By Casey Elliott | March 17, 2021 | 3 Minute Read

Grilling for Good: Community Involvement Ideas

Getting involved with the local community is a goal many organizations strive for, but few achieve. One bank that has really influenced their community is NebraskaLand National Bank. With a fleet of five 3,000 lb grills and a lot of volunteers, they have taken steps to become one of the pillars of their local community with their Grilling for Good program.

Grilling for Good is a deliciously awesome experiential marketing and charity program. NebraskaLand National Bank puts on more than 150 grilling events every year, staffed by employee volunteers and funded by the bank. Last year, NebraskaLand put in over 600 service hours and served over 45,000 hotdogs and hamburgers (that’s a lot of meat!). The proceeds from these events go to local charity organizations, making them a powerful tool for community organizers.

There’s more to Grilling for Good than charity, of course. NebraskaLand decided to grow the program over the past decade because it’s also an essential part of their marketing strategy.

Benefits of Grilling for Good

Banking doesn’t always have the reputation of being the most fun and exciting business in the community. However, cookouts are a beloved tradition throughout the US. Mike Jacobson, the bank’s founder and CEO, hit upon the idea of charity grill events while looking for community involvement ideas that benefit local charities, build exposure, and strengthen community relationships at the same time.

In addition to supporting charity and strengthening the local community, the Grilling for Good program provides three main benefits for the bank:

Constant Experiential Marketing Opportunities

Every Grilling for Good event is full of employee volunteers, branded NebraskaLand grills, and good food. Attendees get a tasty meal, meet the bank's friendly employees, and make a positive association with the brand.

Impressive Community Support

NebraskaLand sees big benefits from engaging in charity events. The sheer number of Grilling for Good events leads to significant community connections and recognition.

Maximum Return on Investment

NebraskaLand has been running Grilling for Good for more than 20 years. Each community event is fine-tuned to bring in maximum charity dollars with minimum financial investment.

Implementing Grilling for Good in Your Community

There are plenty of moving parts to Grilling for Good. Its organizers coordinate:

Locations
Volunteers and volunteer benefits
Supplies
Transportation
Marketing for the event
Vetting potential charities
Evaluating the success of each grill event

To implement the program in your community, you'll need to consider several factors, like:

How will you find volunteers? Will you offer volunteers prizes or rewards?
Where will you hold the event?
How will you find and select charities that you can support?
Where will you get the supplies for the event?

The process isn’t simple, but it’s a worthwhile way to get exposure and community support.

Learn More About Grilling for Good

If you want to learn more about how NebraskaLand National Bank has made the Grilling for Good program so effective, you can watch the full webinar here.

Many banks and credit unions struggle to manage & track their community involvement data. With Kadince’s robust data management tools, your organization can institute a program like Grilling for Good in your community without the hurdles that come with manual event and data management. Schedule a personalized demo to start streamlining your community involvement management today!

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