Tech Citizenship

When employees at Ipswitch Inc. celebrate a first, third or fifth employment anniversary, the company donates money in their name to the organization of their choice. When they have a baby (or adopt one), the donation goes to an organization that fights child abuse.

These are a couple of the initiatives the Lexington-based company has been implementing in the past eight years as part of its philanthropy program.

“We believe we can have more impact on the community, and this makes us stronger as a company,” said Roger Greene, CEO and founder. “It makes sense, it attracts better employees and it contributes to client loyalty.”

Ipswitch commits 5 percent of its profits to a variety of community-investment programs. The goals are to nurture a sense of community, strengthen relationships with stakeholders, encourage people to be concerned about one another and leverage existing community resources to maximize the impact on the company and its communities.

The company last year contributed $170,000 in cash and $30,000 worth of in-kind contributions of equipment and services.

New among Ipswitch’s efforts for this year is its partnership with Year Up, an organization that works with youth who haven’t finished high school, training them in technology and preparing them to work in IT-related fields.

“We felt this program was something that would appeal to our clients,” said Greene.

The partnership includes donations of cash, software and hardware as well as volunteer work by Ipswitch employees, including the opportunity to become mentors to the youngsters.

“We want to find employees enthusiastic with this project,” said Greene.

Another initiative is its Annual Child Poverty Fight Family Fun Day. The event is a fund-raising opportunity for nonprofits working to end child poverty through education, health, work-force development, family support and parenting, and youth development programs.

The company pays for the cost of the event, and the nonprofits involved keep the money raised. In 2005, the event attracted more than 450 participants and raised more than $75,000.

Outside New England, Ipswitch’s team in Atlanta dedicates one weekend every year to Habitat for Humanity to help build a house in its community, while the company’s other Georgia team, in Augusta, sponsors a truckload of food through Golden Harvest. Employee volunteers then spend several Saturday mornings handing out the food to surrounding communities.

The company also sponsors many individual initiatives of its employees, such as cancer walks.

The bulk of Ipswitch’s charitable activities last year were CARE (for Asia Quake Disaster Relief, and the Youth for Life project), Cradles to Crayons, American Red Cross, American Heart Association, Golden Harvest and Habitat for Humanity.

Citizenship Facts

Ipswitch Inc.

Total cash contributions in New England in 2005: $170,000

Number of volunteer hours in New England in 2005: 300

In-kind contributions of equipment and services in New England: $30,000

Principal recipients of charitable activities in 2005: CARE (Asia Quake Disaster Relief, and Youth for Life project); Cradles to Crayons; American Red Cross; American Heart Association; Golden Harvest and Habitat for Humanity

Interesting philanthropic activities: Ipswitch’s Lexington employees held the annual Child Poverty Fight Family Fun Day, running events for the children. Its Atlanta team dedicates one weekend every year to Habitat for Humanity to help build a house in their community. The Augusta, Ga., team sponsors a truckload of food through Golden Harvest and dedicates several Saturday mornings to hand out the food in surrounding communities.

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