Community Banks Live Community Service
Each September, the Minnesota Bankers Association rallies banks across the state to participate in Community Impact Month. The association reports that 84 banks and 478 branch locations are participating in the #BankBuildMN campaign in 2020.
It’s true that community banks build Minnesota – and our country – in many ways. Banks provide small business financing and home loans to help companies and families achieve their dreams. We provide kids and teenagers with their first accounts from which they build their financial future or establish credit to buy their first car.
Just as important is how independent banks, like New Market Bank, build community through investments of money and time. Each month throughout the year, New Market Bank’s Giving Back to the Community Program collects donations for a chosen local nonprofit – one that is often overlooked by major corporate donors. The bank then matches the donations received. Those donations, paired with sponsorship of many nonprofit events, totaled nearly $20,000 in 2019.
Volunteering Creates Better Places to Live
Our commitment to the community is more than checkbook philanthropy. Volunteering for local charities and not-for-profit entities are hallmarks of every community bank. We pride ourselves on working alongside customers, business owners, nonprofits and municipalities to create better places to live, raise our families and work. New Market Bank provides our team with 8 hours of paid-time-off each year to volunteer for a nonprofit of their choosing. That is over and above the volunteer work we do as a team throughout the year.
Volunteering Strengthens Our Team
Volunteer events can be great team-building opportunities. It is refreshing for team members to interact with one another in more casual settings outside of work. It’s often during these times that we laugh and create irreplaceable memories and bonds. In this way, our commitment to the community also strengthens our organization as an employer. Nearly all our team members live in the communities we serve. They want to make positive changes in their communities and are grateful for an employer that shares their desires. Our commitment to public service increases team members’ job satisfaction and loyalty while contributing to their own personal fulfillment.
Volunteering Builds Relationships
While we’re creating stronger communities, we’re also building and reinforcing important relationships that benefit both our communities and our businesses. Joining business owners, residents and local leaders to pack meal bags for food shelves, clean ditches and organize local events allows us to develop strong relationships and connections. We expand our circle of influence and become trusted resources and friends to many. By demonstrating we’re willing to roll up our sleeves, we gain new customers and build loyalty among existing customers.
The benefits of volunteering in the community are multifaceted and not to be underestimated. Even on the busiest of days, I never regret the time spent volunteering, either individually or with the New Market Bank team. I always leave encouraged, fulfilled and often with new and renewed friendships.
