SThree Minneapolis has reached the summit of Sandlot Mountain - their mountain-shaped totalizer - having volunteered 152 hours this year with their local partner, House of Charity.
This is a huge achievement, made even more impressive when you realise, they are an office of only 11 people. So, what is the secret to their success?
House of Charity is an organisation that helps struggling individuals meet their basic needs of food and shelter, while reducing barriers to their long-term self-sufficiency. The Minneapolis office donate their time to support the Food Centre by serving food to 90-130 people in need at lunchtime.
Ashley Annett, Principal Client Relationship Manager, established the partnership and organises the volunteering opportunities for the office, and said:
“The cause resonated with me as I have always been interested in local organisations supporting hunger and food instability.
"I wasn’t sure how the office would respond, but I have been so happy to see how engaged and energised my colleagues have become about House of Charity”
They have 100% office engagement with everyone volunteering regularly. Every month the office splits into two groups and goes down to the centre during their lunch break to prepare and serve food, clear tables and chat to their clients.
On the positive impact volunteering has had on the office, Ashley said:
“Volunteering has opened our minds and introduced us to a diverse group of people. Through chatting to those in need it is clear anyone can fall on hard times. It has been a humbling experience and one that has brought us together as an office.
“Our office truly believes that giving back is important. During our vision day in P1, alongside the business strategy, we laid out our CSR priorities, announced our new volunteering partner and divided the office volunteering target into manageable pieces, so each individual felt ownership.
"The whole office was more than willing to get involved, we just needed to make it easy for them.”
A totalizer was was displayed in the office in the shape of a mountain to help motivate the team. When asked about the inspiration behind the mountain, Ashley said:
“It’s a running joke in the Midwest. Andy Peters, a Director in Chicago climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with little training and we all joked that he might not come back. Watching Andy hike up the mountain, tracking our progress as we volunteered each month was a real motivator for us.”
In addition to volunteering, the office collected hotel toiletries that were given to those using the public shower facilities at House of Charity.
Meagan Geris, Consultant, organised the collection.
“I was very happy to be able to provide various soaps and shampoo to those in need. We sometimes take for granted how fortunate we are to start every day fresh and clean. Hopefully something even that small will have a large impact on the days and lives of those who will benefit from the donation.”
And Minneapolis won't rest on their laurels, they plan to increase their volunteering with House of Charity in line with their office headcount growth plans of 50% in 2020.
Everyone at SThree gets two paid days per year to volunteer with local projects and initiatives that matter to them – so that everyone has the chance to give back to the communities we live and work in.