Why Giving is Good for Business
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United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County

Why Giving is Good for Business

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Giving back to the community is an important core value among businesses in Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County. 

We talked with Suzanne Kelley, President of the Waukesha County Business Alliance and a 2015 United Way Campaign Co-chair’s to find out how this concept can impact overall business performance.

How do you encourage your members to increase community involvement? Corporate gifts? Employee volunteer events?
The Waukesha County Business Alliance is a strong supporter of many community organizations, including United Way. We believe the best way to encourage our business members to get involved is to showcase our member non-profits, highlight company best practices in community engagement, and set a positive example by providing Alliance team members the opportunity to volunteer and become involved in causes they care about.

We’ve seen lots of business school research that shows “customers want to shop their values” – does this help your members in Waukesha County?
We’ve found that Alliance members like to do business with other members, especially those that have earned a reputation for making positive difference in their communities. Community involvement provides an opportunity for businesses to show they care and build relationships. Our organization’s mantra is “get involved and give back – it’s good for business!”

How do you encourage Waukesha Business Alliance members to increase community involvement? What does it look like, and how have they seen results around talent attraction, recruitment or retainment?
Annually the Alliance holds a special Networking After Five event to showcase our community organizations. This year’s event is coming up on April 21. Business professionals get to talk directly with representatives of the non-profits, learn more about the organizations and find out how to get involved. Our Leadership Waukesha County program, which is in its 26th year, exposes participants to the non-profit community and volunteering. We know many of our member businesses “adopt” certain non-profits not only as a way to “give back,” but also for team-building opportunities and to enhance employee retention and recruitment. Millennials in particular are seeking employers who have a strong reputation for community involvement. We recently hosted a manufacturing where five CEOs spoke about their corporate cultures and highlighted best practices such as time off for Season of Caring, corporate matching fund programs, and even incorporating community involvement into the employee review process.

Tell us about you volunteering to be one of our United Way Campaign Co-Chairs.  Why now, and how do you hope to help?
I’m a long-time United Way supporter, and am thrilled to be a co-chair in this pivotal year with the merger of the two United Way organizations. I believe this coming together is the right move at the right time. The merger will provide a streamlined process for our donors and, ultimately, create a stronger organization to better meet the critical needs in a broader footprint.

Do you have an interesting story of a Waukesha Business Alliance member partnering with United Way, helping both the community and their business?
R&R Insurance is an active supporter of United Way and does a great job showcasing its employees’ involvement. R&R’s support of United Way has made a lot of people aware of the company and undoubtedly brought them business. We’re proud that R&R employee Mike Payne and his wife Amanda, who happens to work for the Alliance, were the “poster children” of last year’s United Way campaign in Waukesha County. 

Learn more about United Way's corporate volunteer opportunities or start a workplace giving campaign