Helping Our Communities by Helping Out

It's true: the people who work here really care about what we do.

It's (even more) true: the people who work here care about people. We care about the people we work with, the people our work impacts, and the people in our communities.

That's why we work hard every day, across the globe, to make medicines that make people's lives better.

And that’s why volunteering in our communities—and beyond—is so important.

From hundreds of team members getting together to plant trees, paint murals, make chemo blankets, or build houses in a single day—to small groups traveling across the globe to volunteer in under-resourced communities—our employees go beyond our medicines to help others.

And whether it's in-person and physically taxing (sweat and all!) or a virtual project that involves talking to zero strangers (introverts are welcome here!), our internal team of philanthropic planners is dedicated to providing diverse, fulfilling, and impactful opportunities for all employees. What does some of our programming look like? Glad you asked.

Global Day of Service

Our purpose is "to make life better for people around the world."

Lilly's Global Day of Service (GDOS) puts that intention into action.

Since 2008, thousands of our employees across 65 countries have gathered—in person and virtually—to volunteer within their communities. This all-day event prioritizes partnerships with local organizations and nonprofits whose work supports our mission to promote healthy lives, healthy minds, and healthy communities. Many GDOS projects focus on health, STEM education, community enrichment, food insecurity, and more.

So far, we have volunteered a combined 1 million hours (about 114 years!) through these initiatives.

GDOS projects have included painting murals in collaboration with local artists and neighborhoods; education and beautification projects for nearby schools and parks; career coaching and resume building for citizens in our towns; blood donations; building table beds for community gardens, and more. For additional information on Lilly's Global Day of Service, visit this page.

Connecting Hearts Abroad

Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Every year since 2011, employees from different geographies and roles within the company come together and volunteer in under-resourced communities worldwide. Selected from a pool of hundreds of applicants, the 150 chosen employees travel in small teams to urban or remote locations around the globe for a multi-week, on-the-ground volunteer experience.

Through Connecting Hearts Abroad (CHA), we partner with global and local organizations to ensure that our representatives serve alongside communities in the most effective ways possible. The CHA program focuses on health care inequities, access to care, and cultural immersion.

"It truly underscores the commitment that Lilly has to expanding health care and our vision of making people’s lives better across the world," said Myriam Currier, a CHA global volunteer.

Connecting Hands, Hearts and Causes

While our 45,000 employees are located in 100 countries worldwide, Indianapolis is our home base. Connecting Hearts at Home focuses on year-round efforts within our home state to make Indiana the best place to live and work.

It's important that our volunteer opportunities aren’t confined to a company-wide schedule—and that as employees, we can support organizations and causes we're passionate about.

Connecting Hearts at Home (CHH) allows teams and departments to form long-term relationships with community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and schools. In Indianapolis, an application process is completed by employees, and grants are provided by CHH and The United Way of Central Indiana.

When an organization receives a grant with CHH, the person who applied for the grant commits to volunteering year-round, building relationships with the organization's employees and the people they serve, and furthering the group's mission.

We encourage employees to make an impact in their communities throughout the year.

We have access to an ever-growing self-service portal of year-round volunteer programs and projects. These opportunities expand beyond our company-wide offerings, with the option to filter based on personal interests and passions.

Additionally, for those who prefer to give financially, our Lilly Foundation matches donations that provide support to organizations, including those focused on health equity and education. In 2023 alone, the Lilly Foundation matched over $6.2 million in contributions.

Because we care about people.