experience that leaves a lasting impression, not just on the organizations we assist and the communities we serve, but on our volunteers themselves.

That’s why this year’s blog post for Global IMPACT Day is just a little bit different. We’re profiling three very different volunteers, who were generous enough to open up and tell us why previous Global IMPACT Days were so transformational for them.

Shawn Stillwell, Chicago

In October 2016, my son Harry was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called Batten Disease, which starts with loss of vision and progresses to seizures, motor loss and premature death.

Every time I visit him at the Lurie Children’s Hospital here in Chicago, it’s a moving experience, so I thought IMPACT Day was a great opportunity to do even more. I used the time to work with other kids at the hospital and help out their caregivers. There's no better feeling than putting a smile on a kid’s face, right?

By the way, my experience with IMPACT helped inspire me to start my own nonprofit, New Genes. We’re doing our part to help eradicate rare kids’ diseases like Harry’s

Kelley Pidhirsky, Philadelphia

Being a remote employee is wonderful, but I really missed the camaraderie that getting to work in an office provides. So, I looked at IMPACT Day as a way to get to deepen my relationships with my co-workers in the area.

First, we worked with Together We Rise to assemble and decorate duffle bags for foster children, who often have nothing more than a simple black trash bag for their few belongings. Once bags were decorated, we filled them with donated hotel soaps, shampoos, and more, then presented the result to a local foster kids’ group.

Afterward, we attended the Signature Chef Gala for March of Dimes, a nonprofit dedicated to eradicating the number one cause of infant death, premature delivery. It’s still experienced by one out of 10 women—and coincidentally, one of those women ended up being my younger sister, who, a few days later, delivered her gorgeous little boy a full seven weeks early. My involvement with the Gala not only gave me the knowledge to handle the delivery room situation more gracefully, but also resulted in my being asked to join the March of Dimes board. IMPACT Day made me fall in love with Docusign all over again.

Yuka Maruyama, Tokyo

I chose to volunteer with Family House here in Tokyo. Rather than simply hopping from one nonprofit to another, Docusign Japan has stuck with Family House over the long haul. Perhaps as a result, volunteering there was an impressive experience for me.

Working with Family House gave us an inside look at families of children who suffer from chronic life-threatening and life-shortening illnesses, as well as all the wonderful people supporting them. But beyond just contributing to society as volunteers, we learned something as human beings. And this year, we’ll be creating Christmas ornaments—our small way of helping families experience the joy of the season. Volunteering on IMPACT Day, I got to meet new people, understand new things, and broaden my vision.

So I have to admit, self-satisfaction is certainly part of why I do it. But only a part.

Now, learn more about Docusign IMPACT.