As a mature Silicon Valley technology company that champions community, Ironclad believes that corporate social responsibility and pro bono work should be built into the very foundation and fabric of our company. It just makes sense.
A great example of this vision in action happened last month at the Onetta Harris Community Center in Menlo Park on the San Francisco Peninsula. In December, Ironclad successfully completed our first pro bono initiative by partnering with Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) on their Annual Community Giveback.
Helping LSPC Helps a Broader Community
Based in Oakland, California, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children is a non-profit organization whose mission is to organize communities impacted by the criminal justice system and advocate for the release of the incarcerated. Every December, LSPC hosts an annual event, the Community Giveback, to donate bikes and other gifts to children on behalf of parents incarcerated in California.
On the eve of the event, the Ironclad team spent an afternoon at our office singing holiday tunes, munching peppermint bark and wrapping more than 200 gifts for children of all ages. Then at the Community Giveback, our Cladiators assembled bikes, helped children select their gifts and celebrated as they had their photos taken and wrote holiday letters to their parents.
Leveraging our own contracting platform for the benefit of this community, Ironclad assisted LSPC by running photo releases through Ironclad, authorizing LSPC to gather photos of the children and families at the event. Using LSPC’s template photo authorization, we easily created a workflow using our Workflow Designer technology. This process allowed LSPC to have electronic copies of the agreements for the first time in the event’s 20-year history.
Making a Difference for Those Most in Need
The Community Giveback event reminds children that they have a whole community who cares about and supports them. In turn, it reminded us at Ironclad how fortunate we are and what a challenging time the holidays can be for many.
Sobering statistics show that the United States locks up more individuals per capita than any other nation, at a rate of 698 people per 100,000 residents. This amounts to the American criminal justice system holding almost 2.3 million people. In California alone, more than 239,000 individuals are currently behind bars. Those individuals are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts and grandparents.
It’s no wonder that the group most negatively impacted by this difficult reality is children. That’s why this holiday season we felt it was imperative to volunteer and share our time, toys and technology with those most vulnerable and most in need.
Our Pro Bono Efforts Have Only Just Begun
Ironclad’s partnership with Legal Services for Prisoners with Children is just the beginning of pro bono work at Ironclad.
We make technology that is built by Legal for Legal. We are committed to investing in our communities on a regular basis. We pledge to continue leading the way with our technology and to continue our dedication to corporate social responsibility. At Ironclad, we are on a mission to power the world’s contracts. And we hope to power a lot of good along the way.
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