May 27, 2025 | Bob Plishka | 7 minute read
Learn how we make the world a better place as Team Dow. Through respect and integrity, we lead with our core values and innovative spirit to create more sustainable materials science solutions for everyone.
Discover how we’re accelerating positive change around the world. From climate protection and creating safer materials to our focus on global citizenship and inclusion, diversity and equity, Team Dow is making a difference in the communities where we live and work.
Find the latest press releases, news updates, awards and achievements from Dow and stay connected on the impact we’re making in the world.
Explore key collaborations and why we make partnership our passion. Through initiatives and sponsorships, we can work together to create a more positive impact for all.
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Volunteering at Dow: Empowering employees, customers, and communities for impact
Employee volunteerism across Team Dow transforms relationships with our colleagues, customers and the communities where we do business—for the better.
At Dow, through Global Citizenship, we work to create an innovative, sustainable and inclusive future where communities can thrive, everyone has equitable access to STEM and skilled trades careers and our employees are empowered to accelerate change. Employee engagement and volunteerism are critical levers for impact across our strategic pillars that help advance our ambition.
Around the world, our employee volunteers lend their time, talent and expertise across communities to fuel powerful partnerships, and create positive and intentional impact. As part of our annual global employee survey, Voice, 77% of colleagues reported volunteering at least once in the past year. In short, employee volunteering is engrained in our culture at Dow.
The prevalence of employee volunteerism across Team Dow transforms relationships with our colleagues, our customers and the communities where we do business—for the better.
Why employee volunteerism matters to Team Dow
Our data shows that employee engagement and volunteerism help to foster a positive employee experience and ultimately aligns to our Global Citizenship priorities to advance Dow’s business strategy and company ambition. Through our employee survey, we hear from our colleagues that volunteering increases (ranked from highest to lowest):
- Understanding of the community’s needs
- Sense of purpose
- Sense of work group belonging
- Pride in Dow
- Overall job satisfaction
- Professional skills
- Relationship with customers and/or suppliers
How volunteer leaders drive impact
Critical to the success of Dow’s volunteer efforts are the countless members of Team Dow who step up to lead, serving as a vital link between Dow, our colleagues, our customers, and the community. Dow provides the tools, resources, and policies to enable any member of Team Dow to lead, engage and make a difference.
We support employee volunteerism through professional roles with a network of nonprofit partners dedicated to building a culture of volunteer leadership. Our volunteer managers instill management best practices and help coordinate opportunities across multiple Dow manufacturing sites, business centers and programs.
“Since I joined Dow China Zhangjiagang operations in 2011, I led volunteer programs in diversified community initiatives Dow held in its neighborhood. From teaching STEM at the local primary school to building homes, I felt the impact I can have in our community and found ways to empower more people around me to make an even greater impact.”
– Guowei Li, senior operations leader
Advancing equity through organic farming
Dow partnered with the nonprofit Fikia Dada to establish a demonstration farm and training center in Kenya, focused on organic farming to help support young girls from rural communities. The project addressed issues of inequity, such as health care access and food security, while providing young girls with schooling opportunities and a platform to learn technical skills in farming.
Empowering futures with L’Oréal
Working with our customer, L’Oréal, and nonprofit partner Project Glimmer, Team Dow collaborated on a social impact initiative, Glimmering Futures. Project Glimmer brought together over 600 high school students from the Delaware Valley region in the United States—girls and young women they serve through year-round programming focused on self-confedence, career readiness, and access to role models. More than 75 volunteers from Dow and L’Oréal joined for an immersive day of career focused educational programming and empowerment at the intersection of science and beauty. This event combined the beauty and personal care expertise at Dow and L’Oréal with these young women’s passion for beauty to inspire them to consider future careers in STEM fields.
Seeking a new future for EU newcomers
Dow partnered with intergenerational coaching leader, DUO for a JOB to address the inequality of access to the labor market for young people with a migrant background in Belgium. Through a cross-generational mentor program, Dow mentors helped mentees with resumes, mock interviews and recruiting new mentors within their network. The program has seen great success with 70% of mentees achieving positive outcomes.
Paid time off to volunteer: Supporting our teams
In 2021, we introduced a global volunteer policy as part of Dow Total Rewards, our robust portfolio of employee benefits and wellbeing programs. This policy provides employees with 12 hours per year of paid time off (PTO) to volunteer.
This policy, along with employee participation, aligns with one of our 2025 Sustainability Goals, enabling our workforce to leverage their passion and expertise to enhance the wellbeing of people and the planet by engaging for impact.
Strengthening customer relationships through corporate volunteering
Employee engagement and volunteerism not only contributes to a more positive employee experience, but it also helps us form deeper connections with our customers.
Volunteerism plays a pivotal role in enhancing our relationships with customers. Through engaging in volunteer activities, Team Dow creates meaningful touchpoints with customers that enhance traditional business interactions, contributing to increased customer intimacy over time.
