By Candace Higginbotham

Giving back has always been a priority for Monica Gross Lopez and she’s a committed, lifelong volunteer in her Kissimmee, Florida, community.

Lopez has worked with many organizations over the years, Give Kids the World Village, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and Hibiscus Children’s Center. But as a Digital Experience Researcher in Regions Bank’s Technology, Operations Digital and Data division, she always wanted to contribute in a more meaningful way, by sharing her professional knowledge and experience.

“I always knew there was a great need in nonprofits for technology expertise,” Lopez said. “Small community organizations don’t have the resources to staff IT departments and consultants can be very expensive. But I just didn’t know how to get started finding groups with these specific needs.”

That changed when she was connected with Apparo, a nonprofit that creates corporate- community partnerships to bring technology expertise and resources to organizations to amplify their impact.

Helping Nonprofits Help Others

Lopez and a group of fellow tech-minded, socially conscious Regions associates were connected with Apparo by Sumitha Natarajan, Data Products group manager at Regions who has launched several innovative volunteer programs within Technology, Operations Digital and Data division. The Regions team participates in Apparo’s Website UX Evaluation volunteer initiative, which works with nonprofits to ensure their website has clear messaging, is engaging, user friendly and effective at meeting their goals.

The group has completed two projects and is beginning a third. One especially meaningful client for Lopez is Claire’s Army, a Charlotte, North Carolina, nonprofit that supports local families fighting childhood cancer. The four associates gathered remotely, spending one lunch hour per week for four weeks discussing, assessing and providing feedback on the Claire’s Army site.

“A nonprofit’s website is a critical connection to the community,” Lopez said. “Potential clients, donors, volunteers and other key stakeholders access the site, and it needs to be a positive experience for every one of those groups. Our experienced Regions team was able to thoroughly assess their site and make recommendations for improvements.”

Besides the feeling of accomplishment and contributing to such a wonderful cause, Lopez said the work broadened her skills and provided additional tools that she can implement in her day-to-day work at Regions.

“I really love this program – it’s exactly what I was looking for,” Lopez said. “I’m actively recruiting my Regions coworkers to work on similar projects. It doesn’t take a lot of time and since it’s virtual, it’s a great opportunity for remote associates with good tech skills to give back and make a huge impact!”

Giving Back with Greater Impact

That’s exactly the reaction Leroy Abrahams and the Regions Community Engagement team was hoping for when they began developing Regions Skills in Service^®.

The program, which provides opportunities for bank associates to use their subject-matter expertise on a volunteer basis to assist nonprofits with addressing specific challenges or enhancing their capacity, is part of the Regions Making Life Better Institute^®.

“We began contemplating this idea several years ago as a way to enrich our community engagement strategy,” Abrahams said. “We thought, ‘what if we could combine our mission to create shared value, improve the quality of life for people in our communities and offer a rewarding developmental opportunity for our associates at the same time?’”

Abrahams explained that often nonprofits and local agencies do not have the time, resources, or staff to implement new technology, processes or strategic plans to improve their effectiveness. Without special donations or grants, their employees are sometimes forced to ‘make do’ with inefficient processes and an overworked staff. Regions associates have the expertise in many business disciplines to help these organizations improve and grow their impact on the communities we serve.

Personal and Professional Growth

Hinton Taylor, Strategic Planning Manager at Regions, was an early adopter and has provided strategic planning consultation for four Birmingham organizations: Vulcan Park & Museum, First Light, Kiwanis Club of Birmingham and most recently, Jones Valley Teaching Farm.

With the help of Taylor and a group of Regions strategy experts, the groups were able to take a step back from their day-to-day work and utilize some existing frameworks to analyze the marketplace, their areas of service and the fundraising landscape and make plans for their long-term future.

“The Regions team was an incredible partner in this work,” said Amanda Storey, executive director of Jones Valley Teaching Farm. “Hinton and team provided a space we could land to wrestle with our challenges and celebrate our successes. They helped move us forward each and every meeting with grace, commitment, and support. I am so grateful for their leadership.”

The benefit to the organization is clear, but Taylor was quick to note how fulfilling the work is for the team.

“It’s really eye-opening to get to know these organizations and the important services they’re providing to people in our community,” he said. “I’ve gained a new perspective about the needs around us, particularly in the areas of food insecurity and housing insecurity. Without assistance from these nonprofits, many children and families wouldn’t get their basic needs met. I’m proud to lend my job-based skills to ensure they can continue to executive their mission effectively.”

A Win-Win-Win

According to Janel Taylor, Learning Solutions senior manager at Regions, skills-based volunteering can also be enriching professionally.

Taylor experienced this first-hand when working with Birmingham Promise, an organization that provides tuition assistance, coaching and internship opportunities for graduates of Birmingham City Schools.

She and a team facilitated a leadership development workshop for Birmingham Promise managers. The workshop strengthened the leadership skills of the team and was later highlighted as a key to success in several business results. Taylor was also pleased that the experience provided a development opportunity for Regions Learning and Development associates.

“We were able to pull in team members who don’t do that kind of work regularly. Associates who don’t currently serve in leadership roles but are high performers were able to gain experience with content development, strategy and delivery,” Taylor said.

Lopez, Taylor and Taylor are just a sampling of Regions associates who have contributed their professional skills to community organizations. Several Regions leaders have generously given their time recently to provide technical assistance to community development financial institutions (CDFIs) that Regions has business relationships with. Dwight Julbert, head of Human Resources Operations; Katie Such, Regions Affordable Housing manager; and Treasury leaders Allen Mayer and Douglas Croker, among others, have provided beneficial advice and subject-matter expertise. Additional leaders have taken part in the annual Regions CDFI Convening, a program that brings executives from Regions and CDFIs together to share ideas and leverage relationships to better serve our communities.

Gina Sian, head of the Regions Making Life Better Institute, is excited about the future of the Regions Skills in Service program. “More and more associates and leaders across the bank’s footprint are expressing interest in this type of community engagement, and so many organizations need specialized support. I’m happy we can match up skills and opportunities to better serve our communities.

Associates from the Regions Corporate Marketing and Communications team have worked to develop grant applications and marketing plans for nonprofits in Georgia and Florida. And last year, a group of associates across the bank participated in a Regions Skills in Service project for the United Way of Central Alabama to research and make recommendations for increased annual participation and giving – especially among emerging professionals.

Finance leader Amanda Saint was honored on National Philanthropy Day last year for serving as volunteer interim finance director at Better Basics when the nonprofit was shorthanded.

All these associates recommend skills-based volunteering for anyone wanting to make a bigger impact in the community.

“Look at your day-to-day community involvement with your church, children’s activities or ongoing volunteer commitments,” said Janel Taylor. “When you’re assigned a role within your community, consider if there is something related to your work or your skills that can help the organization. See if you – or even your work team – can fill a gap and help make a real difference.”