Driven by a strong sense of urgency to help their neighbors in need, Avanir Pharmaceuticals’ employees and contractors committed $22,086 in April and May, which was matched dollar-for-dollar by Avanir – for a total donation of $44,172 to United Way’s COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund. Avanir, a pharmaceutical company founded in 1988 and based in Aliso Viejo, is committed to delivering innovative central nervous system solutions.

Because of the urgent needs brought on by the pandemic, Avanir and Orange County United Way worked quickly to set up and launch a Philanthropy Cloud donation platform on which Avanir employees and contractors could donate to local COVID-19 relief efforts.

“Most companies take about five months to choose and implement a Salesforce Philanthropy Cloud,” explained Orange County United Way President and CEO Susan B. Parks, “Then, they take several weeks to launch a giving campaign. This team did the entire process in two weeks! That is fantastic!”

Philanthropy Cloud is an employee engagement platform that allows employees to engage with causes and measure social impact – all while aligning with their company’s overall social responsibility plan. It gives employees a sense of ownership by enabling them to lead and drive their desired activities and contributions to the philanthropic causes they support, and it is a perfect companion for socially conscious companies like Avanir.

Within three weeks, Avanir employees and contractors personally donated $22,086 to help support the vital community services being deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and following the campaign’s close, Avanir made a matching $22,086 corporate donation to the same fund.

“I give to the United Way COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund because it reminds me that we’re all in this together, as we fight the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in our communities,” said Lisa Locklear, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Avanir, and a long-time Orange County United Way Board Member. “I’ve been a donor to the United Way for more than 30 years, and I’m really inspired by both the generosity of my colleagues here at Avanir, and the teams at United Way who are putting those dollars to work in our communities.”

Hats off to the employees and contractors at Avanir Pharmaceuticals for proving how quickly a dedicated team can use can turn their generous spirit into a successful giving campaign!