Charitable giving on fast track at Acceleration

Fast growing Acceleration Laboratory Services is also quickly growing its charitable giving. They have an increasing list of nonprofit organizations that they support, matched by an impressive number of volunteer projects, all coordinated by their Community Committee.

Charitable giving, says general manager Brent Taylor, is key to their corporate identity. “The company was founded in 2003 on the principles of the late Ewing Kauffman, esteemed entrepreneur and humanitarian.”

One of those key principles was to give back to the community.

Taylor says associates are encouraged to take time off to be involved, because frankly, it’s good for business. Employees who are connected to the community tend to stay connected to the company. Acceleration provides matching grants to nonprofit organizations that employees support, posts lots of volunteer opportunities and creates team building projects.

The Community Committee has fun cooking up projects, like pumpkin carving, that benefit a charity. But they’re serious when it comes to giving their charitable dollars where they can make the biggest impact, says Gary Schmitt, director of Laboratory Services, who serves on the committee. They won’t support an organization that spends more than 20 percent on administration.

The best tool to help them check out a charity? They use the nonprofit search available on the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation’s website. It gives them fingertip access to everything they want to know about area nonprofits.

They’ve also found another fun, meaningful and rewarding way--not to mention easy and inexpensive--to pass along the gift of charitable giving. The associate who best demonstrates the spirit of giving is awarded with a charitable Giving Card to redeem on his or her charity of choice anywhere in the country.

Could corporate social responsibility be more fun? 

Authored by: Debbie Starke, Vice President