Security Benefit not only encourages its employees to actively volunteer in the community, but the corporation also developed a program that makes volunteer work even more rewarding.
With its Dollars for Hours program, Security Benefit matches the time employees spend volunteering in the community with a dollar match to an approved, employee-chosen nonprofit organization.
Security Benefit says the program is one of the first of its kind in Topeka.
“The Dollars for Hours program is another opportunity for our caring employees to turn their time into money in support of one or more approved nonprofit organizations of their choice,” said Anne Trebino, Security Benefit’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources. “This encourages and rewards volunteerism. Both our employees and the organizations they select win with this unique program.”
The monetary donation made by the company is tied to a sliding scale based on the number of personal volunteer hours contributed by the employee to the selected organization.
“Literally, we have a system where we click on a button and we can enter our volunteer hours throughout the year,” said Jenifer Purvis, Vice President of Human Resources at Security Benefit. “Whether you’re coaching with a Little League team or working at your church in some capacity or working with scouting — basically, any kind of volunteer activity that you do is eligible.
“At the end of the year, you can get an award based on the total hours you put in. It’s either $100, $200 or $300, depending on the number of hours. At the end of the year, you’re given a document that says you are eligible to enter (the amount earned) to a 501(c)(3) of your choice.”
Purvis said she volunteers her time by running sound and light at her church. She also works with Big Brothers Big Sisters and makes cuddle blankets each year during the Nancy Perry Day of Caring for United Way of Greater Topeka.
She takes advantage of the Dollars for Hours program by making donations to Helping Hands Humane Society.
“I’m a big believer in adopting pets that don’t have a home,” she said.
Purvis said Security Benefit employees generally log from 9,000 to 10,000 volunteer hours per year.
“We don’t seem to have a lot of difficulty here getting people out in the community and volunteering,” she said. “We’ve done surveys before to see where people are contributing in the community, and it varies all over the place.
“I don’t know of anyone else that really has a program like this. It’s something that seems to be unique to Security Benefit. … We introduce this program to every new person that comes in the door here, so that they’re aware that we appreciate the time they spend in the community and we’re willing to reward them for that time.”
Read the complete article from The Topeka Capital-Journal.
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