‘Tis the Season to be Joyful

A recap of the December Sunrise Scrambler My favorite Sunrise Scrambler each year is always in December, when all of our nonprofit members are invited to take part in a mini social services fair. This year was no different and 29 nonprofits were represented this morning, mingling with the 150 attendees and raising awareness of their missions. Keeping with the theme of philanthropy, Damon Young (pictured) of Mahaney Roofing Company gave the keynote presentation titled “Corporate Citizenship: The Joy of Giving Back.” He shared that the “why” behind his company’s corporate citizenship is joy. They have intentionally built a business case and culture of joy, which overflows to everything they do. Below are some of Damon’s main points.

• Corporate giving starts by first giving to employees and ensuring they are treated fairly. For example, instead of using contracted labor, Mahaney Roofing hires their workers as full-time employees, providing fair compensation and full benefits.
• Cultivating a culture of joy is good for business for two reasons:
  • People like doing business with other people who are happy.
  • Mahaney Roofing Company has experienced an increase in their recruitment and retention rates because employees want to work in a positive environment.
• His company embraces positive visuals as reminders to employees about why they do what they do. A sign reading, “We’re here to make good things happen for other people” hangs in their commons area.
• Damon’s simple definition of corporate citizenship is asking, “Are we a net taker or a net contributor? Are we adding value to our community?”

Damon concluded his presentation by saying, “I would have a hard time saying that giving back won’t help your business, because it will. But that’s not why we do it. We do it because it brings joy.” Thank you to Damon for sharing his passion with us this morning. A huge thank you to this month’s Sunrise Scrambler sponsors: Emprise Bank and Hyatt Regency Wichita. You can see photos from the event on our Facebook page and find other commentary from the presentation on Twitter using #ChamberICT.   2016 Breakfast Club Don’t miss out on any of the great Sunrise Scrambler programming we have planned for next year! Purchase your 2016 Sunrise Scrambler season pass for $150 (a $180 value) and receive the following perks:

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