Dollars for Doers

From Irene Moser committee chairperson for MXenergy’s Dollars for Doers program:

As program director of MXenergy’s charitable giving committee, I face the constant challenge of encouraging my colleagues to volunteer. It’s not as if people don’t want to volunteer. It’s finding the time between long hours at work, family, pets, friends....well, you get my drift.

Months ago we formed a charitable giving committee. Companies like ours are often solicited to make donations, but it’s hard to pick and chose which charities to support. You can’t say “yes” to every caller, and yet if we decided to favor some causes over others there could be complaints that we were being selective or discriminatory. To avoid this, we decided that MXenergy should support charities that our colleagues actually worked for. If any of our fellow team members could demonstrate that they contributed a minimum of 20 hours of volunteer time each year, the Company will make up to a $500 contribution to that charity in the team member’s name.

I am delighted to report that before long folks were volunteering. But how do we get more members of the team to commit?

The Committee decided it would not only be morale boosting but even a bit competitive to hold a contest! We thought we’d give out a little cash or what we called a “voucher” ($150 Amex check). We thought what better way to use this voucher for babysitters, a nice dinner with your significant other or maybe even to pay for your dog to finally get groomed!

So off went our contest rules to the team. The first person to rack up 25 hours of volunteer service wins the voucher. In only four days I received an email from Pat Kelly. I couldn’t believe in one weekend she earned the 25 hours of service winning the contest. We were all thrilled. But now the kicker....

Pat didn’t want to use the money on herself! She chose to put it right back into the charity in which she volunteers. The charity is called “Volunteer Ambulance Corps.” Pat is in volunteer emergency medical service: Responding to medical emergencies within the Pasaic Valley Area.
So when Pat came to me for the voucher of course I had to ask her, “Pat, why not a nice dinner or a dog groom?”

She said, “Irene, the Ambulance Corps is in desperate need of a new ambulance. The one we’re using is adequate and well cared-for, but we could be doing much better work with a new rig.”
My hat goes off to Pat Kelly for her dedication to her charity and resistance to a new pair of shoes!

And if Pat’s dog looks a little scraggly…well, it’s all for a good cause!