Five Tips For Creating A Culture of Giving - At Home and at Work

We love giving back to the places where we work and live – and love bringing our families along to serve too. Creating a culture of giving, at work or at home, can take time, intentionality and willingness, but the effects can be life changing – for you and the organizations you serve. Check out our tips for creating a community of giving within your family:

1. YOU ARE NEVER TOO YOUNG TO SERVE

Whether it is putting together meals, stuffing backpacks or simply ringing a bell, you can serve your community at any age. What better way to start a culture of giving than starting the habit early in life? Our employee-owners take this to heart. Not only do they volunteer in our communities, but they get their children involved as well. Amy Korsmo, freight administrator in Cedar Rapids, IA, has coordinated Van Meter’s support of the Salvation Army Red Kettle Drive for over 10 years. She schedules volunteers to ring the bell during a week in December, and her twin, 23-year-old boys volunteer for a shift every year. “They love the interaction with people,” Korsmo said. “My kids know it is important to me and my job. They know it makes a difference in our community.”

Jason Alt, marketing program manager, organizes Van Meter’s blood drive in Cedar Rapids and has gotten his two daughters involved in activities like ringing the Salvation Army bell, participating in the Especially for You Race Against Breast Cancer and buying Christmas presents for kids through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program. For Alt, it is about encouraging his children to give back in the future. “I want them to grow up and have the same outlook, do the same things in their lives and give back to the community.” He said his daughters still talk about the ways people pitched in after the derecho storm that hit eastern Iowa in 2020, and it helps them appreciate where they live.

2. CARRY AN OWNERSHIP MINDSET

Jeff Kraus, progress manager in Cottage Grove, MN, has gotten his three kids involved with Meals on Wheels, and they have helped out with various tasks at Basic Needs Thrift Shop in Cottage Grove. He gets them involved because he wants to show them there is more to work than working. “I want to show my kids Van Meter’s culture because it’s very unique,” he said. “Giving back to the community is a big part of our culture, and I want them to feel empowered to do that when they are older.”

As a 100% employee-owned company, Kraus believes giving back is part of an employee-ownership mindset. “Our success depends on each other. We work hard for each other, and care about each other,” he said. Focusing on giving back also helps recruit people into the company. New employee-owners have told Kraus they joined Van Meter because the company is active in the community. “It brings the right type of people to our organization,” he said. “There’s a lot of companies that might preach it like it’s the right thing to do, but at Van Meter, we are actually doing it.”

3. GROW RELATIONSHIPS WHILE GIVING BACK

To build a culture of giving back with our families, we need to build relationships with the people in our communities. Volunteering allows us to meet new people or strengthen existing relationships. Alt, for example, has met new people as he volunteers. “You get to work with other teams and groups of people you do not work with in the business every day.”

Galen Young, a distribution center team member in Cedar Rapids, said giving back has helped him build stronger personal relationships. “It’s nice to spend time with fellow community members and learn more about them personally,” he said.

In addition, volunteering gives children and family members a chance to work on building relationships in the community. Kraus said he talks to his kids about the importance of respect, being a good person and getting to know people. “As much as I try to keep the kids involved in community stuff and volunteering, it’s also about encouraging them to say ‘hello’ to people, not be shy and help people when they need it,” he said.

4. BE OPEN TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES

To establish a culture of giving, introduce your families and teams to opportunities they might not have known about otherwise (and be open to try them!). Young said he did not do much volunteering before working for Van Meter, but now, he has more opportunities. “Some of these events, I would not have known about before working here. As new opportunities arose, I jumped in and am involved in more things than I would have been otherwise,” he said.

Alt said participating with his daughters has been a great way to introduce them to new opportunities and organizations they can contribute to. “I don’t think kids pay attention to everything their parents are doing if they are not directly involved in it,” he said. “Once they become part of it, it’s easy for them to remember and see some real value behind their contributions.”

5. HAVE FUN

Beyond doing something good for the community, getting out of your daily routine to volunteer can be fun! And having fun helps build a positive association with giving back. You can even center your activities around something you and your family already enjoy doing. For instance, Young said he was asked to participate in a bowling event for Big Brothers Big Sisters with his son because they enjoy bowling together. “It was a great atmosphere. Everybody was super friendly. There was a lot of neat energy around the whole event.”

Korsmo said her boys ask her when they can ring the bell and have even made a trip home from college to participate. They have worn Santa hats, brought friends and played music while doing it. “It’s actually a really cool experience,” she said. “It’s awesome how many people thank you for doing it. You watch people put money in and know that every little bit helps.”

How are you building a culture of giving at work – and at home? A culture of giving is contagious, and Kraus said he has never met someone at Van Meter who has not done their part to give back.

Apply to be part of the team and culture of giving at Van Meter today. »