The Power of the Workplace: United Way’s Best of 2018

December 19, 2018

Author: Connie French
Categories: Corporate Social Responsibility, Features
Tags: Corporate Social Responsibility
Impact Areas: Corporate Social Responsibility

United Way has a rich history of partnering with companies in the Greater Boston area. Long before Corporate Social Responsibility became a buzzword, these socially responsible organizations have been first in line to help when crisis calls. This year, our corporate partners went so above and so beyond, we simply had to recognize their commitment. Here are a few of our favorite moments from 2018.

Keeping families warm in the winter is more than a business model for Eversource – it’s who they are. That’s why they came forward on Giving Tuesday to match donations to the Family Fund, which provides basic necessities to families in need. When our donors blew our expectations away, Eversource was right there with us, ultimately providing $30,000 in matching funds and helping us channel more than $60,000 into programs that will keep families warm and fed this winter.
TD Bank, National Grid and Others Help Families Affected by Explosions in Greater Lawrence. In September, explosions rocked communities in the Merrimack Valley. Within 24 hours, the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, joined us in establishing the Greater Lawrence Relief Fund. Since its launch, the Greater Lawrence Relief Fund has raised more than $200,000 through significant support from National Grid, Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Boston Bruins, Lindt, LogMeIn, and hundreds of online individual contributions. One hundred percent of the funds raised will be distributed to help families in the affected communities in coordination with other funds and relief efforts.
Bank of America Steps up to End Homelessness. In November, Bank of America joined with us and Combined Jewish Philanthropies to launch a first-in-the-nation partnership aimed at preventing homelessness. The partnership will seed the expansion of the successful Renew Collaborative model to the South Shore. Through the Renew Collaborative model, short-term, intensive case management is offered to low‐income families who are facing non‐payment eviction and are on the brink of homelessness. Additionally, families are offered landlord negotiation, access to small grants of rental assistance, and post‐crisis stabilization support. HomeStart’s initial results through its partnership with the Boston Housing Authority are promising; more than 97% of households remain housed one year later and after 48 months after the intervention, only 5% of households have been evicted for nonpayment.
INNOVATION, MEET IMPACT. In an increasingly social and connected world, the line between “work time” and “personal time” has gotten pretty blurry. This year, we launched the Salesforce Philanthropy Cloud, in partnership with Salesforce, to help companies provide their employees with meaningful volunteer and giving opportunities at work. Partnering with Salesforce means more collective impact in our community, as we combine Salesforce’s expertise in relationship management with our deep roots in the community.

2018 was a banner year for companies and their employees who made volunteering part of their work day. Corporate partners came out in a big way to give back in the cities and towns where they live and work, from helping provide 125,000 pounds of food to the Thanksgiving Project to donating baby supplies for new parents at the Community Baby Shower. We are so grateful for the companies that provide the means and the manpower to help us change lives in our community.