By Lucretia DiSanto Jones

Perhaps all of us should try to live up to the bumper sticker that says: Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty. Acts like holding the door for an elderly person. Collecting our old clothes for Good Will. All of these everyday events are virtually effortless and can give a little lift to your day—and to someone else's. As an insurance and financial advisor, the business of selling life insurance and securing the future for Americans gives you the opportunity every day to accomplish great things for others. Despite the drop in volunteerism nationwide (a victim to our hectic lifestyles), you find time to make a real difference in your community. In fact, you make helping others—through community service and charitable giving—a priority. You do it because you want to. The fact that it’s good for your business and your image is just a fringe benefit as far as you’re concerned.

Part of a whole
Edward J. Zore, president and CEO of Northwestern Mutual in Milwaukee applauds all of the good deeds you do. Zore believes that every employee in every company in every industry needs to become involved in their communities. It’s especially important, he says, for the insurance industry. “Our primary role is creating financial security for our consumers. Part of being secure is being part of a wholesome neighborhood in a wholesome community. It’s in our best interest to make sure we do all that we possibly can to make their communities a better place to live."

The concept of being part of a community goes well beyond the physical. “The community is something that you are part of, that you can’t exist without, and it’s in your best interest to keep it going,” says Robert Trudeau, Ph.D., professor of political science and a member of the faculty of the Feinstein Institute for Public Service at Providence College, Providence, R.I. If businesses contribute to the community, not only with dollars but also with hands-on involvement, community problems are solved, he says. “Service makes the community a better place. It’s kind of a magic.”

Like many insurance companies, Northwestern Mutual has a long history of community involvement. “It's part of our culture. It's our mission to add value to the quality of life,” Zore says. The company takes its mission seriously on national and local levels. Through its Community Partner Program, Northwestern Mutual encourages its agencies around the country to team up with local nonprofit organizations to provide financial support and volunteers. In turn, the Northwestern Mutual Foundation matches the funds provided by the agencies.

“If someone’s motive for volunteering is to give something back, it’ll be really good for business.” —Michael Condrey, Northwestern Mutual

Advisors in action
Northwestern Mutual's general agent in Raleigh, N.C., Michael Condrey, CLU, ChFC, CFP, has taken advantage of the Community Partner Program. His agency and its 100 agents teamed up with SAFEchild (Stop Abuse For Every child) to develop the Northwestern Mutual/SAFEchild Network. The mission of the network is to provide child identification services for parents and their children at events happening in and around Raleigh. Parents who have their children identified receive a sample of their children’s DNA and photographs of their children for safekeeping. Law enforcement officials can use both if a child is lost or missing.

Condrey says the partnership was a boon to the project. "It made the project come alive,” Condrey says, “because suddenly it was part of a larger cause. It was a natural teaming up that has paid great dividends for all of us.” Condrey's history in community service goes back to his adolescence. "As a high school sophomore, I went to an inner-city school in Alabama to tutor fifth graders. If you can find a volunteer program that's fun, you'll get hooked on it. As a general agent, I want to set the example for my reps. It's fun, and there are many similarities between the volunteer feeling and what we do for a living. They get hooked on volunteering, and they get hooked on selling life insurance."

A beautiful relationship
Marjorie Menestres, executive director of SAFEchild, says the child ID program would not be possible if Condrey and his reps were not supporting the effort. “It’s a tremendous service we offer to the community. They fund it and are instrumental in making it happen. They volunteer at events like state fairs, ball games, health fairs, community events and school fairs. Just last month we identified 350 new kids. We ID between 200 and 300 a month, and we’ve been doing that for about a year. We’ve identified more than 2,000 kids.”

The benefits of the partnership go far beyond receiving financial support and having people to staff booths at fairs, Menestres says. She describes the relationship between SAFEchild and Condrey's agency as one that ties together the missions of two organizations and creates a team when volunteers from both are combined. “It’s an interesting relationship. They are trying to ensure the security of their clients and their clients’ children, and so are we. It’s a beautiful blend of our mission and Northwestern Mutual’s mission, in ways most people wouldn’t think.”

The business case for doing good deeds
To Condrey, service is a tangible way to give back to a community that has given many professionals the chance to build a lucrative business. But he emphasizes that gaining a business edge is not the reason to get involved. “Any agent in any community for any length of time has had the opportunity to make a magnificent living. Way too many people get involved because they think it'll be good for business. If someone’s motive for volunteering is because it'll be good for business, believe me, it won't be good for business. If someone’s motive for volunteering is to give something back, it’ll be really good for business.”

“When people see you working with the cause of their organization in mind, they will come to you when they need personal financial planning help.” —Carrie Hall, New York Life

Serving the cause
Improving the quality of life in American towns and cities has been the long-standing focus of the New York Life Foundation. With the arrival of CEO Sy Sternberg in 1988, New York Life’s community efforts became more strategic, providing grants focused on educational programs for children, mentoring and after-school and technology initiatives. For New York Life, getting involved—with agents and home office staff rolling up their sleeves and getting their fingers dirty—is as important as providing funding, if not more so.

Peter Bushyeager, president of the New York Life Foundation, explains that the insurer works hard to tie the employees’ activities with the foundation's grant making. The company's Local Volunteer Action Program provides grants to support specific volunteer activities of agents. “We firmly believe that agents are ideal community representatives, not just in terms of business. They can also have a positive impact on the quality of life in their communities,” Bushyeager says. (Continued…)

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