2020 Social & Philanthropic Impact Report
Our core value at Zoom is to care. Our inaugural Social Impact Report shares the steps we’ve taken to help care for our community in a historic year.
In this report, we’ll cover:
A message from our CEO
Eric S. Yuan
Zoom’s core value is Care — we care for our community, customers, teammates, company, and ourselves. Caring for each other became a vital part of one of the most difficult and transformative years in modern history. As the world grieved together, mobilized together, and adapted to new ways of working and living, we at Zoom knew we had a fundamental role to play in advancing our communities through an unprecedented time.
This is why we launched Zoom Cares, our global social impact arm — to put the full weight of our platform, dollars, employees, and voice behind our commitment to a future where all people and the environment are cared for.
We were inspired and called to action by acts of resilience all around us. We saw essential healthcare, grocery, retail, and restaurant workers providing for us all while under the tremendous weight of a pandemic. We saw colleagues, families, and friends connect virtually to overcome loneliness and show love to one another. And we saw acts of courage and collective strength as people rose up to take a stand against injustice in their community.
I’m proud to introduce Zoom Cares’ first Social Impact Report, which seeks to elevate the phenomenal and critical efforts our partners and grantees achieved throughout this challenging year. They worked tirelessly to bridge the digital divide and ensure access to remote education. They fed, supported, and uplifted individuals and families affected by COVID-19. They fought to disrupt and dismantle systems of racial oppression and social inequity.
We stand behind these organizations in their efforts to help unite and build a brighter, more just future.
Impact By the Numbers
$5,161,517
total grant funding from Zoom and Zoom employees
$4,708,053
of grants funded by Zoom
62 organizations supported globally
$453,464
total in employee giving
555 organizations supported globally
$266,300
donated to nonprofits on behalf of Zoom customers
125,000
K-12, primary, and secondary schools in 25 countries received Zoom’s education service for free
95 billion
minutes of free meeting access provided to K-12, primary, and secondary schools
8,888
licenses donated to 48 charitable organizations
Zoom Cares overview
Our efforts are based on long-established values of care and commitment to resourcing leaders and organizations in our communities around the globe. If this is your first introduction to Zoom Cares, learn about our mission, strategic pillars, and areas of focus.
Our mission
Zoom Cares is committed to a future where all people and the environment are cared for.
5 strategic pillars
Our five strategic pillars provide a framework for our giving and support. They’re the levers we pull to ensure our efforts have maximum impact in our community.
Product
Our product enables good globally
Philanthropy
Our dollars fuel positive impact
People
Our Zoomies show they care through action
Policy
We advance and support system-wide changes
Power
We use our voice and platform in full effect for good
3 areas of focus
Our five strategic pillars provide a framework for our giving and support. They’re the levers we pull to ensure our efforts have maximum impact in our community.
Education
We support innovations that help learners globally access a high-quality education.
Environment
We advance efforts that decrease greenhouse gas emissions and create healthy communities.
Social Equity
We partner with organizations that help disrupt disparities such as race, power, and wealth.
Our product impact
Enabling connections through our product
In 2020, video communications became a lifeline that enabled schools to deliver education remotely and allowed nonprofit organizations to provide critical services to their communities. We were grateful for the opportunity to donate our product and help organizations maintain essential communications throughout the pandemic.
Schools
At the onset of the pandemic, schools and institutes of higher education across the globe had to switch to remote learning for their students — a vast undertaking that involved deploying and adopting new technology many had never used before.
To enable continuity of education, we lifted the 40-minute time limit for meetings for K-12, primary, and secondary schools on the Zoom Basic plan, enabling schools to use Zoom for free, uninterrupted learning.
Zoom provided its education service for free to over 125,000 schools in 25 countries
95 billion minutes of free meeting access provided to K-12, primary, and secondary schools
Nonprofits
In the absence of in-person gatherings, many nonprofits and charitable organizations looked to maintain their ties with stakeholders, serve clients, hold events, and coordinate their efforts virtually.
Zoom Meetings, Zoom Video Webinars, Zoom Phone, and Zoom Rooms product donations and discounts helped nonprofits continue to advance their mission during difficult and often isolating times.
