Safelite AutoGlass Shares Ways to Give Back Within Your Company

Many companies support charitable causes. Research shows customers are more loyal to businesses who are socially responsible. But that’s not the real reason to give back. We do it because it’s simply the right thing to do: to make the world a better place – for our customers, our employees, and our neighbors.

At Safelite AutoGlass, we’ve made giving back a priority. In fact, since 2005, we’ve donated more than $8 million to non-profit organizations.

Some companies may feel overwhelmed in starting a Social Responsibility campaign – agonizing over finding the right charity or questioning how to allot funding. It doesn’t have to be a headache or a challenge. Check out our infographic with 6 simple ways corporations can give back, and then read on for Safelite's tips on how to implement those within your own company.

1. Automate payroll deductions toward charity

We work with United Way to set-up automated payroll deductions for employees to easily donate money to a charity of their choice. They can elect to set it up as a one-time deduction… or an ongoing deduction. Some people may want to donate $100 up front… others are more comfortable allotting $2 from every paycheck over the course of a year. The choice is theirs. And it’s as easy as an online form they fill out on an annual basis.

2. Host toy drives or canned food collections

Often our people step up to lead drives to collect goods based on their personal favorites – whether it’s food, toys, or even coats and blankets. We never limit their enthusiasm. The more boxes we see around our stores and facilities to collect donated items, the better.

We also have employees who volunteer their time to grow a garden on-site each summer, donating fresh produce to the local food bank. Now, that’s a fun way to spend a lunch hour!

3. Organize time to volunteer as teams

At Safelite, we encourage our people to give 2% of their time to volunteer in their community. That includes 16 hours of paid time off we allow every employee for volunteer work in addition to 24 hours of their personal time for a total of 40 hours per employee, which equals 2% of the average hours in a “work year.”

Of the 16 hours of paid time off to volunteer, 8 are intended to be department or market projects. It’s great team-building and helps shape our culture into the caring place we want it to be.

4. Hold a charity volunteer fair for people to learn about opportunities

Many charitable organizations know that Safelite AutoGlass employees are eager to give back and they often ask how they can “pitch” their cause to us.

To make it easy, we host a volunteer fair once or twice a year in our headquarters. This gives our people opportunities to connect directly with the local charities they care most about to learn about unique volunteer opportunities.

5. Volunteer your expertise on a board

It’s important to lead by example. If we are to ask our employees to volunteer – then the same applies to our leadership team. We encourage our leaders to volunteer their expertise by serving on a board of a charitable organization. In Columbus alone, roughly 20 local charities are positively impacted by one of our leaders on a board. These leaders are encouraged to use their experience for change.

One example is our senior vice president Dino Lanno who serves on the board of LifeCare Alliance. Not only did Dino work with the organization to establish a corporate Meals-on-Wheels delivery route, but he also lent his expertise in logistics to streamline their fleet operations and he participates in monthly production and quality assurance meetings. Watch how one elderly company benefits from the Safelite AutoGlass corporate Meals-on-Wheels delivery route.

6. Sponsor a charity fundraiser

Finally, we make it a priority to come together several times a year to sponsor company-wide fundraising events. Think about what events make your people excited – a golf classic? A bowling tournament?

A great example is the Safelite Challenge, an annual fundraiser inviting our employees to participate in a triathlon, duathlon, or motorcycle poker run. We have about 300 participants each year raise $250,000 or more.

We hope these ideas inspire you to think about how you can pay it forward as a company!