Name: Bank of America
Partner for: 20+ years
Partner for: Employee Campaign, Financial Opportunity
Our relationship:
Bank of America runs an Employee Giving Campaign every year, but with new Austin Market President Nikki Salzillo being open to doing things differently this year, Bank of America took their Campaign to a completely new level. This year, campaign co-chairs Anne Walker and Luke Martinez set out to make a bigger impact. Both engaged as UWATX Strategic Advisors (Anne advising Financial Opportunity and Target Graduation, and Luke working with Young Leaders Society and Hands On Central Texas), they were inspired to grow their company’s support for our community. Here’s what they did differently:
Involving leadership to make a greater impact
Prior to their campaign kickoff, Bank of America held their Austin market leadership meeting at UWATX, where UWATX President Debbie Bresette, Nikki Salzillo and campaign co-chairs Walker and Martinez spoke with the team about the importance of giving and the real-world impact their donations carry.
The Bank of America Employee Campaign Leadership Team amplified this powerful message by sharing it with the site leaders at every Austin Market Bank of America location – empowering site leaders to take ownership over their Employee Campaign and engage their peers. Motivated by the message, many leaders invited our staff to come in and speak at their site!
Encouraging philanthropy both inside and outside of the office
To encourage participation in its UWATX Employee Campaign, Bank of America offers jean days to sites with 100 percent participation. As an organization, Bank of America gives back to the community by taking part in events such as the annual Feast of Sharing, while internally, Bank of America leadership hosts annual volunteerism awards to recognize and show appreciation for giving back to the community.
Bank of America employs best practices:
- Inviting UWATX to speak at meetings
- Creating an Employee Campaign team
- Strongly encouraging employee participation
- Engaging with UWATX outside of campaign
What we’ve accomplished together:
Only seven weeks into its Employee Campaign, Bank of America has already received 110 percent of its 2012 response rate and 140 percent of its 2012 participation rate.
Bank of America makes Austin greater
“A week ago, our banking center was visited by a gentleman that had some questions about the status of his bank accounts. He had spent the last few nights on the street and was in dire need of some food, a hot shower and a warm bed to sleep in. Fortunately, our market had recently had a United Way Campaign Leadership meeting. When our customer asked for help, I knew immediately where to direct him: the UWATX Navigation Center that provides confidential assistance to those in need. Through UWATX, our customer was able to find a place to sleep for the night and get himself back on his feet. This experience really brought home the value of UWATX, and how important it is for us to give what we can. I am proud to think that I am a part of the Bank of America team and that we are one of the primary contributors to this great organization.” -James P. McDonough, Oak Springs Banking Center, Bank of America