NOV NIBJ: Businesses benefit from volunteering

Community engagement can be more than a single day of service.  

For businesses like Alliant Insurance Services in Coeur d'Alene, serving the community is part of the culture.  

It's also part of the answer to a question central to Alliant's mission: If the business weren't around, would the community miss it?  

"That's a question we ask ourselves every year when we look at where we can be involved," said Kelsey Moen, account manager lead for Alliant. "How can we make a difference that can be felt in the community where we live?"  

Alliant was one of several area organizations that took part in United Way of North Idaho's annual Day of Action, a one-day initiative that brings together businesses and nonprofit organizations for a day of service, fostering the spirit of volunteerism that is a pillar of strong communities.  

"Though this initiative is carried forward by United Way chapters across the country, its impact is entirely local and is directly the result of community engagement at the local level," said Hailey Hill, community impact manager for United Way of North Idaho.  

This year, United Way of North Idaho put on two Day of Action events, with 493 volunteer hours between the two. This equates to more than $17,000 in saved expenses for local nonprofit organizations that registered as a Day of Action site, according to United Way. 

"The world nowadays is very isolated," said Christa Adkins-Thompson, sales coordinator for Hyatt Place Post Falls. "But Idaho is community-centric." 

During the Day of Action, volunteering at the Idaho Youth Ranch thrift store in Coeur d'Alene turned out to be a perfect fit for the Hyatt team. 

"A lot of us thrift there," Adkins-Thompson said. 

The team helped sort items and performed other day-to-day tasks, getting a behind-the-scenes look at how a thrift store operates. 

Adkins-Thompson said the experience presented a good opportunity for a business that's new to Post Falls to connect with the wider community. It also gave employees a chance to get to know one another. 

"I got to have really good, deep conversations with our fellow employees," Adkins-Thompson said. 

Employees with Avista Utilities pitched in through work on Idaho Youth Ranch and Museum of North Idaho facility improvements. 

"We serve our community in our work," said Kaylee Clark, a construction services technician at Avista and a team lead for the company's Day of Action efforts. "It's nice to do that outside of the day-to-day tasks." 

Clark said she encourages other businesses to consider taking part in initiatives like Day of Action. 

"It only takes a day, but it has an impact that's much larger than that," she said. "It's an opportunity to support organizations in your community that are doing important work while giving your employees a chance to connect." 

Alliant provides employees with 15 hours of paid volunteer time annually. Moen said the business aims to get involved in at least one community event or initiative per month. 

One such venture sprang from a "silly" idea involving a dunk tank, Moen said. In 2025, Alliant employees volunteered to let clients dunk them for charity. The event has raised about $6,300 for Village of Hope, which provides support and resources for area foster families. 

"I think empowering your employees to go out and make a difference in the community is going to make those roots deeper," Moen said. 

Hill said volunteering offers area businesses a way to strengthen staff camaraderie and build community relationships as they demonstrate their commitment to the place they call home. For businesses that are new to the area, volunteering is a great way to increase visibility. 

"Volunteering is a low-stakes way to demonstrate the community-centric values of your business and network with organizations that you may already be working alongside without realizing," Hill said. "It's also a meaningful way for staff to connect outside of the workplace." 

    Chris Keim splashes into a dunk tank during an event organized by Alliant Insurance Services. Courtesy photo.