Now in its tenth year, the Call of Duty Endowment today released exciting results from its 2019 activities. Due in large part to the Endowment’s world-class grantees, corporate partners, gaming community and dedicated Activision Blizzard employees, the organization surpassed 66,000 cumulative job placements, on the way to our goal of 100,000 placements by 2024, including over 11,000 in 2019 alone.
“Last year, we placed 11,661 heroes into new jobs, and our cost of placement remains a fraction of the Department of Labor’s placement expense,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard and Co-Founder of the Call of Duty Endowment. “The average starting salary is over $60,000, and over 81% of our placements are in jobs lasting one year or longer. The Call of Duty Endowment team continues to lead our efforts with excellence.”
Here is a list of the Endowment’s 2019 achievements:
Impact:
- Veterans placed: 11,661
- 2019 Economic Value Created through Veteran First Year Salaries: $700 million+
- Average cost per placement: $499 (1/6 the Department of Labor’s cost)
- Placements for full-time work: 93%
- Placements for post-9/11 Veterans: 90%
- Women placements: 19% (compared to 16% presently in the military)
- 6-month retention rate: 88%
- 12-month retention rate: 81%
- Average starting salary: $60,733 (almost double national annual median personal income)
- Social Media Reach: 286.8 million
Highlights
- Launched the #HireHonor PSA featuring former Secretary of Defense James Mattis, which honors the value that former members of the military bring to the civilian workforce
- Nominated for the 2020 Engage for Good Halo Award for Social Service
- Amplification
- Celebrity supporters on Twitter: Pharrell, Kim Kardashian, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Jennifer Lopez, Mark Wahlberg, Adriana Lima, Kerry Washington, and more
- Media Outlets: VICE News and the NFL
- Reach
- More than 6M views across TV, digital and mobile
- Launched the Defender Pack in Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare, which became the Endowment’s biggest and most successful digital item to date, with all proceeds going to the Endowment
- Executed the inaugural CODE Bowl in partnership with U.S. Army Esports, with the world’s most popular Call of Duty streamers
- Watched by 1.3M viewers
- Veterans Placements funded: 838 (more than a battalion)
- Streamer Team Captains: Shroud, Dr Disrespect, TimTheTatMan, CouRage JD, Dakotaz, Summit1G, Syndicate, StoneMountain64
- Activated our first ever digital items in Crash™ Team Racing Nitro-Fueled and Call of Duty®: Mobile with all proceeds going to the Endowment
- Continued strong partnerships with:
- GameStop
- Costco
- Humble Bundle
- Pilot Flying J
- Yogscast’s Jingle Jam
- Partnered with NBA star Klay Thompson and streamer Dr. Disrespect in Omaze campaign
- Won a Vetty Award in the category of Employment for our work in helping veterans find high-quality careers
