IBM's On Demand Community
On Demand Community is a global program to promote the spirit of volunteerism across IBM's world-class workforce and retiree population - over 315,000 employees in more than 160 countries. IBM has a long tradition of investing in the communities where we work and live, and this guides our efforts to find the most valuable ways to help the schools and not-for-profit agencies upon which we all depend.
IBM is transforming the way it serves customers, to fulfill a vision of technology that is on demand - available as needed and more flexible than ever. This same strategy underpins "On Demand Community", through which IBM equips its people with an array of resources to help them match their talents with the needs of schools and organisations serving our communities.
IBM employee and retiree volunteers are sharing the skills and talents IBM relies upon to run a world-class company. It means we can offer leading-edge solutions and tools, built on the same technologies and expertise IBM offers customers of all sizes, in virtually every industry.
Presentations, programs, software, information - every On Demand Community resource is designed to address specific needs of schools and not-for-profit agencies, based on all we have learned from long-standing IBM Corporate Community Relations programs. Many are successfully used today; below is a small sample of what is available:
- IBM MentorPlace, through which thousands of IBMers worldwide mentor students online
- TryScience presentations to promote learning and student advancement, drawn from hundreds of science museums around the world
- School visits by IBMers to share their passion for math, science and engineering with students of all ages
- KidSmart, a program to introduce technology to pre-school children, their parents and teachers, in ways that enhance early education and help address the digital divide
Through the IBM On Demand Community Program, schools and not for profit organisations can benefit through the donation of IBM technology and cash grants as part of the Community Grants program. When individuals or teams of IBM employees or retirees volunteer for at least 40 hours over a 5 month consecutive period with an average of 8 hours per month, the organisation may be eligible for a Community Grant. | 
