Bank of America Urges Sweat Over Checks When Giving Back

At Bank of America, community service isn’t just something a handful of employees find time to do on the weekends, it’s become ingrained in the company culture.
Now, during Global Service Month, they’re as determined as ever to make an impact, not only through donations, but also through community service. Last year, Bank of America’s Arizona employees donated over 106,000 hours of volunteer service.
“For Bank of America, giving back to the community is more than just writing a check,” said its regional bank president, Benito Almanza.  “It’s part of our purpose, which is to improve the financial lives of our community and clients.”
Bank of America’s employees embrace this philosophy and are giving back by providing financial education, helping at food banks and working with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, among other ways.
While Bank of America’s reach is large, it isn’t without focus.
“Jobs, hunger, housing and financial education are the cornerstones of community, and those are what we focus on,” said Almanza.
Bank of America contributes to this culture through programs that encourage and facilitate service. For every 50 hours an employee volunteers with an organization, the bank makes a $250 donation to that organization in the employee’s name. Employees are also offered two, paid hours a week to volunteer.
“We have a lot of great programs in place,” said Almanza. “We try to make sure that every month is global service month.”