This spring, Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading provider of student loans, undertook an initiative to engage employees in helping local public schools. Through a $20,000 grant from The Sallie Mae Fund, employees at the company’s Indianapolis office were given the opportunity to nominate local classroom projects to receive funding through DonorsChoose.org. Over 50 employees eagerly nominated deserving local schools, and as a reward each was given a $350 gift certificate to fund a project posted by a teacher at that school.The employees were delighted to receive the gift certificates and apply them to classroom projects. The initiative was even more successful due to the employee buy-in created during the nomination process. Sallie Mae also experienced some great internal feedback from its employees.Lisa York, Community Relations Manager, commented, “What a great way to help! So many employees said thank-you in their emails [nominating projects]. They really like the idea!”The employees may like the idea even more once they receive thank you notes and pictures from the teachers and students they fund. Overall, the employees involved will not only appreciate The Sallie Mae Fund’s commitment to local schools but also be empowered to continue to help schools in their community through DonorsChoose.org.