8,888 licenses donated to 48 charitable organizations
Value of product donated: $1,803,200
29,555 nonprofits in 103 countries received a 50% discount on Zoom products through our TechSoup partnership
95 billion minutes of free meeting access provided to K-12, primary, and secondary schools
Featured Story
Scouts help 675,000 youth overcome pandemic isolation
The Scout Association is the largest coeducational youth work charity in the United Kingdom. Scouts actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society.
“At first, lockdown was fun — no school was a treat. But slowly the world began to close in on Arya and her five-year-old brother. She missed playing with her friends and her schoolwork began to drop off,” said Arya’s father, Laxman.
Like so many other children, Arya began to feel the impacts of isolation from the pandemic. But as a member of The Scout Association, Arya was able to participate in Scouts activities over Zoom and see her friends every week.
March–December 2020:
135 million meeting minutes on Zoom
300,000 programme sessions and support meetings
More than 1,000 online Scout Zoom meetings every day on average
99% of 7,727 local Scout Groups
signed up to the platform
675,000 young people and 165,000
adult volunteers took part in Zoom-enabled education and support sessions
Photo credit: The Scout Association
Featured Story
Celebrating accessibility with the University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) works to foster an open and inclusive environment without barriers so students and employees can learn and work in accessible ways.
In honor of the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we donated our Zoom Video Webinars platform so KU could host a virtual celebration over Zoom, enabling participants to come together to learn, share, and discuss.
Featured Story
United Boys & Girls Clubs help Santa Barbara students stay connected
United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County (UBGC) is a nonprofit youth development agency with a mission “to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.”
Before and after school, many Santa Barbara youth head to their neighborhood Clubs, gathering places run by the United Boys & Girls Clubs, where learning and activities take place. During the pandemic, the organization launched a Virtual Club with Zoom to reach local families and continue delivering important programs to children.
310 youth serviced
125 learning opportunities
65 hours spent with members
Photo credit: UBGC
Our philanthropy impact
How we drive change with our philanthropic dollars
The pandemic underscored and exacerbated systemic gaps in access to education, healthcare, and social services for individuals and families. We granted more than $4.7 million to organizations ensuring access across these areas.
In 2020:
Zoom donated $4,708,053 in unrestricted grant funding to 62 organizations globally
Our top customers received $100 to donate to a nonprofit of their choice via Global Giving. $266,300 donated to nonprofits on behalf of Zoom customers across areas including education, gender equality, physical health and child protection.
A sample of our indefatigable nonprofit partners across three areas of our funding in 2020 include:
Featured Story
San Jose Digital Inclusion Fund & Education-SuperHighway work to bridge the digital divide
San Jose Digital Inclusion Fund is a partnership with the City of San José, the San José Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation, and the California Emerging Technology Fund, to close the digital divide through access programs, device programs, and efforts to promote digital literacy.
EducationSuperHighway’s mission is to upgrade the internet access in every public school classroom in America so that every student has the opportunity to take advantage of the promise of digital learning.
Pandemic-related school closures impacted a generation of learners, and students from households without access to internet-connected devices experienced loss of learning to an even greater degree than their connected peers. This “digital divide” is expected to widen the existing achievement gap further over the coming years.
The San Jose Digital Inclusion Fund is working with public and private partners to help its residents overcome the digital divide. With Zoom’s headquarters in San Jose, we felt especially compelled to support this effort in our own backyard.
Zoom Cares granted $500,000 over five years to support SJ Digital Inclusion’s efforts to get impactful technology into the hands of more individuals who need it. By connecting more households, SJ Digital Inclusion hopes to improve equity, increase digital literacy, and provide greater opportunities for residents to succeed in education and the workforce.
We also supported EducationSuperHighway (ESH) with $500,000 in grant funding to address the digital divide in Denver, Colorado, and New York City. ESH is partnering with The Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC), The Rockefeller Foundation, Cielo Scholarship Foundation, and New York City to deliver wi-fi and broadband upgrades to students in the city’s most unconnected communities. More than 12,000 young people and adults in all five boroughs benefited from access to high-speed connectivity at community centers run by the New York City Housing Authority.
