The IMA Financial Group’s corporate foundation, the IMA Foundation, provides grants to support disaster response in communities where IMA Financial operates. The disaster’s level of impact on stakeholders in those communities is the primary factor considered in determining a response. While the grant-making is focused on Denver, Dallas, Kansas City, Topeka/Emporia (KS) and Mt. Pleasant (MI) areas, the company’s employees have ties and connections to communities that are affected by disasters across the country. To address this and support employees, they created a separate 1:1 employee matching gifts fund solely for disaster response. This fund operates in addition to the standard matching gifts program. The disaster response matching gifts program is open year-round and employees may utilize it to match the personal gifts to U.S.-based charities responding to disasters across the globe. The IMA Foundation uses an external online platform to manage both matching gifts programs.
IMA Financial regularly communicates with employees about the disaster response matching gifts program on the intranet and in the employee newsletter. There is an increase in promotion when large disasters strike or IMA communities are impacted. They also highlight the Foundation’s disaster grant-making through the newsletter and community reports.
During COVID-19, IMA Financial launched #sprinkelgoodwill, a social media campaign to encourage innovative volunteering and giving back among IMA associates. Through social media campaigns like this one, IMA Financial is able to engage employees and build positive brand awareness.