Impact Drive and the pro bono program of Pyxera Global with 3M
- Radina Stereva
- Aug 15
- 8 min read
You usually know me as part of the Impact Drive team – an organization that connects the social and corporate worlds through sustainable partnerships and programs with long-term impact. But between March 29 and April 11, I took a slightly different path – I became a temporary addition to the Edno.Darvo team. A small team with big dreams, working to change the way we think about the urban environment.
This happened thanks to Pyxera Global and the 3M Impact program, which connects 3M employees from around the world with non-governmental organizations working on the ground.
3M is a global company known for innovation in fields such as healthcare, industry, transportation, and consumer products – from Post-it notes to automotive and medical technologies. But what stands out beyond its business portfolio is the way it invests in its team's capacity to also benefit society. The 3M Impact program is part of the company's corporate strategy for sustainable development and social responsibility. Through it, employees from different countries, levels, and professional fields – from engineers and marketers to UX designers and financial experts – work in international teams on real-world cases proposed by local NGOs.
Program participants – 3M employees from different countries and professional fields – contribute their professional time, knowledge, and energy to work with local NGOs on specific cases. Among them are financial analysts, marketing managers, engineers, UX designers, project coordinators, sustainability experts, HR specialists, and data analysts. Participating employees are often mid- to senior-level within the company's hierarchy.
Why 3M and its employees choose to take part in this format
First, it's important to note that developing and maintaining a pro bono program is a strategic and deliberate effort on the part of companies, one in which they invest significant funds and resources – time, finances, and expertise. For a company like 3M, participating in this kind of format brings a range of benefits, both at the organizational and individual level.
From a business perspective, such programs strengthen corporate social responsibility, enhance brand reputation and visibility, and build lasting partnerships with the nonprofit sector. They are a powerful tool for creating real social impact, allowing companies to apply their expertise in support of meaningful causes and non-governmental organizations.
Within the company itself, pro bono engagements become a catalyst for employee development. They create an opportunity to assess and build skills such as adaptability, creativity, and leadership by immersing employees in a challenging and different working environment. This fosters entrepreneurial thinking and practical problem-solving abilities – skills that go on to enrich everyday work. These are exactly the kinds of effects described by Angel Spasov, who served as overall coordinator of the 3M Impact pro bono program – in the video below, you can hear more about his observations on the transformation employees undergo through this type of program.
Program participants – 3M employees from different countries and professional fields – contribute their professional time, knowledge, and energy to work with local NGOs on specific cases. Among them are financial analysts, marketing managers, engineers, UX designers, project coordinators, sustainability experts, HR specialists, and data analysts. Participating employees are often mid- to senior-level (C-level) within the company's hierarchy.
For employees, participating in this kind of format also brings deep personal fulfillment. A sense of contribution and purpose creates stronger motivation, brings teams closer together, and improves dynamics within the work environment. This leads not only to higher productivity but also to deeper engagement and loyalty toward the company. In other words – 3M and its employees don't simply "help"; they actively grow, learn, and create value – both for society and for the organization itself.
For organizations like ours, this type of program is especially valuable, as it brings knowledge we lack in areas like business management and sales, while also giving us insight into the perspective of corporate actors, their needs, and their challenges. It also connects us with new groups of people who aren't necessarily part of our usual channels, significantly expanding our network of partners by linking us with representatives from both the business world and other NGOs. This kind of cross-sector, international collaboration is at the core of successfully fulfilling our organization's mission.
However, participating in such a program requires careful planning and preparation:
Clearly defining the organization's needs and describing the goals it wants to achieve
Preparing the necessary resources and meetings so consultants can get a sense of the context and the team's needs in relation to the stated goals
Setting aside sufficient time, space, and a dedicated team for collaborative work with the consultants
A clear plan for the steps needed to implement the proposed concept
In the next video, Teddy shares the key insights and takeaways she gained from the pro bono program.
Theodora Ivanova-Valeva - founder of Impact Drive Foundation
And in conclusion
The main benefits that such programs bring to corporate teams are:
Social impact – real change through supporting non-governmental organizations with specialized expertise from the corporate world
Team development – an opportunity to assess and strengthen adaptability, creativity, and leadership skills in a new, non-standard environment
Skill building – gaining new competencies and perspectives, along with practical approaches to problem-solving that foster internal entrepreneurship and motivation
Increased productivity – a stronger sense of purpose and collaboration, leading to better team dynamics and workplace effectiveness
This April, a total of 12 3M Impact employees from around the world came to Sofia and worked with 4 different organizations - alongside Impact Drive and Edno.Darvo, participants also included Human in the Loop and Habitat for Humanity. Each organization had a team of 3 people plus a coordinator from Bulgaria, who over the course of 2 weeks (10 working days) took on a variety of tasks, ranging from support for developing a corporate portfolio and services, a marketing plan, to changing a business strategy and a business plan for new production.
