So, let’s say you have a good day at work and exceed your boss’s expectations.
What happens?
Maybe you get a “good job” or a pat on the back. Moments later, your fine work is largely forgotten, and you’re on to the next task.
WebpageFX, though, has found another way of memorializing a job well done, one with more impact than a “thank you” and with far greater reach. The Harrisburg-based Internet marketing company set up a system last month that matches employee benchmarks with a school-building initiative in Guatemala.
Quincy Herrold
“Our company is very unique,” said Quincy Herrold, an Internet marketing analyst at the company, which moved into the renovated Moffitt Mansion on Front Street in March. “Our founders honestly care about the betterment of the world. That’s cool for the employees, who can be part of that dream and vision.”
Specifically, WebpageFX puts a certain amount of money into a kitty each time a certain employee or departmental goal is met. So, the company will set aside a fixed sum when, for instance, an employee makes a new sale or a task is performed above client expectations. When the purse reaches $25,000, the company will donate that money to build a school in a Guatemalan village.
The initiative started after the company began an internal conversation of how to make their charitable efforts go farther, said Rachel Vandernick, a WebpageFX social media specialist.
Already, employees had participated in several local charitable causes, such as a cystic fibrosis fundraiser and June’s Glow Run, which raised money to replace streetlights in Harrisburg. Also, individual employees are always encouraged to donate time and money to charitable causes, said Vandernick, and the company matches employee giving at a rate of 150 percent.
WebpageFX employees, though, wanted to expand their reach. So, founder Bill Craig initiated the company’s first international charitable effort through a group called Pencils of Promise, which builds schools in developing countries.
Craig liked the mission of the organization, as well as the pledge that 100 percent of donations goes directly to educational programs. According to Pencils of Promise, it covers its operational costs through other private donors and fundraising events.
The $25,000 amount is the cost to build one school that will accommodate 60 to 90 students. It also covers such ongoing expenses as maintenance, supplies and teacher training, said Vandernick. That figure may seem low, but the cost of living is far less in Guatemala than in the United States, and the village donates much of the labor and materials, she said.
So, WebpageFX set up a unique program to turn fundraising into a company project. It wouldn’t encourage direct giving to the cause, but would make contributions based on employees achieving certain performance benchmarks.
On the day I visited, just weeks into the endeavor, several employees were excited to see their efforts adding up. With $2,500 already raised, they were way ahead of schedule to meet their Christmas deadline.
Rachel Vandernick
“We celebrated a new sale today by saying, ‘that’s more money for the WebpageFX Build [program],’” said Vandernick.
She added that the endeavor not only benefits the charity and the children, but helps motivate workers, ultimately accruing to the benefit of the company.
“It’s a goal for the program, but it’s good for us, too,” she said. “Being able to do a project like this helps us become a little more efficient and better at what we do.”
Moreover, it adds another dimension and deeper meaning to work. Perhaps not by coincidence, a number of employees are graduates of Messiah College, which encourages service to the community and the world.
Alicia Lawrence
“It aligns with our company values,” said Alicia Lawrence, a WebpageFX content coordinator. “This is a big project that we all can get behind.”
Herrold nodded her head in agreement.
“It makes everyday work life better,” she said. “When we build a website, we’re not only building a website. We’re building a school, too.”
