On October 25, Activate Good and Points of Light recognized Coastal Credit Union, as one of the companies honored in the Greater Triangle’s first-ever Civic 50. The honor represents Coastal’s commitment to the Triangle community and overall positive corporate citizenship.
Every Civic 50 applicant took an extensive survey consisting of quantitative and multiple-choice questions designed to measure and rank corporate community engagement programs.
Honorees were selected based on four dimensions:
- INVESTMENT – How extensively and strategically the company applies its resources to community engagement, including employee time and skills, cash, in-kind giving, and leadership.
- INTEGRATION – How a company’s community engagement program supports business interests and integrates into business functions, or how it “does well by doing good.”
- INSTITUTIONALIZATION – How the company supports community engagement through its institutional policies, systems, and incentives.
- IMPACT – How a company measures the societal impact of its community engagement program.
Contributing factors to Coastal’s recognition included:
- Community Impact activities that connect our philanthropic efforts to our financial well-being expertise
- The ongoing development of the Coastal Credit Union Foundation, including making more than $500,000 in affordable housing grants in 2022
- A significant involvement and active participation of employees in various volunteer activities outside the workplace.
“Civic engagement is the lifeblood of credit unions,” said Creighton Blackwell, Coastal’s Chief Community Impact & Public Affairs Officer. “We can’t fulfill our mission and improve the lives of our members without fully immersing ourselves into the communities that we serve.”
Points of Light started Civic 50 in 2012 to recognize the 50 most community-minded companies in the nation. Activate Good, as an affiliate of Points of Light, is among only five organizations across the country hosting their own localized Civic 50. The program serves as a benchmarking tool and platform for sharing best practices in the corporate citizenship sector.