Columbia Bank Community Engagement Philosophy
Columbia Bank’s people are the center of our community engagement programs. Our people understand the needs of their communities and are passionate about improving them. By supporting their efforts, we amplify what they can accomplish on their own and extend our impact exponentially. We draw attention to the issues that matter to our people and act as an accelerant for the positive change they wish to create.
At Columbia Bank, we demonstrate this commitment through our comprehensive approach to community engagement, empowering employees to address the unique needs of their communities through four distinct pillars: fundraising, employee giving, volunteerism and company giving. Providing support through these employee-driven pillars allows us to have the greatest impact in the communities we serve. Because of these efforts, we are deeply woven into the fabric of our communities.
This grassroots approach allows us to focus on what makes each community unique and offer support in the manner that makes the biggest difference. Employees are empowered and encouraged to use their 40 hours of paid volunteer time each year to actively engage with the nonprofits they care about most. Our people collaborate to support both bank-wide fundraising campaigns and local campaigns championed by their peers and customers. Employees vote with their dollars on what they care about through their charitable donations, and we match those gifts up to $100 per employee annually, doubling their impact. Most company giving dollars are dedicated to the local nonprofits where our employees are directly engaged to further support what matters most to them. Our people are at the core of our community engagement programs, and this creates powerful action toward improving and enhancing the places where they live and work.