Community Philanthropy Awards: Keysight Technologies, Santa Rosa
One of the region’s largest employers, Keysight Technologies has a comprehensive corporate citizenship program that includes a wide range of philanthropic projects and opportunities for employees to get involved.
“Through the company’s giving program, employees are able to make donations to nonprofit and educational organizations year-round, and Keysight matches their contributions dollar-for-dollar,” said Ron Nersesian, president and CEO.
So far this fiscal year, which ends in April, $650,000 in Santa Rosa employee donations and company-matched funds has been distributed among a variety of local charitable groups. In 2015, nearly $200,000 in grants was given to local science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and environmental science programs.
Keysight maintains corporate memberships in local trade associations and sponsors a number of area programs aimed at improving the quality of life in Sonoma County. Recipients of these funds include the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, North Bay Leadership Council, Sonoma County Alliance, United Way of the Wine Country’s Schools of Hope and Day of Caring programs, American Heart Association’s Heart Walk and Go Red for Women events, and Volunteer Center of Sonoma County’s Human Race, Business Environmental Challenge and Secret Santa programs.
Keysight’s policy allows employees to take four hours per month - 48 hours per year - of paid time off to volunteer in their communities.
As an example, about 400 Keysight employees took that time to participate in the Day of Caring, completing 26 projects for local nonprofits. Those workers made up nearly one-third of the participants in this event. For the Business Environmental Challenge, dozens of employees collaborated with workers from other nearby firms in completing quarterly environmental projects at parks and open spaces.
During the AHA Heart Walk, more than 300 Keysight workers and family members participated, helping to raise funds to fight heart disease and stroke. Their contributions through the company’s giving program were matched.
About 50 Keysight employees coordinated the company’s 12th annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day event. The goal is to increase female student interest in STEM education and related career opportunities. This event attracted 120 middle and high school students, who spent half a day working in teams on interactive science projects and listening to panelists talk about engineering careers.
More than a dozen Keysight employees volunteered to host two weeks of the Mike Hauser Algebra Academy, a Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce program designed to help incoming high school freshmen be successful in math and science courses, graduate and go on to college.
In addition, 20 employee volunteers participated in the company’s free hands-on Keysight After School science program conducted at four Santa Rosa schools. It included a series of 23 projects.
Keysight’s outreach extends to providing organizational leadership. Employees serve on a number of nonprofit boards such as Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, North Bay Leadership Council, United Way of the Wine Country, Volunteer Center of Sonoma County, Social Advocates for Youth, Sonoma County Alliance, Northern California Center for Well-Being, American Red Cross’ local chapter, Career Technical Education Foundation of Sonoma County and 180 Studios, a new maker space in Santa Rosa.
