2024 Okta For Good Impact Report

Nonprofits provide critical services to support the world’s most vulnerable, and unfortunately, more than 50% of nonprofits report being targeted by cyberattacks.

In 2023, we entered the second year of our $1M nonprofit cybersecurity commitment, continuing partnerships with organizations advancing solutions to the evolving cyber threat landscape. In June, we announced a new $100,000 grant to the UC Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity for their Cybersecurity Futures 2030 project, a global research initiative exploring how digital security could evolve by the end of the decade.

Nonprofits hold donor data and sensitive information on vulnerable populations that is often attractive to threat actors. Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) is one of the simplest and most effective ways for nonprofits to better protect themselves against the credential abuse behind the vast majority of cyberattacks.

To help nonprofits strengthen the login security of their employees, consultants, volunteers and donors, the Okta for Good team launched efforts focused on increasing the share of Okta’s nonprofit customers who have adopted MFA. By the end of 2023, more than 70% of Okta’s nonprofit customers had successfully adopted MFA.

We recognize that to successfully leverage the full power of Okta’s technology, we must provide nonprofits with intentional support and enablement in addition to providing our products. That’s why we are proud to offer Pro Bono Professional Services to nonprofit customers, enabling them to partner directly with an Okta technical team to successfully deploy their Okta tenants. In 2023, 26 employees provided 247 hours of pro bono professional services to 13 nonprofits, resulting in more than $70,000 in donated services.

We are committed to enabling equitable access to opportunity and thriving careers in technology. This year, we amplified those efforts by launching our Cyber Workforce Development Initiative, deploying philanthropy and educational credits. First, we deployed $1.6 million in grants out of the Okta for Good Fund to global organizations enabling pathways to cyber and other technology careers, particularly for women, people of color, veterans and other historically underrepresented talent within the technology industry. We deepened our investments in key partnerships and engaged with new organizations, including ColorStack, NPower and WiCys, among others. Second, we made 5,000 educational grants available for unemployed professionals looking to transition to careers in cybersecurity. We also provided these professionals access to training and certification programs at Okta. The program focuses on veterans, military spouses, and technology workers impacted by recent lay-offs.

Additionally, we are proud to align with the White House’s National Cyber & Education Workforce Strategy, particularly its focus on growing and enhancing the cyber workforce through improving its diversity and inclusion. Our corporate commitment to increase career opportunities for cybersecurity and technology talent is further described on the White House’s website.

In 2023, we expanded our community impact efforts through new partnerships around the world, including in Canada and the United Kingdom with reBOOT Canada and Coding Black Females. Additionally, we established our first partnerships in Poland and India with Fundacja Digital University and VIDYA Integrated Development for Youth and Adults, respectively.

Beyond our ongoing commitment to trust-based philanthropy, we continued delivering value in 2023 to help our grantees meet their missions. Together with Raise for Good, we hosted 22 leaders across 13 grantee organizations for a nine-week learning experience. In a series of expert-led workshops, leaders focused on a wide range of topics, including brand and storytelling, resource development, operational sustainability, and finance. 92% of leaders reported that the program enhanced the work and impact of their organization. Pre- and post-engagement surveys indicated a 40% reported increase in confidence among these leaders in building and leading their organization’s fundraising strategies.

Many nonprofits do not have the technology resources they need to achieve their missions. In particular, expensive, experienced tech talent can be out of reach for most nonprofits. Only one in four nonprofits report having a defined strategy for achieving digital readiness, and only about half of those have the resources to do so. Tech volunteers could help close this gap–while more than 400,000 tech professionals in the United States report interest in nonprofit board service on LinkedIn, support tends to be ad hoc and unreliable, and nonprofits seldom integrate this support into their long-term planning.

We are working to bridge this gap by supporting the launch of a new nonprofit, Board.Dev, which places technical leaders on nonprofit boards, focused on supporting the nonprofit with technology governance. In addition to funding Board.Dev’s growth, we also participated in matching and placing senior technical leaders at Okta to nonprofit board opportunities with forward-thinking organizations like Develop for Good, Empowr, Food Connect and Genesys Works.

2023 was a record-setting year for our employee impact program. 88% of employees volunteered and/or donated, with Okta’s employee efforts in total reaching nearly 4,000 nonprofits worldwide. During the holiday season, we hosted our biggest Holiday Giving Campaign to date. In less than two weeks, 86% of our company participated, supporting more than 2,500 causes and providing more than $600,000 to our communities.

We celebrated our 7th Annual Tech Pathways Week by announcing the transition of this effort from a week-long event into an annual, evergreen program. To inspire our employees to participate, we shared our goal of reaching 1,000 jobseekers in the upcoming 12 months, and kicked off efforts strongly engaging more than 500 employees and reaching more than 200 jobseekers. 93% of jobseekers said this year’s event improved their understanding of career opportunities in the tech sector, and 86% said the session improved their confidence in networking with professionals.

In FY2024, our aim was to continue the prior year’s efforts to reduce emissions across our global footprint. These goals included: right-sizing our global office footprint and working to achieve both LEED Silver and WELL Silver standards for all new direct-leased offices; continuing our participation in the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA); and engaging our third-party vendors to set their own targets in collaboration with other members of the Business Council on Climate Change (BC3).

[For information on our emissions reductions efforts during FY2023, please see our ESG Fact Sheet.]

Okta for Good’s climate equity grant portfolio brings a community lens to complement Okta’s internal climate strategy.

In 2023, we continued long-standing partnerships with GRID Alternatives, which builds community-powered solutions to advance economic and environmental justice, CLIMA Fund, which supports grassroots climate solutions, and The Solutions Project, supporting grassroots organizations in the United States and Puerto Rico.

This year, we established a partnership with the Honnold Foundation, which partners with marginalized communities to expand equitable solar energy access.

Additionally, through our partners we learned that Indigenous peoples worldwide protect 80% of the world’s biodiversity, while making up only 5% of the global population. We invested in the First Nations Development Institute’s Tribal Lands Conservation Fund to support these efforts.

Okta prioritizes purchasing renewable energy certificates (RECs) with a social benefit. We currently support three projects:

Solar Stewards provides affordable clean energy and reduced utility bills for low-income residents, creating more equity in renewable energy markets and building solar energy. We are currently supporting their community solar project in Salt Lake City, Utah.

California Bright Schools supports the installation of solar photovoltaic systems on schools across the state. The solar installations support a curriculum that aligns with the state’s testing requirements and provides hands-on learning tools for schools.

PosiGen Solar Power For All makes solar affordable and accessible for Louisiana communities still affected by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, particularly low-to-moderate income communities and communities of color. Through the Solar Power for All program, PosiGen is making it possible for families to invest in their homes, save on their utility bills and take steps toward a brighter future.