Speaker 1:
As a bank that focuses on business, we work with business leaders all day, every day. We have a front row seat to what's working and what has potential. The First Business Bank podcast is dedicated to sharing insights to help you work better, smarter and faster to achieve your goals. Let's get into the show.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Welcome to the First Business Bank podcast. I'm Bonnie Van Epps, and I'll be your host for today's episode about aligning with nonprofits to build employee engagement. To help explore this topic further, I have Debby Ballard and Chris Hess with me today. Would each of you introduce yourself to our listeners? Debby, I'll start with you.
Debby Ballard:
Alrighty. Good afternoon. And I'm Debby Ballard. And I am retired executive from Sprint. My last assignment was the president of the Sprint Foundation and director of community affairs.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Excellent. So excited to have you with us today. And Chris, can you introduce yourself to our listeners?
Chris Hess:
Thanks, Bonnie. I'm Chris Hess, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin. We have 28 retail stores and training centers across the state of Wisconsin. And we specialize in elevating people by eliminating barriers to employment. And I'm really glad to be here today.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Awesome. Such great backgrounds that we'll be able to pull from your experiences into our conversation today, so really grateful you're here.
So employee engagement is top of mind for so many business owners and leaders right now given the competitive talent market. Tell me about the connection you see between employee engagement and job satisfaction and companies aligning with non-profit missions. Chris, can I start with you for that one?
Chris Hess:
Yeah. There's a big alignment between kind of mission impact and not-for profits, and even for-profits. So employee engagement is important for us as a nonprofit, because engaged employees do a better job of delivering our mission. So we're just as interested in it as a for-profit company would be. What we're seeing is we are getting a lot of outreach from organizations looking to partner with us for just that. So how do their employees get engaged in the community? How do they provide meaningful experiences for their team members or their associates to give back to the community? And certainly working with us and other nonprofits is an important strategy for many companies in our area.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Yeah. What impact do you see it having for you as a nonprofit?
Chris Hess:
For us, as a nonprofit, everything that we do really depends on the generosity of our community. And that can be time, talent and treasures. So as engagement goes up in the community with our mission, our mission impact increases. So it's really vital that people understand the opportunities that exist with organizations like Goodwill and other nonprofits for their team members or associates to give back and get involved. It really, really helps us do our jobs when we've got an engaged community.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Yeah. So powerful. Debby, I know this is something that you're really passionate about as well. So same question to you. What connection do you see between employee engagement, job satisfaction, and then companies that align with nonprofit missions?
Debby Ballard:
I actually think it's a differentiator, especially in this job market today where job applicants have a lot more opportunities. And one of the things that they are absolutely saying as they look for jobs is that they want to work for companies who have used corporate responsibility as doing good. I guess that's probably a better way to even say it, that applicants want to work for companies and employees want to stay at companies that do good work. And so it's all about doing good work.
But I'd say it takes it a step further than that, because we can do good work by writing a check, and at the foundation we wrote a lot of checks, quite frankly. But more importantly, it's getting our employees engaged. And when you do that, it needs to be mission driven. So we can't just say, why don't you just go do this? There does need to be some strategy behind how you get employees engaged. But what it does is it lets employees know that quite frankly, what they care about is important to the company, and that we know that employees who are doing the things that they care about are happier, they're more energized, they want to work harder and they want to work longer. And then ultimately it goes to the bottom line of the corporation, quite frankly. So it's a win-win for everybody.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Yeah. I'm wondering if, you talk so passionately about really engaging the employees and getting them involved, and that it just can't be anything. Do either of you have kind of personal examples, whether it's an effort that was led by the company you're working for, or CEO of there, Chris, or as an employee? Do you have an example of a time when as an employee you were really engaged?
Debby Ballard:
I'll go first. I don't know who you were directing that to. But we did a lot of things in terms of at Sprint to engage our employees. That was really, really an important initiative for us all the time, wanting to make sure our employees were engaged. But for me personally, one of the activities that I loved is a small nonprofit here in Kansas City, it's called Christmas in October, and we would galvanize our employees, which corporations all across the city would do. It's one day that we would go out and work. And we would have probably over 1,000 employees who would go to about, I'd say 20 houses, 20 to 30 houses that we would actually go and do something. It's kind of a fixer upper. So it's for the elderly or folks who are just not able to take outside work, or just even inside construction kind of projects.
