From frontlines to food service: Riskified’s year in CSR

Making a collective impact on society isn’t easy in the face of office closures, social distancing, and restrictions on movement. When social responsibility is a driving force of an organization, like it has been for Riskified since its founding in late 2012, you not only make do with the situation – you find a way to thrive in it. That’s exactly what Riskified employees did. 

In 2021, nearly a quarter of the company’s employees spent over 1,200 hours volunteering in over 50 CSR projects in support of 30 nonprofits. 

“One of Riskified’s operating principles is to be bigger than ourselves, and it’s exciting to see employees really take that principle to heart,”said Rebecca Baum, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Riskified. “Not only did they enthusiastically participate in existing programs, they took the initiative to come up with new programs to address pressing needs in their communities.” 

The nonprofits they supported range from EcoOcean, an environmental organization working to preserve marine and coastal environments, to NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship), an international organization providing entrepreneurship training and educational programs to students. Highlights of an impactful year include:

• Helping Frontline Physicians: The Tel Aviv Research team spearheaded and taught an R coding course for doctors on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19. The goal was to help them more quickly and effectively analyze medical data and participating physicians responded enthusiastically, with one calling it “[the] best gift we’ve had so far during COVID.”  

• Student Service: Riskified employees mentored students from underserved populations through partner organizations such as City Tutors, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Middle East Entrepreneurs, Educating for Excellence and Tsofen. Activities included professional skills and interview training and introducing students to a career in tech. Since sessions were virtual, employees in New York and Tel Aviv provided students with a cross-border glimpse  at the inner workings of  an international company.

• Kitchens for Good: We partnered with organizations to help those who would otherwise not have easy access to meals and companionship. In New York, volunteers packed meals for the homeless at the Bowery Mission and delivered thanksgiving meals to homebound seniors through Hamilton Madison House. During Purim, employees in Tel Aviv partnered with Dor Le Dor, a non-profit organization that helps elderly people who may not have family or friends nearby.

“Riskified’s CSR program has been one of its hallmarks since its founding. As a team leader, it’s important for me to be able to empower employees to utilize their talents and give back to their communities,” said Elad Cohen, VP for Data Science and Research. “I was delighted when my team used their coding skills to help frontline physicians, and I look forward to seeing Riskified employees spearhead more CSR programs this year.”  

Want to do good while doing great work? Join our team.