Meet the in-house entrepreneurs behind the social impact teams of leading tech companies

You may have heard the term “internal entrepreneur”. It refers to leaders who drive internal innovation to shape the trajectory of an organization. Erin Baudo Felter embodies in-house entrepreneurship. She is Okta’s Vice President of Social Impact and Sustainability and leads Okta’s Social Impact Division. Erin has grown Okta for Good into her non-profit digital transformation machine. Strategies Erin Leveraged to Turn Her Okta for Good into Her $25 Million Charitable Donor and Count and the Corporate Social Impact Leader Bringing Tech Nonprofits to the Frontlines of Global Issues We talked about how we can think about helping.

Shannon Farley: Okta for Good is Okta’s social impact division. You built it from scratch. Please tell us the story behind the creation of Okta for Good.

Erin Baud Felter: Social impact has been central to Okta’s culture from the beginning. Even before going public, co-founders Todd McKinnon and Frederic Kerrest founded Okta for Good, a social impact initiative. They defended it in a big way by making his 1% pledge. This is a commitment to give back Okta’s time, products and assets. It’s pretty unique to see leadership weave social impact into the structure of a company early on.

Since then, we have been building this foundation to dramatically increase the impact of Okta for Good. Today, we help grow nonprofits around the world through our philanthropic efforts, Okta products, and the time and expertise of our employees. He has also expanded Okta for Good to include his dedicated ESG and sustainability programs. After hearing more and more from our employees, customers and investors about the importance of these issues, it was a no-brainer to integrate them more deeply into our business.

Farley: Before Okta, you led corporate social impact at Zynga, Yahoo, and Warner Bros. How did you get into this role?

Baud Felter: It’s fun! Simply put, I was strongly influenced by my parents. I am the product of a businessman father and a hippie mother. I learned about institutions and working within institutions from my father. And I learned from my mother about seeking radical change. Despite their differences, my parents ultimately shared a common belief in the goodness of people. led.

Farley: You built Okta for Good into a multi-million dollar initiative that provides innovative support to nonprofits. Tell us about the impact of Okta for Good.

Baud Felter: We’ll start by sharing some big numbers that drive the impact of Okta for Good. Starting with a small team in 2017 (just me!) and a modest donation, we’ve grown tremendously to where we are today. Last year alone, he gave $5 million in cash and $5 million in technology and services to nonprofits. We are proud to have 85% of our employees donate and volunteer through Okta for Good. It impacts nearly 3,000 non-profit organizations around the world.

Strategically, we have focused on driving outsized, fundamental change in the nonprofit sector. We have seen the technology gap in the social sector grow as organizations struggle to move to the cloud, invest in digital service offerings, hire technical talent, and protect against cyberthreats. Based on these insights, he launched the Nonprofit Technology Initiative, his three-year, $10 million philanthropic effort to drive digital transformation in the nonprofit sector. The initiative established his $1 million portfolio focused on building non-profit cybersecurity capabilities. By listening to and learning from our nonprofit partners, we have identified where Okta for Good is best suited to support the sector.

Farley: Not all Fortune 200 companies have established impact capabilities like Okta for Good. How have you navigated building a philanthropic arm within a publicly traded for-profit company?

Baud Felter: I think it boils down to three driving factors. As I mentioned earlier, Okta for Good has had genuine and sustained buy-in from the top since its inception. Our founders, officers and board of directors are all committed to Okta for Good. This investment in leadership has been key to our growth. Second, prioritize strategic alignment between Okta’s business and impactful work. By clearly connecting Okta for Good’s goals to the company’s broader strategy, we made investing in the impact department the right business decision. And finally, our team has embedded Okta for Good into our corporate culture by mobilizing thousands of employees around the world. Together, these factors have helped Okta for Good scale significantly.

Farley: On the subject of scale, Chat with Okta co-founder Frederic Kerrest about him wall street journal bestselling book, From zero to IPO. Throughout the book, he shares key advice for founders looking to grow their organization from a startup.How do you plan to adopt the lessons from IPO from scratch How can Okta for Good continue to grow?

Baud Felter: Freddie often talks about the importance of taking risks.of From zero to IPO, he wrote: They go up against the more well-funded and more firmly entrenched giants. They subvert the industry. No such thing happens when you follow the proven path. It can only happen by diving into the unknown. “

Okta for Good embodies this mindset. We know that the status quo must be challenged while addressing complex challenges such as inequality and climate change to advance both business and social value. I encourage my team to take risks and think outside the box in their daily work. Like when we asked companies to set public climate targets, for example. At Okta’s size and stage, this could be considered high risk. This was something we had never done before. But the team insisted on it and the leadership was supportive. Our early investments in climate strategy are proving to be smart for both business and the world.

Farley: You work closely with thousands of influential organizations across continents and sectors. What strategies have you seen them deploy to expand their influence?

Baud Felter: Partnership and collaboration are key. The most effective organizations we work with leverage the expertise of our peers and leaders in other sectors who can provide coordinated support. World’s First Humanitarian Information Sharing to Help Nonprofits Respond to Cyber ​​Threats, Witnessing Exciting Cross-Sectoral Collaborations Including NetHope, USAID, Cyberpeace Institute, and Public-Private Partnerships with Okta and the Analysis Center (“ISAC”).

Centralizing power in the community is also important for addressing social challenges. Take for example his CLIMA Fund, Okta for Good’s climate equity grant that supports grassroots groups tackling the root causes of the climate crisis. Putting resources into the hands of these movement builders not only accelerates solutions, but also shifts power to the communities most affected.

Farley: Looking ahead, what are the essential attributes and strategies for social impact leaders to reach the next level?

Baud Felter: Empathy, imagination, and courage are three leadership traits that I believe are non-negotiable in social impact. We face relentless global challenges every day. Moving to reactive mode is easy. But it’s important to step back and listen first. When we listen – when we exercise empathy – we can understand problems more deeply, put those closest to them at the center, and find ways to deal with them proactively and sustainably.

You have to use your imagination too. As I mentioned earlier, social impact teams need to take risks. We can’t do things the same way we used to to solve the world’s problems. Different approaches should be envisaged. It means thinking big and bold.

Finally, courage. One of his favorite quotes of mine is from comedian Lily Tomlin. Then I realized who I am. ” We have to be the change we want to see, but it takes courage. I am inspired by the many social impact her leaders who act with courage in facing global challenges. The future is in good hands.