SAP Feeding Knowledge

… because of your local voluntary engagement!

This is the donation-result of the global initiative, between SAP and the UN World Food Programme. Thanks to all SAP employees who registered and participated in volunteering projects around the world - the amount of money reflects their personal efforts!

Am vergangenen Samstag, dem 19. April 2008, war es wieder soweit. Knapp 300 SAP Mitarbeiter mit ihren Familien und Freunden engagierten sich für gemeinnützige Organisationen in ihrer Region. Auch Mitarbeiter in Berlin, Hamburg, München und Prag waren mit eigenen Projekten mit dabei und Budapest wird kommenden Samstag, 26. April 2008, noch folgen!

Hier der Tag und die Eindrücke in zwei kurzen Filmen (youtube + SWR):

Es wäre super, weitere persönliche Eindrücke und Kommentare von den helfenden SAPlings und den Organisationen zu erhalten. So feel free to comment!

—- English Version —-

Here you can find a visual review of the fourth SAPlings-Day on April 19, 2008.

Photos : Flickr.com

A new video: (Link to the German version)

More about that day? Please read “SAPlings - Freiwilligentag der SAP”!

Apart from Ladenburg, there were other ‘Walk the World’-locations around the world where SAP employees, including Ernie Gunst, SAP Corporate Officer and President of EMEA, once again took to the streets to raise funds and awareness for the hungry of the world. SAP TV walked with them in London ‘Windsor Park’:

Worldwide, 471 SAP employees participated on this year’s Walk the World or showed their contribution through a donation to the WFP. By adding 10 Euros from SAP for each engaged employee, the final donation-result ended up by 16.812 Euros.

Overall, around 250.000 people in 70 countries participated on the Walk the World 2008 and rose up more than $500.000 for the fight against hunger.

After the volunteering initiative SAPlings has taken place on April 19th 2008, it is time to have a look at the feedback to this event. Both SAP employees and representatives of the involved organizations were asked about their opinion with regard to the success and possible shortcomings of the activities. The overall positive feedback may encourage more employees to take part at the next initiative on September 20th while at the same time providing some valuable inputs with regard to the organisation of coming events.

Below you find an overview of some facts and figures of the recent SAPlings event:

A total of 313 SAP employees together with their friends and families supported a variety of social and environmental projects. In the Metropolitan Region Rhine-Neckar, 28 projects were supported by 225 helpers. Besides, the SAPlings were active in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Prague and Budapest. Altogether 2291 hours were spent on voluntary work to the benefit of approximately 1900 people.

According to the commentaries of SAP employees, 96% would recommend their colleagues to join the activities of which more than 71% would even “strongly recommend” to do so. Furthermore, a vast majority of more than 89% is very likely to participate at SAPlings again.

On the part of the participating organizations, a convincing 75% rated the SAPlings event with “1” on a scale from 1 (best) to 6 (worst) and the remaining 25% rated it with “2”. Perhaps more telling, however, are the comments of the organizations’ representatives. They indicate that one of the goals of SAPlings, which is to foster networks of trust between SAP employees and the local communities and institutions, has largely been achieved:

“Young people working in a ultra-modern area who still have interest for people in a nursing home, the necessary sensitivity and no fear of contact whatsoever - that impressed us very much.”

“We didn’t expect this kind of commitment.”

“In conversations during breaks we got an impression of how diverse and colorful the composition of employees is at SAP. Also, we could get a first idea of everyday work at the company.”

By and large, the encouraging feedback to this event makes us look forward to the next event of that kind.

It is SAPlings time again! In Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Prague the next SAPlings day will take place on September 20, 2008! For Budapest and St. Ingbert the volunteer day will take place in October. In previous events, the help of the SAPlings was gratefully accepted by local charitable institutions, for example in Berlin (link in German).

For all interested SAP employees at the locations in Walldorf, Rot and Bensheim this SAPlings day is part of a larger campaign entitled “Wir schaffen was!” (“Let’s get things done!”) in which the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region is inviting all citizens to participate in the area’s first-ever volunteer day. Here you can have a look at the German website.

If you are a committed SAP-employee and if you would like to make a difference in the community you are living in, do not hesitate to get involved!