What can the power of ten achieve? Here at Cisco, it can — and does — change lives.
With ten days off to volunteer through our Time2Give program, $10,000 in matching donations, and tens of thousands employees participating, Cisconians are empowered to turn Purpose into action, year after year.
And it’s not just good for communities; it’s good for business. A three-year longitudinal study from Cisco’s People Intelligence team found that Cisco employees who gave back stayed at the company longer, had higher bonuses, and received more peer recognition.
“[Volunteerism] is a way to really drive business value,” shared Cisco Chief Social Impact and Inclusion Officer, Brian Tippens, to Human Resources Director. “It can also be seen as a powerful brand building tool, or building trust as an ethical supplier, ethical partner in the communities where we live and work.”
As we close out fiscal 2025 (July 2024 – July 2025), our people’s collective impact was felt in communities around the world. By the numbers:
- 81% of employees participated in community impact initiatives – for the sixth year in a row
- 566,166 total volunteer hours
- $33.4M total in employee donations and matching gifts
Of course, while the numbers are impressive, they don’t show the true story of our impact. So grab your suitcases — we’re taking you around the world to see how our employees are putting our Purpose into action.
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A chance connection through a Cisco mentorship program led Josh Forrest to Engineers Without Borders (EWB), a non-profit that helps communities meet basic human needs through engineering projects.
He learned about a project at Wema Children’s Centre in Kenya, an orphanage that serves ~400 students from pre-K to high school. Due to an inconsistent energy grid, the centre was facing high operating costs, variable water and electricity access, and health concerns. EWB was originally brought on to help alleviate a typhoid outbreak, and the need for support continued to grow.
Josh, a Technical Consulting Engineer – who just so happened to have an electrical engineering degree and a dad with a solar business – jumped at the chance to give back. Together with five volunteers, including his Cisco mentor and his father, Josh spent two weeks in Kenya. During that time, the team installed 24 solar panels that generate 10kW of power, and an additional 30kW battery bank that provides electricity through the night.
“The thing that made the biggest impact was seeing the kids light up when there was water and light at night without the worry of it going off,” shared Josh. “Seeing how excited they were was indescribable.”
Josh has been invited to return again next year – helping to educate the students on building their own solar panel systems.
📍 San Jose, United States
When Mohit Vaswani, a Cisco Solution Engineer, and his wife witnessed homelessness in their local community, they knew they couldn’t sit back while others went to sleep hungry. Instead, in 2013, his family began taking action, one peanut butter and jelly sandwich at a time.
“We started making meals in our kitchen and distributing them every week to shelters,” shared Mohit. “We started very small with only 50 sandwiches … but our program grew as more friends and family joined.”
Today, Mohit distributes approximately 500 – 700+ meals per week to five Bay Area shelters and charities through his non-profit organization, Lunch Bag Initiative. Donations to Lunch Bag Initiative are now fully matched by Cisco through its Matching Gifts program, with Mohit and Cisco employees volunteering time through Time2Give — helping to end hunger, sandwich by sandwich.
📍 France, Spain, and Portugal Europe
Each year, Cisco employees around the world lace up their boots — not just to walk, but to make a tangible difference. The tradition began in 2022, when more than 400 Cisconians from 21 countries walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage trail network in Europe, raising over €100,000 for cancer charities.
Building on that momentum, nearly 300 colleagues and family members from 21 countries came together this past June on a “journey for climate action,” trekking between France, Spain, and Portugal. 35,000 kilometers were hiked as employees took meaningful steps (literally!) for the planet.
Over the course of five days (with some hiking 10 days), participants raised awareness and funds for NGOs addressing the impacts of climate change, strengthening their collective commitment to sustainability and global connection. In total, nearly $90,000 USD was raised for 17 charities.
📍 East
In April 2025, 10 Cisco volunteers from three countries came together for a ten-day volunteer trip to support Palestinian refugees living in four refugee camps across Lebanon.
Covering over 1,000 kilometers across the country — from Beirut to Saida to Tripoli to Baalbek — the team’s mission was simple: to bring joy and support to those who have been displaced for 77 years.
Through their Time2Give trips, which have dated back to 2023, the team has positively impacted 1,500 families, sponsored more than 250 orphans, trained 400 university students, and many more. Their work spanned renovating and improving clinics to delivering certified trainings to students and teachers, including through Cisco Networking Academy.
“When we recognize the power of inclusion and come together with a common purpose, we can pursue a noble cause in our lives and for humanity – helping people in their deepest hour of need,” shared Mohammed Suwwan, an Account Executive based in Germany and a co-organizer of the trip.
📍 Japan, Asia
For Masahiro Takebayashi, a passion for connectivity started early — on the trails of a mountain hike organized by his school, Sugamo High School in Japan.
But, with no cell phone reception, what happens if there was medical emergency?
Masahiro saw an opportunity — and a solution through networking infrastructure.
“It was through this event that I developed an interest in wireless technology, which led me to pursue a career at TAC Wireless,” shared Masahiro, today a Technical Consulting Engineer at Cisco.
This past fiscal year, he volunteered as an alumnus and entered the mountain two days prior to the event, helping set up antennas and establish a wireless communication network between mountain cabins. He plans to continue assisting on the trek through Cisco Time2Give.
What’s next in fiscal 2026
Looking ahead to fiscal 2026, we remain committed to our Purpose – to Power an Inclusive Future for All – and to supporting our people as they create a positive impact on communities around the world. Together, as employees, customers, partners, stakeholders, and Cisco employees, we can turn individual action into global impact.
Psst – Are you a Cisco employee who wants to get involved? Head to our Community Impact Portal to start finding volunteer opportunities, requesting matching gifts, starting a fundraiser, and more. And, if you have a Time2Give story worth sharing, we’d love to hear it — reach out via communityimpact@cisco.com
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