GE Capital Solutions Introduces New Corporate Giving Model Aimed at After School Non-Profit Programs
DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE Capital Solutions (GECS) announced today a unique community outreach program called In the Community, For the Community or "ICFC", to help non-profit providers of after-school programming enhance their organizations.
ICFC combines GE Capital Solutions' more traditional forms of giving, such as community volunteerism and financial support, with GECS's best practice sharing. It comes at a time when non-profits are being challenged to enhance operations on shoestring budgets, hire and retain talented people and drive change.
A trial ICFC program was just completed in October in Danbury with the Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut. A GE Six Sigma black belt led 24 YMCA employees and board members through a full day session of Change Acceleration Process training (CAP) at GE Capital Solutions Danbury headquarters. CAP is a set of principles and tools GE follows and uses to accelerate the acceptance and implementation of change.
"The hands-on training was an outstanding opportunity for the YMCA to learn how to use work process tools and techniques," said Gary Kozak, President and CEO of the Regional YMCA. "The lessons learned are being applied to help us improve several key areas of our organization."
According to Karen Dougherty, GE Capital Solutions' Global ACFC Leader who led the training, "Non-profits face many of the same operational and organizational challenges that for-profit businesses confront. Opening the GE tool box and sharing best practices we use to manage and grow our business is an added value to non-profits," said Dougherty. "We share our intellectual capital with our customers through GE's unique At the Customer, For the Customer program, so adding it to our community outreach efforts made a lot of sense."
Elizabeth Goehring, Capital Solutions' Corporate Citizenship Manager, agrees. "We saw an opportunity to do more than write a check to help non-profit partners like YMCA. GE Capital Solutions decided to build the program around after-school programming. It's an area of great need and touches all three of the focus areas---education, disadvantaged youth and families, and building stronger communities---that we look to impact through our community outreach efforts." Goehring noted that an estimated 14 million children in the US come home from school to an empty home and that children who spend 20-35 hours per week engaged in constructive learning activities are significantly more like to succeed in school.
In addition to the CAP training session, more than 125 Capital Solutions' employees in June rolled up their sleeves and volunteered on several large paint and fix projects at four YMCA sites in the greater Danbury area. In November GE Capital Solutions made a $30,000 contribution to help underwrite the Y's Escape to the Arts Center in Danbury, which provides fine arts based after school programming for low-income middle school students in the area.
The ICFC pilot program also debuted at three other non-profit organizations: CommonBond Communities in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, Arizona and the Girls & Boys Brigade in Sydney, Australia.
About GE Capital Solutions
GE Capital Solutions provides leasing, lending, and capital investment products and services to help business customers grow. It has more than $90 billion in assets, serves more than a million clients around the world, and is headquartered in Danbury, Connecticut, USA. For more on GE Capital Solutions, go to www.ge.com/capitalsolutions.
GE (NYSE: GE) is Imagination at Work --- a diversified technology, media and financial services company focused on solving some of the world's toughest problems. With products and services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing and security technology to medical imaging, business and consumer financing, media content and advanced materials, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.
About the Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut
Serving 22 towns in Connecticut and New York, the Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut is a community service organization dedicated to building strong kids, strong families, and strong communities through the development of spirit, mind and body. For more information, visit the Regional YMCA's Web site at www.regionalymca.org.
Contacts
GE Capital Solutions
Stephen White, 203-749-6295
or
Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut
Paula Jackson, 203-740-3432
Stephen White