This fall, another group of 3M Impact employees will work with 3 new NGOs in Bulgaria, supported by Impact Drive.
The meaning and benefits for civil society organizations and social enterprises
For Impact Drive, this was our second full-fledged participation in a pro bono program, with our efforts focused on building a comprehensive portfolio of services that is both valuable to businesses and aligned with our organization's mission. Our work covered financial and marketing analysis, as well as data work.
Impact Drive had the good fortune to work with outstanding professionals from 3M Impact's global network. Among them was Bekhe Wesley, a Canadian division leader who brought strategic vision and management experience to our projects. Also joining from 3M's Brazilian team was Hugo Melo, a technician who helped build and optimize Impact Drive's data infrastructure.
At the same time, Michelle Mora contributed by organizing financial and pricing models, supporting Impact Drive's consulting services, courses, and all its other initiatives.
How can such programs become common practice here too
Above all, pro bono programs come down to recognizing the benefits they bring to the company and its team relative to the costs incurred. The next question is who can build such a program and offer a clear system and structure for the process, so that all parties find value and are satisfied with their participation. Our team has been working for 5 years now on creating and managing this type of program.
Impact Drive combines deep knowledge of Bulgaria's nonprofit and social sector with expertise in building systemic and sustainable partnerships. We specialize in connecting different stakeholders – companies, non-governmental organizations, employees, and communities – creating meaningful collaboration that leads to real, measurable results.
Our pro bono program gives corporate clients the opportunity to engage their teams in transformative activities that benefit both society and the employees themselves through development, inspiration, and innovation.
We offer a comprehensive, structured, and personalized approach that ensures successful outcomes for both the company and the partnering non-governmental organizations:
Needs Analysis and Skills Mapping
We assess employees' competencies, potential, and expectations
We identify opportunities to match corporate expertise with specific needs in the nonprofit sector
Joint Program Design
We work together with the company to develop a program tailored to its values, culture, and employee capacity
We create a concrete framework and steps for effective, impactful work with selected non-governmental organizations
Selection of NGO Partners and Scope Definition
Curating a portfolio of vetted organizations aligned with the company's thematic priorities
Building a clear scope of tasks and expected outcomes from the collaboration
Organization and Implementation
We handle logistics, coordination, and scheduling to ensure a smooth program launch and process
We prepare employees for their role in the pro bono activities through training, orientation, and ongoing support
Evaluation and Follow-Up
We measure the impact both on the organizations and on participants' development
We provide detailed reports with findings, feedback, and recommendations for building on future initiatives
But what happens when the systems you build invite you to experience them from the inside?
When Impact Drive was selected as one of the partner organizations in the 3M Impact program in Bulgaria, an unexpected opportunity opened up for me – to become part of the experience not as a host, but as a participant. And instead of staying within familiar territory, I chose to step aside – or perhaps forward – and join the Edno.Darvo team.
Edno.Darvo doesn't just take care of the green urban environment – they build a culture of care, belonging, and responsibility toward nature in the city. Through their online platform ednodarvo.io, any citizen can easily register and scan a tree in a few steps – indicating its species, health condition, exact location, and whether it obstructs urban infrastructure. This information becomes a valuable database that helps experts and municipal services plan more sustainable greening, maintenance, and development of the urban environment. In Sofia – as a European capital – this is not just an environmental gesture, but a necessary step toward building a cleaner, healthier, and more pleasant European city to live in. What did this shift give me? Flexibility as an inner strength.
Moving from one team to another meant letting go of the roles I was used to and stepping into a dynamic with a different rhythm, culture, and priorities. It made me more open, more attentive, and quicker to adapt. Small actions with big meaning. Our work together was brief, but focused – and that's exactly what showed how much can be achieved when you have a clear goal. Improving communication with volunteers, for example, opened the way to stronger engagement and better processes within the organization. Differences as a source of growth. Every member of the international team brought their own approach, professional background, and cultural context. It was precisely in these differences that I found a new understanding of how we can look at our shared causes from different angles – and still move forward together. Why does this matter? Sometimes real learning comes when you shift your perspective and see the world through the eyes of others.
Impact Drive taught me to build systems that support people and communities over the long term. Edno.Darvo showed me that big change starts with small steps – one tree, one street, one conversation. And the most valuable thing I took away from this experience is the realization that it's precisely the connectedness between organizations, people, and ideas that lies at the heart of sustainable and meaningful change.
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