For a technology giant, corporate citizenship is good business

The world’s second-largest software corporation, Oracle today has a presence in well over 100 countries. So does Oracle Academy.

One of the Texas-based company’s two major education initiatives—the other is Oracle Education Foundation—Oracle Academy offers institutions and educators on six continents free access to a wide range of resources, including curricula, software, cloud technology and classroom practice environments—all geared toward helping students develop the knowledge and skills they need to become technology innovators and leaders.

“Growing up, I was always told that technology was a male-dominated industry,” says Academy graduate Kara Lucord, now a data scientist with Oracle in Denver. “But this certainly wasn’t the case at Oracle Academy—nor at Oracle, where brilliant women from diverse backgrounds surround me in my day-to-day, as well as in leadership roles. It’s refreshing and comforting to work in an environment that embodies a feeling of equality.”

In the U.S. and worldwide, through its philanthropic and volunteer initiatives, Oracle has taken an active role in creating opportunities for women and under-represented minorities. Each year at its Tech Sassy Girlz event in Florida, for example, the Academy holds employee-run workshops designed to narrow the technology learning gap for minority female high school students.

More than most companies, perhaps, Oracle has formalized employee volunteering through Oracle Volunteers, averaging some 2,000 projects a year. Working with literally thousands of NGOs and public institutions, volunteers immerse themselves in a vast array of educational, environmental and community initiatives—from planting trees and removing litter from parks and beaches to making masks and face shields for healthcare workers during the worst days of the pandemic.

Recognizing the power of mentorship, volunteers dedicate hundreds of hours a year to building relationships with the next generation and equipping them for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. They engage with high school students on semester-long STEM projects, coach teams in global technology competitions, and lead workshops to help students build self-esteem and creative confidence. Oracle has a word for this: skillanthropy.

Many volunteers give special attention to promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM careers, supporting girls and other historically underrepresented groups of students through Oracle-funded organizations such as Black Girls Code and the Women’s Technology Empowerment Center. And, as the world shifted to a distance-learning model in 2020, volunteers produced televised lessons for students in rural India, provided learning experiences for students in Latin America and Europe, and led virtual classes and mentoring sessions in Asia and Africa.

From Carpenter Group’s perspective, all of this fits within Oracle’s commitment—as both company and global citizen—to an equitable and sustainable future. “At Oracle, we know that sustainability is good business,” says its website. “And the planet is a stakeholder.”

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About Brand Acts of Kindness^® 

Brand Acts of Kindness^® is a series from Carpenter Group that spotlights companies across industries that are living their brand values in addressing the unprecedented challenges facing the world today.

The series initially headlined companies assisting healthcare workers and first responders, as well as communities, businesses and families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We also highlight brands taking the lead in supporting social and racial justice, LGBTQ rights, sustainability and the environment. Their stories show how innovation, resolve and action, built on a solid value proposition, can both strengthen a brand and help create a better world.

About Carpenter Group

Carpenter Group is an independent, woman-owned strategic branding, messaging and marketing communications firm that has delivered results-driven solutions to financial, professional services and technology firms for 30+ years.

Our broad cross-discipline experience enables us to craft brand messaging and carry it through to the channels that most effectively connect with our clients’ target audience, from editorial content to advertising to event marketing and more.