KeaneCARES: A Small Effort Making a Big Impact!
Submitted by: Jen Stokes, Marketing Manager, The Keane Organization, Inc.
In today’s business world, more and more corporations are regarding their employees as important and natural extensions of the company’s contributions and community relations activities. In fact, research shows that involving employees as volunteers and contributors is one of the most significant resources the company can offer to meet critical community needs.
The Keane Organization, located in Wayne, PA, is no exception to these findings. In November 2006, at the request of many of its 140 employees, Keane management put out the call for volunteers to develop a community outreach committee. Volunteers quickly got to work developing a name for their team – KeaneCARES – writing a mission statement, and planning outreach activities. The management team reaffirmed their support of the effort by allocating an annual budget and quarterly executive sponsors.
KeaneCARES members meet twice a quarter to evaluate past events and plan future ones. Because most activities cost little or nothing to run, much of the committee’s budget goes towards fundraising matches or donations to causes important to Keane employees and clients. KeaneCARES uses their mission statement as a guide when deciding on appropriate events and donations: To give back to the communities where we work and live through various charitable and philanthropic activities, while fostering “Keane Spirit” and teamwork within our organization.
Just over a year old, Keane’s community outreach effort has covered a lot of ground. In 2007, Keane employees participated in 11 KeaneCARES-sponsored events, benefitting local organizations such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Southeast Pennsylvania, the Penn-Jersey Red Cross, Gilda’s Club in Warminster, and St. Mary’s Villa in Ambler. In 2008, KeaneCARES has already sponsored a blood drive and a bake sale fundraiser. Although some activities are focused on raising funds for a specific cause, others are focused on non-monetary donations of time or goods, such as used clothing drives, clean-up projects, and help for the needy.
The committee has found the keys to their most successful events include organization, communication, lots of publicity, and management support and participation. Planning a wide variety of activities and tapping into employee suggestions and feedback has also proved to be fruitful for KeaneCARES, as well as keeping the committee open to new volunteers. Keane has found that outreach events don’t have to be big and fancy – even the simplest efforts can make a big impact!
To learn more about launching a community outreach initiative at your workplace, feel free to contact Jen Stokes at jstokes@keaneco.com.
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