Independent Banker - June 2020 - 71

The Casual for a Cause program got its start in the wake of
the devastating 2017 hurricane season. To do its part to help
fl ood victims, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust off ered employees
the option of wearing casual clothes to the offi ce in exchange
for a contribution to support relief eff orts.
" It took off better than we could have expected, " Frost
says. " Several thousand dollars were raised in a relatively
short amount of time. "
Rather than squander the initiative's success, the community
bank's executive team made it a permanent feature.
Frost and the team improved upon it, too. Only nonprofi ts
in employees' communities would be eligible to receive donations,
and employees would vote quarterly via an online
survey for one of four eligible charities selected by the bank.
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust has branches in three states-
Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont-and each state is split
into several regions, which take turns to direct donations in
their respective state. " This was a way to try and connect
more with employees across the footprint, " Frost says.
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust focuses its donations on education
and workforce development, which has included safe
housing nonprofi ts, community action organizations and
post-secondary education programs, among many other areas.
As the program's administrator, Frost has the privilege
of reaching out to these groups directly to notify them that
employees-not just the bank itself-have selected them.
" It blows me away, every call that I make, " he says. " Overwhelmingly,
when I make those calls, the feedback is just
amazing. One, because they're thrilled to get a gift. Two,
they then realize the gift is not just from the bank but the
employees that work at the bank. And three, it helps them
with the additional press that they're going to get. "
On track to give $100,000
The key to the program is simple: When employees participate-and
most do-they can make a bigger impact together.
Employees set their own donation and can
start or stop giving whenever they want. If they
ask how much to donate, Frost says, managers
will suggest they consider the equivalent
of one hour of pay per quarter. Individually,
these small-dollar donations may not mean a
whole lot to nonprofi ts, but, collectively, they
make a big splash, both in terms of the donation
and the buzz they generate. Bar Harbor
Bank & Trust issues press releases announcing
the gifts and often holds check ceremonies
with these community groups. These make
for engaging social media posts, news stories
or simply exciting days in the offi ce.
" It helps people
understand that
every dollar makes a
diff erence, and these
nonprofits treasure every
single dollar. "
-Jack Frost, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust
" We really like to have our employees be included in the
check presentation, " Frost says. " It's a reminder that the donation
is not from the bank, per se, but from the employees
giving back. "
If an employee can't give for whatever reason, the community
bank doesn't go out of its way to enforce the dress
code. And to clue customers in on the casual wear, the bank
puts signs out letting them know why employees are wearing
jeans. " We tried to come up with a method as fair as we
could make it, " Frost says.
This quarter, Casual for a Cause is generating more than
$11,000 in donations. Frost says staff are on track to give
a total of $100,000 through the program by the end of the
year. And all of those donations are generated by trading
their business attire for more casual wear, including jeans.
" For the culture of the organization, it's been a positive
thing, " Frost says. " It helps people understand that every
dollar makes a diff erence, and these nonprofi ts treasure every
single dollar. "
Eric Best is deputy editor of Independent Banker.
Education and
workforce
development
are priorities for
the Casual for a
Cause program.
independentbanker.org Q 71
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Independent Banker - June 2020

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