Our partnership with ESH also enabled the organization to kick off the K-12 Bridge to Broadband project with Denver Public Schools. Built around a data exchange platform, the initiative enables states and school districts to work with internet service providers to assess the digital divide among 100,000 students, identify unconnected households, and build a long-term strategic plan to bring sustainable, sufficient connectivity to those homes.
Our people impact
How our passionate employees show they care
Our Zoomies embody our value of care. For years, employees in our different office locations have organized volunteer efforts and fundraising drives to support local organizations. While health and safety circumstances may have prevented employees from volunteering in person in 2020, many found ways to give back.
Zoomies Care
Our employee giving and company-match program, Zoomies Care, empowers our employees and their charitable efforts.
In 2020:
Why Zoomies give
During our end-of-year giving campaign, we asked our employees, “What inspired you to make a charitable donation?” Here’s what they had to say:
Paola R.
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Organizations/projects supported
Transforming The Lives of 50 Children in Cartagena
Teach 400 Indigenous Children: Justice in Colombia
Un Techo para mi País Colombia
Mahavir Kmina Artificial Limb Center
Fundación Proyecto Guajira
Shrijana G.
San Jose, USA
Organizations/projects supported
One Heart Worldwide
COVID-19 Disaster Response Fund: Nepal
Camille S.
Denver, USA
Organizations/projects supported
Leon Gallery
Zoomie Spotlight
Paul M.
London, United Kingdom
“My life is centered around helping others — it’s what I feel I’ve been put on this earth to do,” said Paul, an education account executive at Zoom.
Paul has always been heavily involved in his community, but after losing several loved ones and friends to COVID-19, he felt compelled to help those most affected by the pandemic. He left his job at the time to devote his full efforts to volunteering.
In addition to helping those in need, Paul also found ways to support local businesses and organizations. “I bought thousands of masks to give to support groups in my area,” he said. “I went to shops, cafes, and butchers in my community and gave them some money so if anyone came in who needed some food or a hot drink, it would be paid for.”
Through this incredibly difficult time, Paul believes that helping people in his community will inspire others, especially young people, to follow suit and make a difference.
“If they see it, they will believe it and be motivated to achieve it,” he said.
Featured Story
Supporting Denver families with Kenzi’s Causes
Kenzi’s Causes supports underprivileged children and their families in Colorado by providing toys, food, and more during the holidays; school supplies and clothing during the school year; and assisting families through community outreach, financial planning and professional support.
For years, our Denver office employees have looked to make a difference in the local community, volunteering together and fundraising for organizations that support important causes in Colorado. Kenzi’s Causes is one such organization. Every year, Denver Zoomies give to Kenzi’s Causes to help families celebrate the holidays with special gifts and events.
Total donations from Denver-based Zoomies in 2020: $9,750
Adopted 7 Kenzi’s Kidz families for Operation Christmas
Adopted 14 kids for the Holiday Drive-Thru
Provided 45 gingerbread kits and breakfast baskets to families
Photo credit: Kenzi’s Causes
Our broader social impact
How we make a difference for our people, customers & environment
Our social impact extends beyond the umbrella of Zoom Cares. As part of our commitment to caring, we use our platform and voice to engage communities around the world, provide resources, and help connect people however we can. Here are just a few ways our broader company and platform made an impact in 2020.
Promoting diversity, equity & inclusion
In 2020, we formed our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) team, building off the work that was already being done and the opportunities in front of us to learn from each other and create a more equitable world. The DEI team set out to engage Zoomies and the broader community around issues of race, equity, and inclusion.
In partnership with TIME, we used our platform to host a series of conversations, “Race in the Workplace,” which served as a resource and call to action for companies and individuals to address racism, bias, and systemic inequality.
We partnered with leading Black women artists and nonpartisan organizations like Color of Change and Mobilize to host “Zoom Where it Happens,” supporting voter equity and activating communities of color to have their vote counted.
