Our more than 3,000 employees — the majority located in our home office in Portland, Oregon — are a major part of our culture of caring. Not surprisingly, our employees place a high value on giving back, partnering with the company to find ways to make a difference and support our communities.
Here are just a few of the ways we partner with our employees to create opportunities and deliver results.
Our company wide giving event matches employee contributions, dollar for dollar, up to $5,000 per person, to any eligible 501(c)(3) or academic organization. There are also picnics, games, bake sales and even an online auction to help raise funds, build awareness about the campaign and celebrate our culture of giving.
The 2020 Employee Giving Campaign resulted in:
The Denim Impact Fund originated from “Jeans Days,” a program that allowed employees to donate $100 to one of several nonprofit partner organizations in exchange for wearing jeans every day.
While the name of our the program has evolved, the result is the same. Employee donations are pooled, matched by the company during the annual Employee Giving Campaign and then given to select nonprofit partners each year.
The Standard provides employees with paid time off annually to volunteer. Many employees use those hours, and more, to support community partners such as schools, Meals on Wheels, literacy programs and many other worthy groups. That time adds up to tens of thousands of hours supporting their favorite nonprofit organizations.
Each September, The Standard hosts Volunteer Expos in Portland (Oregon's largest volunteer expo) and in Cincinnati, Ohio. These expos help connect employees and the public with the local volunteer opportunities that match their interests and expertise. More than 150 nonprofits participate in our expos and hundreds of employees visited and volunteered at the events, helping to connect members of the public with local nonprofits.
The company hosts Day of Caring volunteer events to focus even more support on community partners such as Forest Park Conservancy, Trillium Family Services, Oregon Food Bank and other organizations working to strengthen our communities.
The Standard supports employees who volunteer their time to community nonprofits by offering up to 20 corporate contributions of $1,000 each to the organizations where employees volunteer. Established in 1985, the annual Dollars for Doers program encourages employees who volunteer at least 20 hours a year at an eligible nonprofit to become grantmakers by supporting their engagement with additional philanthropic support from The Standard.
Thank you to all our employee volunteers and congratulations to the 2021 Dollars for Doers award recipients:
Battle Ground High School Drama Club Booster, Jason Ovall; Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest, Darlene Gallinger-Long; Camas School District, Sheila Wallace; Friends to the Forlorn Pitbull Rescue, Holly Nelson; House of Dreams, Launa Gray; Hygiene4All, Ellen Harrison; Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, Zaur Akhriev; Make-A-Wish Oregon, Jenny Vu; Operation Underground Railroad, Haley Sween; Oregon Donkey Sanctuary Northwest, Kisha Turner; Oregon Humane Society, Joseph Zipagang; Playworks Pacific Northwest, Katie Banks; Period, Inc., Marianne Chin; Reach Community Development, Ben Werner; Sunshine Pantry, Cory Collins; The Cure Starts Now, Emily Williams; Tigard Blast Fastpitch, Frank Medeiros
The Standard expects officers of the company to serve on at least one school, civic or nonprofit board of directors. We also offer board training for all interested employees. This training prepares leaders for the unique challenges and opportunities of serving on a nonprofit board. Sometimes volunteering business expertise is the most valuable donation a community partner can receive.
The Greg Ness Community Service Award is named after executive chair, Greg Ness. Throughout his career at The Standard, Greg Ness was a passionate supporter of the many ways both The Standard and its employees show up and serve our communities. Each year, the company recognizes four employee volunteers — nominated by their peers and determined by popular vote — who exemplify community spirit. Winners receive a cash award for themselves and a donation to their nonprofit from The Standard. In 2020, we honored these exceptional volunteers:
Amy Frazey
The ALS Association
Barbara Aloni
Sisterhood of
Salaam Shalom
Amy Malagamba
Meals on Wheels People
Brian Weeks
Partners in Careers
The Standard's Employee Resource Groups are independent, voluntary groups of employees who share interests, issues and common experiences. They offer an open forum for employees to meet and support one another, enhance company culture and build strong communities.
Celebrating Racial and Ethnic Diversity's objective is to focus on issues related to diversity and inclusion, serving as a support system for employees and as a force for good in the community.
The Green Team promotes business practices and employee actions that further our efforts to create a sustainable future for our company, community and environment.
Money$mart's mission is to provide employees with education and tools to help them achieve personal financial fitness and provide alternative ways to contribute to their local communities.
Partners in Mind offers employees relevant, necessary and helpful information that improves mental health.
Parents Working Together values people collaborating and sharing parenting resources and celebrating family milestones while tackling the daily challenges with effective parenting strategies and support.
The Standard Employees Recognizing Veterans provides a forum for networking and recruitment, professional development and retention, community outreach and education and engagement.
StandOUT creates awareness and opportunities for LGBTQ employees and advocates at The Standard through united involvement in company and community events and activities.
WCN offers its members dynamic opportunities to foster personal and professional growth through networking events, educational seminars and community volunteer opportunities.
Consider joining a genuinely collaborative atmosphere where you're inspired to do your best and deliver what matters to our company and our communities. Working with us isn't like working anywhere else.
The Standard is a marketing name for Standard Insurance Company (Portland, Oregon), licensed in all states except New York, and The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York (White Plains, New York), licensed only in New York. Products and availability vary by state and are solely the responsibility of the applicable insurance company.