But what I loved about this project is a lot of times you give money or you go and do something, but you don't really see it happen. But literally in that day, we see lives changing. At the end of the day, if we've gone to a house, and painted their house, and done construction projects, and cleaned up the yard and built handicapped rails, and we've even put roofs on, and I mean all kinds of things, when we would leave at three or four o'clock in the afternoon, to see someone come out and literally be in tears about how we have changed their lives, that we saw it happen in that one day. And I so looked forward to doing that every single year because it's life changing. It's literally life changing. And most of the things that we do were high impact kind of projects, but this one is one that was so immediate that I loved it because it was quick and we saw it happen.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Yeah, how powerful. I mean, talk about having meaning behind what you're doing.
Debby Ballard:
Yes, absolutely.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Yeah. Chris, how about for you, any examples come to mind?
Chris Hess:
Yeah. Great example of when somebody is personally aligned with the not-for-profit that they're working for comes from a gentleman that works for us here who wanted to volunteer specifically for the Miracle League. And the Miracle League here is an adaptive, all-inclusive baseball league where anybody regardless of ability can participate in a little league style baseball event. And this gentleman wanted to volunteer to do the PA announcing. And what's really cool about this is, yes, he gave his time to do that, but he also has pretty significant barriers himself that he is working on here at Goodwill in a job coaching setting. But he has always had a dream and an aspiration to be an announcer for sports, and he chose to express that personal passion by volunteering at the Miracle League. And the passion that he brings to that PA announcing job is unbelievable. And when we talked to his family and the job coach that was working with him, he, when he started, didn't have the ability to communicate with his team members, with store leadership, with customers. He was shy.
And this passion, this personal alignment really brought out the very best in him, and at the same time thrilled the audience and the kids that were participating in the league. And when we were there watching this happen, we had a chance to sit with his family. And to see his family become emotional and almost break down to see their son achieve his dream of being a sports announcer all through volunteering and really learning those skills on the fly on at his job, but also being able to take those into the community for a greater impact.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Wow. I can only imagine every person that witnessed that must have just been moved by the power of that moment and just that alignment for him. How does the partnership with a nonprofit align with a company's engagement goal and some of the talent challenges that they're experiencing? And what impact does that have for all involved? Chris, can I start with you?
Chris Hess:
Yeah. I think it has a tremendous impact and partnership is really, really important. For us, all of our partnerships are really mutually beneficial. They benefit the company and they benefit the not-for-profit. And together we really go out and impact the community. So the example that I'll give you is the talent gap here in our communities. And really a lot of companies, if you go talk to them, their number one concern is talent, and attraction and retention of individuals to do the work. How do we get people engaged with our organization? How do we have prospering communities through the power of work? And so organizations that are not only talent developers, like at Goodwill, but then talent employers, like for-profit companies, or even not-for-profit that need human talent to do the work that they do, need to collaborate and really align those two goals through that collaboration and aim it at a community issue.
So we're really all about skill building that leads to sustained employment, that improves people's financial stability here at Goodwill. And just about every company today is looking for those same things. So we partner with them actively with their team members, with their HR folks, with their manufacturing people, and we say, what can we do for underserved populations in our community? How can we get those folks the skills that they need to land the jobs to have a long, successful career? And the power of the partnership between the organization and a Goodwill or a job developer can really be amplified when they work together to serve those underserved in the community and really give them access to skill building, and then ultimately sustaining employment with that employer. So that partnership and that focus of the two organizations coming together to get at a systemic issue, like upskilling in our communities can be incredibly powerful.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Yeah. And talk about changing lives there as well. Yeah, that's incredible. Debby, how about that same question for you?
Debby Ballard:
Okay. I would say that partnership is really what it's all about. We look for partners who share our mission or share our vision, and for opportunities really to maximize our engagement. And that can look at a lot of different ways, quite frankly. So for example, we had a program so several years ago around internet safety, keeping kids safe online, and it was actually called For Net Safety. We partnered with Boys and Girls Clubs of America as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It was all about providing resources, because let me just go back and just say, we know that the internet is, I don't even know how we would get along without it at this point, so they're all kind of amazing things and great things that you can do. But we also know that there are dangers out there and that we wanted parents to be proactive in terms of monitoring what kids are doing on the internet to try to keep them safe.
