Salesforce is a software company specializing in customer relationship management (CRM) and precursor of Cloud Computing. Since 2010, Passerelles numériques is fortunate to benefit from 10 free licenses of its tool, with a customized version for non-profit organizations offered, through Salesforce.org. This tool allows us to manage all our contacts and fundraising activity (donations recording, partnerships monitoring, etc.).
Collaboration between PN and Salesforce has increased recently, when one of our former volunteers, Brahim Bouhadja, now working for Salesforce in Paris, contacted us in April to offer us to participate in an internal event for their employees, as part of Khmer New Year celebrations.
Together with Toutes à l’Ecole, Enfants d’Asie and Phare Ponleu Selpak, Passerelles numériques had the opportunity to present its actions, through a testimony from Hélène Huard, former director of PN Philippines, who is now back in France. This day was also an opportunity to present them our needs regarding volunteering missions, explore opportunities for employee commitment, both from France and other offices worldwide and to launch first actions together.
Following this event, Passerelles numériques has been invited to participate in Salesforce World Tour, an annual event organized by Salesforce to share the state of the art of its tools and gather their users and partners community. This year’s edition, held in Paris on June 23, welcomed over 2,000 visitors.
In opening, Salesforce organized a conference with its 200 partner companies to update them about its offer, the company and the upcoming developments. PN was invited for the closing of the conference, and its President, Benoit Genuini, could present the organization, including its partnership strategy with companies from the digital economy. Several contacts have been made with some of these leaders, and collaboration opportunities are now being explored.
Presentation of PN by Benoit Genuini during Salesforce WorldTour event in Paris
Matthieu Ricard and Benoit Genuini
Benoit also had the opportunity to meet and discuss with Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk, writer, photographer and French interpreter for the Dalai Lama, invited by Salesforce to participate to a conference on the theme “The power of compassion”.
“Matthieu Ricard was very interested in Passerelles numériques and wished to meet again, to discuss synergies with his organization Karuna Shechen in Nepal. He also provided advices on how to develop capacity for meditation…” said Benoit.
And he concluded:
“Salesforce has developed an interesting philanthropy model, “1-1-1″, which enables to engage its technology and employees towards charitable organizations, and we hope that PN will benefit from this opportunity. I am very grateful to the french representatives, including Pascal Voirand and Laura Lemaître, for giving us access to partners that make up the ecosystem of Salesforce, giving us the opportunity to make contacts in the world of technological innovation.”