T. Rowe Price's Associates Provide Pro Bono Service to Help Create Positive Change in Their Communities

T. Rowe Price associates put their expertise to work not only for the firm, but for nonprofits supporting the community and driving positive change within it. 

Pro bono service is one of multiple ways the firm supports its associates’ passion to serve in the community. Allowing associates to select volunteer opportunities that best fit their interests and availability allows them to leverage the skill sets they bring to the firm in ways that can create lasting change in our communities. 

“Our associates’ unique talents and skill sets can be an asset to the nonprofits having a positive impact in our community,” says Melissa Cheek, a program manager in Global Associate Engagement at T. Rowe Price. “In addition to supporting the nonprofit board service of more than 350 associates, the firm also offers events and workshops where associates can partner with nonprofits to apply their expertise.”  

As the year-end approaches, we reflect on three initiatives the firm is proud to have supported.

Coalition Clean Baltic

Associates in T. Rowe Price’s Stockholm and Copenhagen offices delivered their first team-building volunteer event by assisting Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), a nonprofit association working to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea area. Associates also helped CCB members to refine their presentation skills and advocacy strategy for a European Union leadership meeting.

“What I learned was that when we talk about impact and ESG [environmental, social, and governance] investing, a lot of the people that are actually making the change and inventing the new solutions are not from the finance community, and we need to remember that when engaging with them,” said Rune Oest, a relationship manager based in Denmark.

Participants from CCB remarked that they found the experience “deeply insightful” and that it helped them discover ways to connect investors and people with a desire to create sustainable business practices.

Jan Eggertsen, head of Northern Europe, Middle East, and Africa, said, “I found the day very useful and productive, and I’m confident that our engagement with CCB was useful and relevant for them as well.”

DesignFest

For the third year in a row, T. Rowe Price partnered with Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) to host Grassroots DesignFest, a daylong design event in February. The event brought together designers and nonprofits to workshop design solutions. Students from MICA, Stevenson University, Bowie State University, the University of Baltimore, and Towson University collaborated with T. Rowe Price associates and local design professionals to help 17 nonprofits develop much-needed design assets.

“Baltimore is home to amazingly creative and talented individuals, some of whom we’re proud to employ among our 5,000 Baltimore-based associates,” says John Brothers, president of the T. Rowe Price Foundation. “The opportunity for them to work on solving nonprofits’ challenges is a win-win for the nonprofit community, our associates, and the students who are gaining real-world experience.”

Projects ranged from branding concepts, logo designs, graphic identities, and user experience design. Through collaboration, nonprofits are able to witness how effective design can help increase the visibility of their work, thereby enhancing their capacity to serve their community.

“I saw nonprofits wrestle with their ‘why’ and volunteers help them express it. I saw design teams play back what they heard in the form of logos, messaging, and design strategy—and speechless nonprofit directors pulling them in for hugs,” said Nicola Roark, a site strategy manager who attended from Colorado Springs. “It was an amazing eight hours with the very best of people’s purpose and expertise on display.”

Youth INC

Through partnership with Youth INC, an organization striving to improve the lives of New York City youth, T. Rowe Price’s New York associates conducted a résumé-building workshop for the students of St. Barnabas High School.

“Writing a résumé can be a daunting task, especially if you don't have the right people to coach you through it or if you haven’t had any work experience,” says Matt Goldwasser, lead data scientist at the firm’s New York Technology Development Center. “By tapping into our skills and experiences, we were able to help them articulate their day-to-day activities and experiences in their résumés.”

“In my conversations, there was one student struggling to define her résumé objective. I asked her what she was interested in, and she said she was interested in ‘many things, like space.’ By the time she left, she seemed like she was genuinely excited, and I can only assume that the experience empowered her to start thinking about the next steps that could land her a career in the field.”