Data Facts, a technology-driven company built for people, about people, by people, is devoted to corporate philanthropy and holds our business clients who share this commitment in high regard. We created the “People First” spotlight to highlight innovative, actionable programs founded by our clients that give back to their communities. Our goal with the “People First” spotlight series is to focus on our foundational belief that to truly thrive, companies must be positive corporate citizens.
Data Facts and Parker Hannifin
Parker Hannifin has partnered with Data Facts since 2020 for their employee background screening needs. Since the beginning, we’ve been impressed by their products, customer service and support, and commitment to their communities.
The Parker Foundation
Parker Hannifin employs 60,000+ people and is a Fortune 250 global leader in motion and control technologies. For more than a century, the company has engineered the success of its customers in a wide range of diversified industrial and aerospace markets.
While the Parker Foundation began in 1953, the company has diligently focused on building global programs during the last 10 years. One of them, the volunteer program, was launched in 2022.
Leah Herman, Parker Hannifin’s Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, shared some details of their efforts with us recently. “Our overall goals,” says Herman, “are to serve the communities where we operate and engage as many of our team members in the initiatives as possible.”
What the Parker Foundation Does
The Foundation focuses its efforts on three specific areas:
- STEM Education. Supporting schools, universities, and community agencies to help ensure students of all backgrounds have access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, and the resources and support needed to thrive in the classroom.
- Community Needs. Supporting team members, families, and neighbors by contributing to the advancement and well-being of their communities.
- Supporting long-term efforts to build sustainable communities, address key societal issues, and create a better tomorrow.
Herman explains that “our teams use these areas of focus to decide how to allocate resources to do as much good as possible within the communities we serve. Four programs help us execute our strategy.”
- Team Member Volunteerism. Parker team members across the globe continue the company’s tradition of supporting our communities by volunteering their time to support local charitable causes. Throughout FY23, our team members collectively performed approximately 10,000 hours of community service. Through the new Volunteer Program, these efforts are rewarded through volunteer time off (VTO) for participating team members and volunteer grants to benefit organizations. More than 2,500 team members in 18 countries used this benefit to serve their communities.
- Global Grants. The grant program’s reach expanded in 2023, strengthening communities in 39 countries. Team members helped select which organizations to support, directing more than $7 million to local charitable causes this year.
- Maximizing Impact Through Matching Gifts. Through the Matching Gifts program, team members can double the impact of their personal donations to eligible charitable organizations and educational institutions. In FY23, Parker extended team member giving by awarding approximately $1 million in matching gifts.
- Supporting Disaster Recovery. The Disaster Relief Program provides support to team members and communities following natural disasters and other catastrophic events. In response to the earthquake that devastated parts of Turkey and Syria, Parker contributed more than $120,000 through team member contributions, matching gifts, and foundation grants.
How Has the Parker Foundation Impacted Its Communities?
“We have donated over $9 million to charities within the communities we serve in 2023 alone,” says Herman. Some examples of worthy causes the Foundation has supported around the world are:
- The Ciudad de los Niños orphanage in Baja, Mexico. More than 20 Parker team members in Baja, Mexico, volunteered to provide maintenance help and spend time with children living in the orphanage.
- Remote African villages. According to the United Nations World Water Development Report 2023, approximately 2 billion people around the world do not have access to clean and safe drinking water. To help combat this crisis, 125 team members from Parker’s Bioscience and Water Filtration Division in California assembled water filtration kits that were subsequently donated to remote African villages.
- Potatoes for Lunch. In collaboration with the Hainan World United Public Welfare Foundation, Parker Lord China introduced a “Potatoes for Lunch” initiative aimed at feeding young minds in Yunnan’s underprivileged mountain regions. In support of the cause, a passionate group of 60 team members embarked on a collective 8.08-kilometer journey, handing out mountain-grown potatoes and raising awareness of the program to rally broader community support. With the funds raised from this campaign, the team was able to provide more than 1,600 hot meals for school students, increasing the project’s total to approximately 12,780 meals.
These examples highlight how the Parker Foundation’s social responsibility strategy empowers team members to make a difference in their communities.
