Our Employees
One of our most powerful assets is our people. NIKE, Inc. employees regularly participate in delivering inspiration by donating their time and talent to community organizations.
In FY09, NIKE, Inc. employees volunteered more than 74,000 hours in their communities. U.S.-based employees also contributed more than $2.4 million, generating company-matched contributions of $3 million to more than 1,500 organizations.
NIKE, Inc. Employee Contributions and Company Match ($m)
NIKE, Inc. employees contribute time and money to community causes important to them. Many contributions qualify for a corporate match.
In FY08 we began developing new processes for engaging the more than 30,000 people who work for NIKE, Inc. worldwide. We piloted a system that links employees to causes and programs that matter most to them, providing direct opportunities for them in a way that allows Nike to support their efforts. This initiative is a true evolution in the way we support our employees' passion and commitment to communities globally.
One way we're leveraging employees' skills as well as company commitment is through the Nike School Innovation Fund (NSIF), which complements and builds on our larger advocacy strategy around funding and support for public schools in our backyard community. The fund launched in 2007 as a five-year, $9-million commitment to help school districts near the company's world headquarters in Oregon. Strong public schools in healthy, vibrant communities help businesses attract and retain executives and a diverse, creative employee base. The fund supports innovation in education and leadership.
School funding has been relatively unstable in many Oregon school districts, given Oregon's dependence on personal income tax to fund schools and efforts to equalize funding across districts in the state. This instability has impacted schools' ability to innovate, provide additional assistance to students in need, and provide high levels of support for teachers, principals and leadership teams.
In the 07/08 and 08/09 school years, the NSIF provided $3.3 million over the two-year period for initiatives that:
- Create and fund summer academic programs to assist more than 1,500 young students (kindergarten through second grade) who needed extra assistance to be successful in school
- Fund leadership academies for teachers, principals school leadership teams, as well as funding an aspiring leader program to support more diverse leadership in schools
- Pilot an innovative school business manager program in Portland high schools that provided principals with more time to be the instructional leaders and coaches in their schools
NIKE, Inc. leadership are engaged by committing time and expertise to assist with leadership development, coaching, out-of-the-box thinking, strategic planning and effective communications. Nike executives and employees supported public school students by volunteering more than 3,000 hours.
We believe good ideas should be shared, and supports and funds the cross-pollination of ideas and initiative across school districts and state lines.
The Fund has a broad cross-section of partners at national, state and local levels including foundations, business partners, universities, labor and school staff and leaders. NSIF operates under the umbrella of the Portland Business Alliance Charitable Institute, a registered nonprofit organization.