We have already told you about various initiatives to promote a shared culture related to environmental challenges and sustainability, such as our yearly Liip Conf or The Week training. It is crucial that we recognise the extent of the crisis or rather the crises that we are currently going through... as difficult as it may be. It is also important that we can all contribute in our own particular way, whether on an individual, family, community or professional level.

To help contribute on a professional level, we have set up a new employee engagement programme called the ‘Liipers’ fund’.

Donations to a general contribution programme

We have been making traditional donations to NGOs ever since Liip was founded, recently including the Glacier Initiative. In addition, we have also contributed to transition initiatives by offering pro-bono work or preferential rates. Different teams and groups have been involved in this. We should also highlight our open-source contributions to the community.

However, an overall vision has been missing, which is what prompted this general contribution programme, focusing on the (in particular digital) skills that we can contribute to sustainable projects where the digital world plays a central role. The result is a double win, with a positive external and internal impact. This contribution programme supports Liipers to show a greater commitment to sustainability by working on meaningful projects with positive impact.

Liipers’ fund: how does it work?

With the Liipers’ fund, our Liipers can start getting things done via sustainable development projects. To do this, each employee is given a monthly budget of hours that are allocated to the Liipers’ fund based on the financial results from the previous month and that accumulates each month. This budget enables Liipers to use these hours to participate in sustainable projects. They can also ‘sponsor’ a project, i.e. donate their hours to it so colleagues can use them. This is the beginnings of internal crowdfunding.

Employees can increase their fund by converting all or part of their annual bonus, voucher and birthday gift. These are all options, with no pressure whatsoever, considering some Liipers appreciate not being tied to the concept of ‘more and more’ (as highlighted in The Week).

We launched the Liipers’ fund a few months ago, and it is still too early to categorically say what we have learned so far. However, initial internal feedback has been extremely positive – especially since we are already supporting three impactful projects that are currently in their initial stages.

Liipers’ fund <> mĂȘme pas peur!

‘MĂȘme pas peur’ (‘without fear’) could have been a fantastic slogan for our Liipers’ fund. It is in fact, the name of a start-up with a social and technological mission seeking to provide AI-based solutions to patients, families and educators with chronic childhood diseases. ‘MĂȘme pas peur’ was founded by the entrepreneur Mathieu Menet, whose son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of four. His vision is to use generative artificial intelligence solutions to offer customised support services alongside traditional support.

We have been supporting their work via the Liipers’ fund, serving as their technical partner. We offer our skills in artificial intelligence solutions, initially via hours of lean and technological expertise. Because it's a new company, our actions aren't entirely selfless – this startup could end up being our customer down the line. We are betting on the future, working on making our client portfolio more sustainable.

Thanks to the Liipers’ fund, we hope to be able to support other innovative charity and private projects focusing on boosting sustainable development and digital progress. If you are responsible for an initiative like this, please get in touch – I would love to hear from you.