Communities in Color with Pintuco
In Colombia, alongside our customer, Pintuco, and nonprofit partner, Fundación Pintuco, Dow is helping transform the quality and accessibility of 10 sports facilities across Bogotá, Cartagena, and Medellín. By utilizing low VOC, water-based paint solutions designed for sports floors and bike lanes, this initiative aims to foster a sense of pride and belonging among residents and inspire new generations to engage in sports to promote a healthy, safe lifestyle. In April, more than 20 volunteers came together to assemble the first renovated sports field in the Sierra Morena neighborhood in Ciudad Bolivar, located just south of Bogota. Volunteers were able to give back to the community by painting the bleachers of the court, stairs, and the surrounding areas.
Breaking barriers with Hulsi and Smurfit-Westrock
The Eztli project, a shared value initiative between Hulsi, Smurfit-Westrock, Dow, Mexfam and Fondo Unido México helped address period poverty in Mexico by providing 80,000 silicone menstrual cups to women in vulnerable situations. A true value chain collaboration, Dow donated the silicone material for the cups, Hulsi turned that silicone into the hygienic cup, and Smurfit-Westrock produced the cup packaging. Once created, more than 50 Dow volunteers gathered to assemble and package 29,849 boxes and participated in workshops on women’s menstrual health. The initiative not only reduces the financial burden of buying sanitary products but also significantly decreases environmental waste.
We hear from our customers that the qualities that make Dow an attractive supplier are 1) our people, and 2) how we approach business. Those individuals who make our company great to work with are the same people who care deeply about making their communities great places to live.
I believe our culture of volunteerism draws those types of people to Dow.
Connecting with community needs
For our employee volunteer activation to create lasting impact and measurable outcomes, we collaborate with nonprofit partners and community stakeholders to ensure that we understand community needs and match them with relevant volunteer opportunities.
An example is our work alongside LEAP Africa for the Africa Youth Day of Service, a month-long initiative aimed at engaging African young people in citizenship and volunteerism. Nearly 10,000 volunteers from 34 African countries have participated in the event, implementing over 500 projects that address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These projects are estimated to have reached approximately 10 million individuals—focusing on areas like social impact initiatives, a future-ready workforce, economic growth and climate action.
Volunteerism is a year-round culture at Dow, and sometimes world events require our colleagues to jump into action at a moment’s notice. This is especially true in the wake of a natural disaster. In 2025, severe flooding in Bahía Blanca, Argentina necessitated the need for Dow colleagues to mobilize disaster relief resources and provide aid to both employees and residents. Contributing over 5,000 hours over the course of several days, 190 volunteers were able to support 6,500 affected families, demonstrating their solidarity, resilience and our commitment to the local communities that surround our manufacturing sites and business centers. Our efforts in Argentina include immediate relief measures and long-term support to help the community recover and rebuild.
Signature volunteer programs and partnerships driving global impact
We use numerous approaches to harness the power of our workforce to help create lasting, positive social impact. In addition to those already shared, here is a look at a few signature programs and partnerships that serve as year-round platforms for that impact.
#PullingOurWeight
The #PullingOurWeight initiative engages Dow employees, business partners and community volunteers in waste removal, transformation, and prevention activities to inspire a circular ecosystem. Since its launch, the program has mobilized tens of thousands of volunteers to collect over 2.1 million pounds of waste globally, promoting sustainable living and community action.
FIRST®
Dow has been a strategic partner with FIRST® since 2014, supporting mentor-based programs that teach young people science, engineering, and technology (STEM skills) through exciting, team-based challenges. Dow's support allows FIRST® to reach 36,000 students across 26 global communities, fostering innovation and inclusion.
Team Rubicon
Dow and Team Rubicon, a veteran-led humanitarian organization, have formed a powerful partnership, leveraging Dow's network to enhance Team Rubicon's disaster response capabilities. This collaboration has resulted in the recruitment of Dow Greyshirts who are trained and supported through paid time off to deploy as Team Rubicon volunteers in the aftermath of disasters.
MLK Day
Each year on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Dow employees in the United States receive a paid holiday. They are encouraged to use that time to reflect on the mission of Dr. King, take part in MLK Day events, and to volunteer in support of a strong community and bright future.
Dow’s year-round culture of volunteerism exemplifies our commitment to sustainability, innovation, and community engagement. It creates a ripple effect of positive change in our world. By empowering employees and aligning with strategic partners, Dow continues to foster an environment where social impact thrives.
Our efforts have been recognized by Points of Light for four consecutive years being named to The Civic 50 list of the most community-minded companies.
Together, we are building a brighter and more sustainable future for all.
About the author
Bob Plishka leads strategic partnerships for Dow, which includes Dow’s participation in sports as well as collaborations that strengthen Dow’s brand and reputation. In addition, he leads Dow’s corporate citizenship efforts and is President of the Dow Company Foundation, which includes oversight of Dow’s employee engagement and volunteerism strategy.
With almost 30 years of experience, Bob has served in a variety of roles both inside and outside of Dow, and has spent time in New York, Michigan, Switzerland, and Dubai. He is passionate about giving back to the community and does so through board service at the Greater Midland Tennis Center, the Michigan Baseball Foundation, and the Michigan Crossroads Council, Scouting America. He is also a recipient of the 2024 National Eagle Scout Association Outstanding Eagle Scout Award (NOESA).