207. Corporate Social Responsibility Its a Two-Way Street

Show Notes:

Nicolle Lee from Voya Financial joins us to pull back the curtain and share her company's employee volunteer program's strategies. Voya Financial has just seen an increase in participation in their volunteer events they've also discovered additional benefits to deploying employees as volunteers in the community.

In the past, Voya Financial’s Employee Volunteer Program was similar to many - legacy events that were uninspired and unfocused. But not anymore. Voya decided to re-energize their EVP by focusing on completing activities that directly support their purpose to help “All Americans Retire Better.” 

Voya Financial also ensured that senior leadership was invested and involved in supporting, sponsoring, and participating in EVP activities. And the new Chief Diversity & Corporate Responsibility Officer and Foundation President ensured that Key Performance Indicators for the EVP were reported up to the Board of Trustees level to create even more accountability across all levels of the organization.

Initially, there was concern that these projects and events weren’t adding to productivity but in fact, Voya Financial has found the opposite to be true. Colleagues meet others through these informal events and are now collaborating across business practices and feel more connected so projects and priorities are easier to accomplish.

Focusing on the metrics and KPIs has also allowed Voya Financial Employees to understand how their work is so important, and they can feel good about giving back. It has helped employees see the value of the work they do with clients so they are prepared for retirement so they don’t need to depend on safety net programs. And, they’ve had 98% participation across their 6,000 employees.

During the Spring and Summer during the COVID-19 pandemic, Voya employees continued their work supporting the social safety net organizations like Meals on Wheels and Habitat for Humanity.

For nonprofit organizations, it is important to find corporate partners that share your same commitment to the community. While nonprofits rely on volunteers from corporations, those volunteers have an opportunity to learn about the needs of the community and to help meet those needs through their volunteer activities.

Learn more about Voya’s corporate responsibility employee engagement practices: https://corporate.voya.com/corporate-responsibility/community-investment/employee-engagement

Guest Bio:

Nicolle Lee
Manager, Strategic Projects
Voya Financial

Nicolle Lee is a Transformation Manager at Voya Financial, where she also leads the corporate volunteering efforts for the New York office. Previously, she was an Associate on Voya’s Corporate Strategy team and developed Voya’s long-term strategy.

She serves as co-Chair of Habitat for Humanity NYC’s Young Professionals board and is passionate about issues at the intersection of finance, real estate, and public policy in order to build healthier communities.

Nicolle is currently pursuing graduate degrees at the Harvard Kennedy School (MPP) and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (MBA), where she is a Jay Knowles MBA Fellow studying real estate investing. She will graduate in Spring 2023.

For More:

If you are interested in more on Habitat for Humanity NYC’s Young Professionals group, check out Season 2 of the Time + Talent podcast, Episode 206: Strengthening the Impact of Young Professional Volunteers.