With the support of the Western Union Company, the Western Union Foundation has built a legacy of creating positive impact in communities around the world to support education, women, refugees and migrants.
Right now, the Foundation is in the midst of exploring the possibility to allow donors to make a direct donation to the Foundation online through the Western Union transactional site in the US. To help the Foundation meet this goal, the Company decided to sponsor an internal hackathon, to leverage its strengths and experience – that comes with pioneering new technologies and partnerships to pursue social good – to solve an issue that can enable long-term impact in communities around the world.
Last week, 75 Western Union employees from offices around the world divided into 15 teams to begin a two-week hackathon, to help develop an online feature that will:
- Provide Western Union customers with the option to donate to the Western Union Foundation during their transaction online, starting with a pilot in the US.
- Engage customers with Western Union’s purpose of social responsibility for the long term.
The winning team, which will be selected largely based on customer experience of their model – will be awarded with a US$5,000 grant to a non-profit of their choice. They will also be recognized by Western Union leadership.
The Hackathon presents a challenge for the Company’s talented employees to push their creativity and will result in what we hope will become an impactful initiative and engage Western Union customers, globally. Like Western Union, other large organizations have proven this innovation model to be successful, as Medium reports. This support demonstrates one of the many ways the Company supports the Foundation and its mission.
We are excited by the support and passion of Western Union employees, to help us further create positive change around the world.
The Western Union Foundation is a separate charitable corporation that is tax-exempt under §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, contributions to which are tax-deductible for US income tax purposes. The Foundation is supported by the Western Union Company, its employees, Agents, and business partners, working to support education and disaster relief efforts as pathways toward a better future.
