Kirsikka Machreich graduated with a master’s degree in marketing communications about three years ago and has since worked for a social media agency and in the gaming industry. She applied for a place at Google Adwords Academy because she wanted to broaden her skills, particularly in the area of digital advertising. Businesses use the program to find qualified personnel who have received very specific training. Educational institutes do not currently offer corresponding courses.

When choosing where to do her job training, Machreich focused on both facts and feelings. “Klikki indicated they use social media in their marketing activities,” she says. “I know Russian, which was seen as an additional advantage at Klikki. But even more important than these facts was the atmosphere I sensed at Klikki. I got the impression of a company that values team spirit and encourages people to develop themselves.”

Before her job interview, Machreich looked for more information on the Klikki website and on the Facebook profile. This added new dimensions to her view of the company. “I was impressed by how active Klikki is in charity projects,” she says. “I’m a monthly donor to four organizations and volunteer as a donation collector for World Hunger Day. My boyfriend does volunteer work at HelsinkiMissio. I thought it would be great to be part of a community that shares my interests.”

It is no coincidence that Machreich saw Klikki as a community with strong values, where people help each other and where everyone gets to be themselves. Petra Lilius, the Office Manager at Klikki, introduced charity activities to the company in 2011. In Central Europe, where Lilius lived for more than 10 years, volunteering by employees was – and still is – practically the norm. In Finland, it has only become more commonplace in the past few years. “People wondered about it at first,” Lilius says. “My vision wasn’t entirely clear to them initially, but after the first project, things quickly picked up.”

“I have focused on finding charities that help people know more about what is happening in Finland. Direct personal experience is much more effective than just reading about something. But, of course, we also want to provide concrete assistance and do good things together.”

In the first year of charitable activities, Klikki personnel acquired and wrapped Christmas presents for children taken into care who live in children’s homes. The following year, they volunteered in a food drive coordinated by Heikki Hursti. Last year, they organized a football day at Sonera Stadium for children and young people from Töölö children’s home. In 2014, they chose to focus on children with cancer. Klikki personnel took children and their families on a trip to Helsinki Zoo.

Charity projects have created a stronger sense of community in the company. Lilius says: “In our charitable activities, we are all equals, working on the same thing. Titles and job roles are put aside. You get to see what people’s strengths are, as well as their pride in where they work.”

Jukka Sundquist, Managing Director of Klikkicom, adds: “Charity has become something we take for granted. We want Klikki to convey a sense of social responsibility and caring for people, as these are values that we genuinely embrace here. Charity is a concrete way of highlighting these values. For employees, charitable activities and events create an increased feeling of togetherness and help them better understand what kinds of negative social phenomena there are in Finland and what can be done about them.”

While charity is not about promotion and improving sales, the feedback from customers suggests that they value Klikki’s approach. Positive feedback on this front is most evident, however, in recruitment situations. Machreich is not the first candidate to find out what kind of company Klikki is and what types of people work there. She has personally not yet had the opportunity to participate in Klikki’s charity projects, but it would not be difficult to motivate her to do so.

“You need to help people,” she says. “I’m fortunate to be in a good place in my life, but you never know what can happen. When things take a bad turn, it’s great to have people who want to help.”

Text: Sari Kuvaja, Corporate Responsibility Advisor