In the last five years, IBM has surpassed more than 10 million volunteer hours of service in communities around the world, more than any other company.

In the Philippines, local IBMers and retirees contribute significantly to On Demand Communities (ODC) by participating in several community service efforts such as the adoption of Building 17 at the Gawad Kalinga (GK) Paradise Heights, organizing "Back to School" activities for the kids of Building 17, hosting PC clinics using donated refurbished units, collaboration with a local Rotary Club for Every Reader a Leader program and various disaster response & recovery outreach.

ODCs provide a set of resources that volunteers can use such as technology training for preschool teachers, an introduction to Web design, and mentoring. Since the launch of the On Demand Community, more than 150,000 IBMers have contributed more than 10 million hours of service in more than 70 countries. The program provides access to IBM's technology portfolio as well as to IBM employees with the goal of transforming cities, schools and communities.

“In IBM, our strategic business priorities are tightly aligned with our social responsibility efforts,” explained Andrea Escalona, Marketing, Communications and Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs Country Manager, IBM Philippines.

“IBM employees around the world are making an impact in their local communities by sharing relevant business expertise and talent – from designing smarter cities in Vietnam through the Corporate Service Corps to the fast response to natural disasters such as typhoons in the Philippines or the earthquake in Haiti," she stressed.

The community service milestone coincides with the release of IBM's 2009 Corporate Responsibility Report, which provides an overview of the company's community leadership, environmental stewardship, supply chain, employment policies and practices, governance and public policy.

The report includes an in-depth discussion on the integration of IBM's corporate responsibility with its Smarter Planet business strategy and incorporates points of view from global stakeholders.

IBM estimates that volunteer work performed by its employees is "worth" at least $25 per hour. With employees and retirees having spent 10 million hours since the formation of the On Demand Community, IBM's volunteers have essentially donated at least one-quarter of a billion dollars, in addition to the $36.1 million they give annually in the company's Employee Charitable Contribution campaign and the $180 million contributed by the company.

“These initiatives are not checkbook philanthropy. We call it sustained and engaged partnerships for positive change,” Escalona added.

The company is also announcing that it will donate another $1 million to create a Global Service "Jam" in October. The objective of the Jam, an online conversation, is to expand collaboration between corporations, governments, individuals and all of civil society to improve service.

IBM’s latest Corporate Responsibility Report also underlined the company’s commitment to protect the environment in all its business activities, including its energy conservation program, which avoided over 142,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions and saved IBM $26.8 million last year.