So when we partnered with these two organizations, it was all about creating free resources for both parents, guardians and teachers. We had it both in English and in Spanish, because we know that our service and what we do is a good thing, but we also want to make sure that we're being very responsible with it. So that was an example of a great partnership with two amazing organizations that shared the same concerns that we did for keeping kids safe online. And then just recently we created, well recently being in the last five years, we created a program called The 1 Million Project. The 1 Million Project was all about providing internet or connectivity for kids. We know that kids go home every evening and don't have access to the internet, and 70% of the teachers assign homework online. And these kids go home and don't have access to the internet.
We actually had an example when we were at a school one day and one of the students, the principal told us that when he got to school at six o'clock that morning there was a student sitting on the steps of the high school doing their homework so that they had access to the internet. So we know that this is a huge problem. And then it's compounded now with all the virtual learning that if kids don't have access to the internet, they can't be successful. So we found opportunities for our employees, our customers, our vendors to all be engaged in this project called The 1 Million ... our Goal of giving free connectivity to 1 million students across the country. We met that goal and by far have exceeded it. It's still an important initiative now that Sprint has even moved to T-Mobile. But it's still an important thing. And it's all about shared visions and shared partnerships, quite frankly, because that's what it is.
So we give all of those stakeholders opportunity to help us. They can fundraise. For example, if you went into one of our stores, it would give you an opportunity to round up as a customer to be able to contribute to this amazing project. Our employees have an opportunity to do lots of fun kind of activities to engage in terms of supporting this initiative of providing connectivity to kids all across the country.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Yeah. I heard such a theme in what you both shared about really bringing people together to solve very complex but common problems. And what a great way to get more than just employees engaged, but to really bring, like you said, customers, and your employees and leadership in all those individuals together to really drive forward from that company mission. So you've shared a lot of really amazing and moving examples of ways that you and your companies have given back over the years. For the listener who's really moved by these examples and is wanting to do something to start taking action, where do you recommend they start? And how do they get employees excited and involved? Debby, can I start with you?
Debby Ballard:
Yeah. I would say first of all, you need to find something that you're passionate about. So for example, I'm on a lot of boards and committees, and I've never ever asked anybody to be on their board. But we, about three years ago started the first single gender charter school here. It's for all girls. I was so impressed with the work that they're doing that I called the leader of the school and said, "I'd love to be able to support you in any way that you would need me to support you. So I'm happy to serve on a committee. I'm happy to be on the board. Whatever it is that you would need somebody to do. To help fundraise, whatever it is." And so I looked for an opportunity to support them first of all, and then eventually did join and I'm on the board today. But it's because I'm passionate about causes that impact women and children, and so it was an easy decision for me to make.
From the company standpoint what I would say to you is, paid time off is really important. So if you want your employees to get engaged, you need to pay them and let them be able to take time off so they're not worried about that. There was a company I knew that really encouraged folks to volunteer, but you had to volunteer on your own time. So I'm not sure that I saw that as really encouraging them if you aren't going to give them some time off. And it doesn't have to be a lot of time. It could be an hour, a two hour, I would say at least two hours just to get them out and to show them that, you know what? I love the fact that you want to be engaged. It's important to the community, and it's important to the company to do good and for people to see us doing good.
So I would say the paid time off is a big deal for me and then finding something that you're passionate about. And then looking for ways that you can support them. And it may not be the way that you think. It could be doing something and then ultimately getting to where you want. If a board opportunity is what you're looking for, you make it work your way there. Maybe you don't start there, but you don't have to. It's really about helping them and making an impact.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Yeah. The volunteer time off resonates with me. I know First Business Bank in the last couple of years implemented that, and it's really fun and exciting to see the different places and ways that people use that volunteer time off, and that they have the freedom to really take that time and use it in the way that is meaningful to them, in addition to the many things that as a company we support and our employees participate and contribute in too. So I love that.