Scene from “Zoom Where It Happens” Episode 1: Golden Girls. Clockwise from top left: Sanaa Lathan, Tracee Ellis Ross, Regina King, Lena Waithe, Alfre Woodard.
And, we began working with Next Chapter, an 8-month apprenticeship program that provides education and an onsite software engineering apprenticeship to individuals who are formerly incarcerated. We provided scholarships and stipends for program participants to attend Hack Reactor’s 12-week bootcamp, followed by a five-month apprenticeship at Zoom, and look forward to continuing our partnership in 2021.
Reducing our global carbon footprint
Millions of users used Zoom to work from home during the pandemic, resulting in fewer cars commuting to and from the office and a dramatic reduction in business-related travel. By enabling business continuity for remote workers, our product supported more than 55 million metric tons of CO2 emissions being avoided.
Teaching, learning & connecting at Zoom Academy
In preparation for a truly unique 2020-2021 school year, we hosted Zoom Academy in July 2020, providing free live training and resources to the global education community. Thought leaders, educators, and administrators came together to share wisdom and insights on teaching remotely, improving student engagement, and creating connections outside the classroom, all in a virtual environment.
Over 120,000 registrants from 154 countries received access to Zoom Academy training and resources
More than 35,000 educators, school leaders, and learners attended Zoom Academy live
8,775 individuals earned a Zoom Academy badge
Donating time & talents to support virtual events
Our Pro Events Team donated time to support seven virtual events held by our partners. Virtual events helped many organizations connect with their audience, engage their community, educate, and share resources in a unique year.
Value of time donated: $192,000
Featured Story
Pro Events Team supports Teach For All’s annual Global Conference
Teach For All is a global network of independent partner organizations developing leadership in classrooms and communities to ensure all children can fulfill their potential.
Teach For All’s annual Global Conference brings together members of the network’s broader community to connect, learn, and celebrate with each other. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization held its first virtual Global Conference, supported by our Pro Events Team, which offered its services pro bono. The conference featured numerous speakers, including 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai.
More than 2,000 global attendees
50 Leadership & Learning sessions
40 community building spaces
Photo credit: Kenzi’s Causes
Thank You
We consider it a tremendous honor and privilege to care for our community. We extend our gratitude to all the leaders and organizations who rose to the immense challenges of this last year. Thank you for enduring so that our communities could stay safe and healthy, have access to quality remote education, and live in a more just and equitable future.
We at Zoom are excited for the journey ahead and look forward to growing and amplifying our partners’ work in this next year and beyond.
Visit zoom.us/zoomcares to learn more, or subscribe to our blog to follow our efforts.
Methodology
Our first Social Impact Report covers the actions, activities, and efforts of Zoom Cares and our partners in fiscal year 2021 (February 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021).
The goal of this report is to share our social impact efforts here at Zoom accurately and transparently. Here’s a look at the data collection and analysis methods we used to create this report.
Product
Product donation numbers are compiled leveraging ticket requests submitted by employees, as well as employee self-reporting. Requests to lift the 40-minute time limit on Zoom for Education Basic plans were submitted by K-12 and primary/secondary schools via an online form on the Zoom website, and reviewed, verified, tracked, and reported by our marketing team.
The total number of free meeting minutes in K-12 education was calculated from a data pull of individual users with education email domains from March 2020 to March 2021. We calculated the value of our donated product using our current pricing model as of April 2021.
Philanthropy
Zoom Cares grants are reported with support from our partners at the Tides Foundation who manage and administer funding for Zoom’s charitable program.
People
Employee dollars donated through our Zoomies Cares program, along with Zoom’s matching donations, are tracked on our internal Benevity platform. The value of pro bono hours donated by Zoom’s Pro Events team for charitable events is calculated leveraging per-project standard costs implemented for paid events.
Carbon emissions reduction data
Zoom’s carbon reduction data takes into account a realistic cadence of business travel that is determined by distance between participants and “hub” locations inferred by Zoom meeting usage. Once a baseline of offset travel is established, Zoom leverages regulatory guidelines and academic research to estimate the corresponding CO2 emissions are avoided in a given time period.