Working Together to Support Education on a Global Level

Today is the International Day of Education,a day recognized by the United Nations to highlight the importance of education as a fundamental human right, and as a powerful tool for reducing poverty, promoting economic growth, and fostering peace and understanding.

At Salesforce, equality is one of our core values. We deeply believe that equality starts with education and is the key to unlocking each person’s potential, and we empower our partners through philanthropic giving and technology to help drive equitable access to education and economic opportunity for all.

Over the past decade, Salesforce has given more than $165 million in support of schools, educators, and students around the world. We invest in academic success, educator support, and higher education and career readiness, to ensure that all young people have pathways into prosperous careers. Our recent funding includes $25 million in grants last year to school districts and other organizations focused on teacher and student wellbeing.

Salesforce employees also support our schools through volunteering. To date, employees have contributed nearly a million volunteer hours to educational programs, including almost 100,000 hours in 2022 alone. Through our Circle the Schools program, employees have adopted 130 schools globally, participating in volunteer activities designed to advance student skills including literacy in elementary schools, STEM in middle schools, and college and career readiness in high schools.

And last, but certainly not least, we are honored to support the thousands of educational institutions around the world that rely on Salesforce for Education technology to do their critical work every day. Our solutions are specifically designed to help K-12 schools and higher education across the student lifecycle. With real-time information, workflow automation, and built-in artificial intelligence, institutions that use Salesforce for Education are able to streamline tasks, boost student success and build lasting relationships that create lifelong impact.

As the education field slowly recovers from the impact of the pandemic, it needs more support than ever. Student learning gaps, teacher shortages, increased workloads, and class sizes, have all increased the strain on educators and learners alike. On this International Day of Education, join us as we continue to work towards a world where everyone has access to quality education — no matter who they are, what obstacles they face, and where they live. 

Let’s make quality education accessible for all.

About the Authors

Navneet Johal 
Director, Education Industry Marketing

Navneet Johal is the director of industry marketing for higher education at Salesforce.org. Prior to joining Salesforce, Navneet was a solution director for higher education and research at SAP, and a senior analyst at Ovum, where she led research on the use of technology in higher education. Navneet’s passion for education and technology began when she was teaching in the further education sector in the U.K. for several years before moving to the U.S.

Ron Smith, Ed.D.
Vice President, Philanthropy

Dr. Ron C. Smith is Vice President of Philanthropy at Salesforce and brings more than 25 years of experience in the education, philanthropy, and youth professional development fields. Ron has overseen $225 million in philanthropic investments and directs all strategic giving for the Salesforce Foundation, leading a global grantmaking team to propel the Foundation’s vision of education and economic opportunity for all. As a lifelong educator and leader with equity as a driving force, he is focused on improving the outcomes for those furthest from success as we prepare young people for the careers of the future.