SAP: Bringing Inspiration from Cape Town Back to Dalian

China

Yolanda Xu came home from her SAP Social Sabbatical program with a renewed sense of purpose, feeling the personal impact long after the assignment ended. After participating in SAP Social Sabbatical in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2014, she became more inspired than ever to support her local community in Dalian, China, by taking on a leadership role in corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts to encourage more employees to become actively involved in volunteering.

Challenge

While on the ground in Cape Town for four weeks, Yolanda and her two teammates worked with IkamvaYouth, a nonprofit that provides secondary school learners with knowledge, skills, networks, and resources to access higher education and employment opportunities. The team helped redesign the organization’s Web site and provided a recommendation for a new marketing strategy. Yolanda was surprised by how much they accomplished in such a short time, with each team member contributing to a strong final product.

She returned home inspired to act.

Impact

As the leader of the Dalian employee club at SAP, Yolanda had already been involved in local CSR work. SAP Social Sabbatical strengthened her understanding of how local activities around the world – from Dalian to Cape Town and beyond – come together to support SAP’s larger vision of helping the world run better and improving people’s lives.

“The first thing I learned from my SAP Social Sabbatical experience is to take action,” she says. “Not just leave the experience in my memory and tell stories about it, but to just do it. Realize SAP’s vision through local volunteer activities.”

Over the past three years, Yolanda has done this by championing volunteer activities among her Dalian colleagues. She has organized activities to support local primary schools, arranged warm clothing drives, promoted the commitment of SAP to become carbon neutral, and much more.

She also brought SAP Social Sabbatical to her hometown. Yolanda’s Cape Town experience taught her the potential of skills-based, pro-bono volunteering. She saw how, when partnered with the right organization, the skills of employee volunteers can greatly impact a nonprofit organization or NGO.

“I have been enlightened by doing the volunteer work. The substantial experience I gained benefits my daily work with our customers and my colleagues.”

Yolanda Xu

Technical Support Manager,SAP China

With this in mind, Yolanda helped launch the first SAP Social Sabbatical for local engagement in Dalian, in which 12 local colleagues solved challenges for nonprofit organizations and social enterprises in the community focused on bridging the digital divide. Organizations included ICare, Dalian Makerspace , Dalian Youth & Mid-aged Career Development Association (Y&M) , and BN Vocational School (BNVS) . As a facilitator and mentor, Yolanda promoted the program among potential applicants, relieved the concerns of managers, and helped the team deliver successful solutions to the clients.

At the end of August 2017, the teams presented their results to their clients, colleagues, and managers. The Dalian community came together to celebrate how volunteering can make a difference. The client organizations were especially encouraged by the outcomes.

“We are very pleased with the performance of our SAP colleagues,” said Wu Zhe, the general manager of Dalian iCare, one of the client organizations for the SAP Social Sabbatical for local engagement. “They are very pragmatic and professional. Through their efforts and meticulous planning of the project, we have strong guidance for our work. From their care and help for autistic children, they demonstrate the ability of professional volunteers.”

Conclusion

This is just the beginning for Yolanda, who believes SAP Social Sabbatical and local volunteering have broadened her horizons. “I have been enlightened by doing the volunteer work. The substantial experience I gained benefits my daily work with our customers and my colleagues.”