Debby Ballard:
Yeah. I don't know [inaudible 00:18:54] ... for doers, volunteer grants. But that's another way. I mean, it encourages employees to get involved. But not just kind of one offs, but to stay involved. And that's kind of how we changed our strategy a little bit too, even in our giving strategy. Instead of giving to lots of different things, we give to fewer for deeper and give larger. And we want a deeper impact. And it's the same thing with volunteer engagement. Encourage employees to stick with it, and for example, I'm making this up, but if you volunteer 250 hours in a year, then we'll give that organization a $500 grant or something like that. But it definitely increases the number of hours that employees volunteer. So the nonprofit is getting the advantage of having somebody come there and volunteer, but they're also going to get a financial grant as well. So if you're not doing something like that, it's at least something to look into and think about.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Yeah. That's another really great idea. Chris, same question to you. For the listener who's been moved by your examples and would like to take action, where do you recommend they start? And how do they get employees excited and involved in the process?
Chris Hess:
Yeah. First on the company side, I would encourage them to approach not-for-profits with what I call an abundance mindset. And what I mean by that is don't be afraid to approach a not-for-profit on something that you're both passionate about, because you think that that not-for-profit is immediately going to hit you up to be the main sponsor for their fundraising event. I think that holds companies back thinking, if I approach this not-for-profit, we're really passionate about this, we have this great idea, but we're not really prepared to be the title sponsor of XYZ event. And so they don't reach out because they're afraid of that. What I would tell you is if you approach it from an abundance mindset, a lot of not-for-profits are really looking for the passion and the energy and looking for an advocate in the community that can help them build that coalition of the willing to go out and attack those systemic issues that are important to both of us.
And it doesn't always require fundraising. It might just require some passion, and some awareness and some advocacy on behalf of that not-for-profit and that employer that share that cause. On the employee side, I would say if you listen to your team members, they'll tell you what they're interested in. All of the great ideas here at Goodwill that we have come from our team members. We listen to them, they tell us what they're passionate about. They're passionate about skill building. They want people to sustain employment so that they can achieve financial stability. So we build our programs, we build our partnerships to show our team members that we're serious about our mission and that we really want to maximize our impact, and that that impact and that desire is shared with them. And by doing that, we really increase engagement. So I would tell employers that want to approach not-for-profits, make sure that it resonates with your employee base as well. And if you have that, if you have the passion, and you have that can-do attitude and you find that right partner, great things happen in the community.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Yeah. I love that. So powerful. And especially just listening to your employees and what are the ideas, and suggestions and passions that they have, and how you can really leverage that in that outreach.
Debby Ballard:
It lets employees know that their voice matters.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Yeah. So as we head into our closing, are there any final thoughts or messages that you'd really like to leave our listeners with?
Chris Hess:
I would tell people that working with not-for-profits is often more mutually beneficial than people believe when they start the engagement. Oftentimes people again think that, and we do, not-for-profits, rely on the donations of time, talent and treasure in our communities in a really big way. Even places like Goodwill, if it wasn't for our donors at our stores, we wouldn't have inventory to sell, which really funds our mission. But the impact that the not-for-profit can have on the company, not only on their employee engagement, but also on their bottom line is often overlooked. By partnering with not-for-profits, you can have more engagement in your team member base, which is important. But somebody like a Goodwill that does job training and opportunity with that partnership, we can help fuel the economic engine by skilling and placing people in those organizations and it becomes a much more powerful multiplier than the original intent of the partnership. So I would encourage organizations to think more broadly about how they can partner, and great things happen when you see what's possible and you celebrate that every single day and take a chance and approach things from an abundance mindset.
Debby Ballard:
I would just add onto that and just say that kind of where we started at, that in this job market today, it's really important to be known as a good corporate citizen. So from the corporation standpoint, it's the right thing to do and it's just good to be good. And then from an employee's personal standpoint, it's also the right thing to do. And I think once those two areas come together, you can do so many big things, and good things and impactful things. And I'm all about just making an impact and changing lives. And the work that we do, both from a corporate standpoint or from the corporation standpoint and individually are all about changing lives and making things better. So I think understanding that that's the way you get, first of all, that you can recruit top talent, but that's also the way that you can retain top talent, because those areas are important to both.
Bonnie Van Epps:
Yeah. I love that, it's good to be good. And I can't thank you both enough for all the good that you are doing in your communities, and for your employees and all the people around you. Thank you so much to our guests for participating in this really important discussion. And also thank you to our audience members for listening today. Be sure to visit us at firstbusiness.bank to check out other resources we offer for business owners and leaders. We invite you to experience the advantage with First Business Bank. If there's a way we can help, please reach out to us.
Speaker 1:
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