2015 Corporate Volunteer Awards: A Look at Finalist Old National Bank

What makes your employee volunteer program special?

Old National Bank’s program is called ONe Community (capital ON stands for Old National). The volunteer program is structured to balance the needs of the company’s communities and the engagement and development of its associates, with its core competency of financial literacy. 

Old National Bank has a strong commitment to financial literacy, not only because it’s a natural fit for the industry, but because we know the positive impact it can make. It allows the company to leverage skills-based and pro-bono volunteering while helping individuals make small (and sometimes large) changes that have helped them create a better future.

Just as each of the communities in which Old National Bank serves has specific needs, so do each of the participants in its financial literacy programs. For that reason, we partnered with theNational Financial Educators Council (NFEC) to create our own Real Life Finance program, which is a set of curricula that can be tailored to the needs of each individual or group. We also have a Financial Empowerment Officer who is there to help volunteers choose the best curriculum. This tailored approach allows Old National Bank to create both large and small partnerships and engage associates in the causes that interest them. It also allows them to work closely with the organizations that receive grants or sponsorship funding from the company.

What impact has your program had on your office or company as a whole?

Old National Bank is, first and foremost, a community bank. To us, a major part of being a true community bank is investing in our communities and empowering our associates to do the same. The idea of serving our communities is woven into the fabric and culture of our organization. Our ONe Community Volunteer Program provides the tools and support to promote networking and team-building for our associates and allows us to recognize them for their service.

What are some specific volunteer-related accomplishments that you’re especially proud of?

2015 marks the 10th anniversary of the creation of our ONe Community Volunteer Program. In celebration of this milestone, we held a 10 Weeks for 10 Years campaign. The campaign is kicked off during National Volunteer Week in April and ran the 10 weeks after. During this time, our regional Associate and Community Engagement (ACE) teams planned volunteer activities to promote networking and volunteer engagement and did so with great success. During the 10-week period, over 1,200 associates served over almost 19,000 volunteer hours!

Do you have an inspiring or fun volunteer-related story you’d like to share?

To kick off our 10 Weeks for 10 Years campaign, 14 members of Old National’s Executive Leadership Group donned hairnets to cook and serve dinner for more than 60 children followed by reading, games and other interactive activities at the Dream Center. The Dream Center serves at-risk youth by providing nutritional, educational and recreational activities.

“Spending some time at the Dream Center with all the children was a wonderfully touching experience, said John Kamin, Chief Information Officer. “The Dream Center staff is tremendous. The energy, the passion and, quite frankly, the love the staff provides to the kids reminds you what is truly important in this world.”

Stay tuned for more finalist profiles in the coming weeks, and announcement of the winners on December 1, 2015 during the 2015 VolunteerMatch Summit.