From Backpacks to Big Hearts: Building Community at Alation

At Alation, we put our people first. Our Alationauts are our top priority, and part of my role includes enhancing our employee experience that contributes to our award-winning company culture. As the co-lead of our “Alation Serves” Employee Resource Group (ERG), I work with my team to engage our local community through organizing impactful events. Together, we help our Alationauts contribute their time, skills, and mentorship to charitable organizations, driving meaningful change through small, consistent efforts. Our work with Alation Serves reflects our organization’s larger passion for giving back and strengthening community connections.

This year, I helped plan our first-ever Bring Your Kids to Work Day at Alation headquarters in Redwood City, and also coordinated the Backpack Drive at our Extended Leadership Team event at Alation HQ. Below is a recap of my experience planning these events, with an inside look into how Alation fosters a company culture of giving. 

Alationauts and their children smile for the camera at Bring Your Kids to Work Day.

Alation’s Backpack Drive at Bring Your Kids to Work Day

To celebrate the back-to-school season, Alation hosted its first-ever Bring Your Kids to Work Day on August 2nd, 2024 in partnership with Family Giving Tree. This San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit is dedicated to providing essential items and gifts to underprivileged children and families. Family Giving Tree runs various programs throughout the year, including a Backpack Drive and a Holiday Wish Drive, helping the Bay Area residents who live at or below the poverty line (of which there are more than 800,000) access school supplies.

How Alation Made an Impact

In support of this important cause, Alation employees and their kids eagerly participated in the Backpack Drive this year, packing over 50 backpacks with school supplies like pencils, toothbrushes, crayons, and glue sticks. One Alationaut, Jeff Pickelman, senior software engineer, shared how fulfilling it was to participate in this event alongside his son, Ashton. “Ashton was excitedly running from table to table, gathering the necessary supplies to meticulously fill up the backpacks and get everything ready for a local child's school year,” Pickelman remembers. “The only downside was having to pause to ensure there were still backpacks left for others to fill."

Our Alationauts and their kids putting together backpacks during our Bring Your Kids to Work Day event at Alation HQ in Redwood City

Watching the kids' excitement as they packed backpacks was just as thrilling as the fundraising journey itself. Each week, seeing our numbers rise and eventually surpass 100% of our target goal was incredibly fulfilling. It was inspiring to witness the generosity of Alationauts and their strong commitment to giving.

Vamshi Bloopalam, Alation’s director of engineering and a co-lead of Alation Serves, explained how rewarding it was to see our Alationauts giving back and making an impact on our Bay Area community. “Smashing our fundraising goal by over 110% just goes to show the incredible generosity and community spirit of our Alationauts,” Bloopalam shared. “I'm thrilled we were able to exceed expectations and provide even more children with the essential supplies they need to start the school year off right.”

The following week at our Q3 FY25 Extended Leadership Team event at Alation headquarters, our leaders also contributed to packing backpacks. The result was 100 backpacks packaged with essential school supplies for the cause. 

Our Alation leaders part of our Extended Leadership team next to the backpacks they put together for our Backpack Drive.

Alation’s People-centric Culture

Throughout my time here, I’ve learned that our culture is truly shaped by our people. Our ERGs provide valuable opportunities to enhance that culture, yet ultimately, it is employee engagement that brings it to life. I appreciate how my manager, Christina Tran-Wu, encourages our team to collaborate, be creative, and share our ideas. This approach has not only given me a strong sense of purpose in my role but also a clear vision for growth at Alation. I’m inspired by her mantra, "We are here for a reason," which serves as a guiding principle that helps us stay focused as a team. 

Additionally, what I love about Alation is the way I can build relationships with our team while planning our events. Making connections and incorporating their feedback into future initiatives is a great way to make a long-lasting impact at Alation internally and externally.

How Alation Gives Back Across the Globe

At Alation, we foster a company culture that not only prioritizes growth and innovation but also makes giving back to our community a cornerstone of who we are as an organization. With our 1% Pledge Program, we encourage our Alationauts to pledge 1% of their time towards non-profits and charities or share their talents with an organization of their choice. This reinforces our commitment to empowering a curious and rational world, as employees are encouraged to donate their time and lend their talents to those who want to learn, making a huge impact through small commitments. 

We also give back across the globe! With Alation offices in London, Chennai, Sydney, and more, our Alationauts are able to participate in Charity Days like our London office’s event with Door of Hope, where the team assembled educational bags for those in need in Ukraine.

Our London Alationauts collaborating with Door of Hope to assemble educational bags for those in need in Ukraine

Learn more about what it means to be an Alationaut and explore our values-driven culture.