Best Practices - Characteristic 9
Article Index
- Best Practices
- Characteristic 2
- Characteristic 3
- Characteristic 4
- Characteristic 5
- Characteristic 6
- Characteristic 7
- Characteristic 8
- Characteristic 9 (current position)
- Characteristic 10
Characteristic 9: Get involved in community endeavors and/or public policy.
Convergint Technologies
From day one of its existence Convergint Technologies has always held an annual Convergint Social Responsibility Day. This day coincides with the anniversary of the company’s founding and is grounded in a “pay it forward” ideology.
Convergint Day is a huge undertaking and many hours of planning and hard work are invested to make it happen. Recently over 900 employees across 22 North American cities performed community service on the same day. How they serve depends upon the needs of their local community and fun as well as team-building are always part of the experience. Colleagues look forward to this day of service and feel proud to be part of an organization committed to helping others.
Convergint’s volunteerism doesn’t just happen on Social Responsibility Day. Throughout each year, local coordinators plan and execute fundraisers and other community outreach, many of which happen during work hours. Examples include support to family shelters, senior adult facilities, special needs organizations, animal welfare shelters, food banks, military personnel, and high school students.
Lastly, Convergint donates $20,000 to local charities in lieu of giving holiday gifts to valued customers. To increase its contribution, colleagues are encouraged to make their own donations to 501(c)(3) organizations during the month of December. Convergint matches up to $500 per colleague.
Falcon Camp
Falcon Camp’s top executive is the legislative chair for the American Camping Association-Ohio Field Office. In this role, he hears about fresh approaches to create the richest camp experiences possible. Based upon information obtained, the staff works to adapt applicable fresh approaches to the camp’s operations. One example is Explore 30, a program encouraging campers to read for 30 minutes a day, thereby supporting the idea that camp, and summer in general, is not a “backwards” step in a year of learning. From the community involvement aspect of Characteristic 9, it doesn’t matter that Falcon Camp is small (less than 40 employees). It does its part by buying locally, supporting its local 4-H organization, and attending community events with their campers.
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