How teams really connected in 2021

What do international 🎁 care package buddies, 💡 DEI discussion topics, ❤️ weekly recognition rituals, and 🍪 cookie decorating competitions have in common?

They’re all ways that Donut helped create millions of new connections in 2021, bringing people together with care and creativity. We’re proud to share the last year in review!

In 2021, Donut made people feel…

“Donut makes me feel optimistic! And it makes me feel connected to other people who share the value of relationships in a workplace.”
Angie H. Angie H.
Stanford University, Associate Director of Educational Programs
“Donut makes me feel like I'm meeting up with long-lost friends.
Jerome C. Jerome C.
Diffbot, Director of Growth Marketing
“Donut makes me feel included.
Heather D. Heather D.
Bubble, People Operations Manager

What we learned

Hybrid Work

Hybrid work has entered the chat

As many companies reopened their office doors in the spring & summer of 2021, we saw teams create hybrid-first programs to ensure everyone had equitable access, no matter where they worked.

Our customers experimented with new ways to balance safety and camaraderie using our 5+ new hybrid work-friendly channel templates.

Did you know?

🏆 Our most popular hybrid work template, Weekly Wins for Hybrid Teams was co-created with our friends at Bonusly!
Virtual Watercooler

The virtual Watercooler is here to stay

When we launched Watercooler in fall 2020, we aimed to help folks recreate the serendipity and socializing they were missing at home.

We never expected the degree to which Donut became a lifeline for teams looking to maintain connection and spark conversation. More than 200,000 Watercooler topics were discussed in 2021!

Did you know?

🚰 The most popular Watercooler topic in 2021 was "What cartoon or movie character would you want to meet and why? 🥕"
Favorite Things

People want to learn more about each other…

Whether you’re remote, new, or on a fast-growing team (or all of the above), it’s getting harder to learn the human details about colleagues, like favorite lunch food or commute music.

That’s why we created Favorite Things: a new way to learn more about each other. When Favorite Things are shared, people are almost 2x likelier to meet than without these personal info nuggets!

Did you know?

⭐️ The most common food listed in Favorite Things was chocolate 🍫
Speech bubbles overlapping with a donut in the middle

…And people want to connect based on common ground

People also wanted Donut to help them find “their people” who shared similar interests. Enter: Within-Group Intros.

Now people can meet others who are learning the same language, practicing the same hobby, or loving the same TV show! The magic of the algorithm comes from connecting people who are unlikely to realize they have things in common.

Did you know?

🔄 Within-Group is one of four types of Intro that Donut can make, joining Cross-Group, Lottery-style, and Standard random Intros

Connect more in 2022

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Connect more in 2022