Meet The Intrapreneur Behind One Of Tech’s Leading Corporate Social Impact Teams

You may have heard of the term “intrapreneur.” It refers to leaders who drive internal innovation to shape the trajectory of an organization. Erin Baudo Felter embodies the intrapreneur spirit. She’s the Vice President, Social Impact & Sustainability at Okta, where she leads Okta’s social impact arm. Erin grew Okta for Good into a machine for nonprofit digital transformation. We sat down to talk about the strategies Erin leveraged to transform Okta for Good into a $25M philanthropic donor and counting, and how corporate social impact leaders can think about supporting tech nonprofits on the frontlines of global issues.

Shannon Farley: Okta for Good is Okta’s social impact arm. You built it from the ground up. Can you walk us through Okta for Good’s origin story?

Erin Baudo Felter: Social impact has been core to Okta’s culture from the start. Even before going public, our co-founders Todd McKinnon and Frederic Kerrest established our social impact initiative, Okta for Good. They championed it in a big way by taking the 1% pledge – which commits Okta’s time, product, and equity to giving back. It’s pretty unique to see leadership bake social impact into the fabric of the company so early on.

Since then, we’ve built on this footing to dramatically increase Okta for Good’s impact. Today, we help nonprofits around the world grow through philanthropy, Okta’s products, and our employees’ time and expertise. We also expanded Okta for Good to include a dedicated ESG and Sustainability program. After hearing more and more from our employees, customers, and investors about the importance of these issues, integrating them more deeply into our business was a no-brainer.

Farley: Before Okta, you led corporate social impact at Zynga, Yahoo, and Warner Bros. How did you come to this job?

Baudo Felter: That’s a fun one! The short story is that I was heavily influenced by my parents. I am the product of a businessman dad and a hippie mom. I learned about working within institutions and systems from my father. And I learned about pushing for radical change from my mom. Despite their differences, at the end of the day my parents shared a common belief in the goodness of people. This idea stuck with me and has guided my career in corporate social impact.

Farley: You built Okta for Good into a multi-million dollar initiative providing transformative support to nonprofits. Can you tell me about Okta for Good’s impact?

Baudo Felter: I’ll start by sharing some big numbers that bring Okta for Good’s impact to life. From a small team (of just me!) and modest giving in 2017 to today, we’ve seen tremendous growth. Last year alone, we donated $5M in cash and $5M in technology and services to nonprofits. We’re proud to have reached 85% employee participation in giving or volunteering through Okta for Good, which has impacted nearly 3,000 nonprofits globally.

Strategically, we’ve honed our focus on driving outsized, fundamental change in the nonprofit sector. We’ve seen the tech gap in the social sector widen as organizations struggle to move to the cloud, invest in digital service delivery, hire tech talent, and protect against cyber threats. These insights led us to launch our Nonprofit Technology Initiative, a $10M, 3-year philanthropic commitment to drive digital transformation in the nonprofit sector. We established a $1M portfolio within this initiative that’s focused on building nonprofit cybersecurity capacity. By listening and learning from our nonprofit partners, we’ve identified where Okta for Good is best positioned to support the sector.

Farley: Not every Fortune 200 company has such an established impact function like Okta for Good. How have you navigated building a philanthropic arm inside a for-profit public company?

Baudo Felter: I think it boils down to three driving factors. Like I mentioned, since the beginning, Okta for Good has had authentic and sustained buy-in from the top. Our founders, executives, and Board of Directors are all committed to Okta for Good. This investment from leadership has been key to our growth. Second, we’ve prioritized strategic alignment between Okta’s business and our impact work. By clearly tying Okta for Good’s goals to the company’s broader strategy, we’ve made investment in our impact arm a good business decision. And finally, our team has embedded Okta for Good into our company culture by mobilizing thousands of employees across the globe. Together, these factors have helped Okta for Good scale in a big way.

Farley: On the topic of scale, I had the opportunity to chat with Okta co-founder Frederic Kerrest about him Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Zero to IPO. Throughout the book, he shares key advice for founders poised to take their organization from startup to grownup. How are you thinking about employing lessons from Zero to IPO to continue expanding Okta for Good?

Baudo Felter: Freddy often talks about the importance of taking risks. In Zero to IPO, he writes: “Startups are, by definition, risk-taking operations. They go up against giant corporations that are better funded and more firmly entrenched. They upend industries. None of that happens by following tried-and-true paths. It only happens by plunging into the unknown.”

We embody this mindset at Okta for Good. To drive both business and societal value, we know we need to challenge the status quo as we address complex challenges like inequality and climate change. I encouraged my team to take risks and think outside the box in their daily work – like when we pushed the business to set public climate targets. At Okta’s size and stage, this could have been seen as risky – it was something we had never done before – but our team made the case for it and leadership was supportive. This early investment in our climate strategy is proving to be smart for both the business and for the world.

Farley: You work closely with thousands of impact organizations that span continents and sectors. What strategies have you seen them deploy to grow their impact?

Baudo Felter: Partnership and collaboration is key. The most effective organizations we work with leverage the expertise of their peers and also leaders in other sectors who can provide aligned support. We’ve seen inspiring cross-sector collaborations, like a public-private partnership with NetHope, USAID, Cyberpeace Institute, and Okta to launch the world’s first humanitarian Information Sharing and Analysis Center (“ISAC”) to help nonprofits respond to cyber threats.

Centering power in communities is also critical to addressing social challenges. Take CLIMA Fund, a climate equity grantee of Okta for Good’s, which supports grassroots groups addressing the root causes of the climate crisis. Putting resources into the hands of these movement-builders not only accelerates solutions, but shifts power to communities most impacted.

Farley: Looking ahead, what traits and strategies are essential to social impact leaders to reach the next level?

Baudo Felter: Empathy, imagination, and courage are three leadership traits that I believe are non-negotiable in social impact. Every day, we face a relentless onslaught of global challenges. It’s easy to move into a reactive mode. But it’s critical we take a step back and listen first. When we listen – when we flex our empathy muscle – we can more deeply understand the problem, center those who are closest to it, and find proactive and lasting ways to address it.

We must also use our imagination. As I mentioned earlier, social impact teams need to take risks. To solve the problems of the world, we can’t do things the same way they’ve always been done. We have to envision different approaches. That means thinking big and bold.

Finally, courage. One of my favorite quotes is from the comedian Lily Tomlin: “I always wondered why somebody doesn’t do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody.” We have to be the change we wish to see, and that takes courage. I’m inspired by the many social impact leaders acting with courage as they take on global challenges. The future is in good hands.