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Volunteerism
Employee Volunteerism
Rolling up our sleeves
UBT’s employees are passionate about helping nonprofits provide services to individuals, families, businesses, and neighborhoods so they can thrive. We all live, work, play, and pray here, so it’s natural to want to make our community the best it can be.
- 597 employees participated in Community Involvement (including 63% of UBT’s Lincoln employee base)
- 2,822 volunteer hours were tracked
- 223 employees participated in a variety of drives across our communities, donating items such as clothing, educational resources, pet supplies, food, household goods, personal care items, toys, and more
- 194 employees served on nonprofit boards; 289 nonprofits were served by UBT employees overall
- Blood donations: 162 employee donations over six blood drives yielding 310 units
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Charitable Giving
UBT’s Corporate Giving
A culture and history of giving back
UBT’s corporate financial support is focused around three key areas: education, the arts, and community betterment with a focus on direct services. All four play such an important role in setting up our future leaders for success, bringing beauty to our community, and lifting the hopes and spirits of those who need it most.
- Capital campaigns supported in 2024 include CEDARS Youth Services, Community Action Partnership, Family Services, Lincoln Parks Foundation for Mahoney Inclusive Park, The Malone Center’s Breaking the Cycle Campaign, and Nebraska Public Media
- Number of nonprofits supported: 250
- Dollars given: More than $2.7 million
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United Way/CHAD Campaign
UBT’s United Way/CHAD Campaign
One drive helps 60+ agencies help thousands
Our 2024 campaign supporting United Way of Lincoln & Lancaster County and the Combined Health Agencies Drive (CHAD) yielded our largest total donation to date. These organizations support 60+ member agencies whose efforts help meet the need for education, income, and health for thousands of people in our community.
- 418 givers = 48% participation
- $359,216 in employee pledges
- Campaign total: $716,600 with UBT’s employer match
- 199 Leadership Givers
- Largest campaign in Lincoln/Lancaster County
*Our Omaha associates supported their local United Way chapter, too, with 53 donors — an 80% participation rate — amounting in $38,326 with the UBT match.
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Scholarships
Powering Academic Scholarships
Helping brighten more futures
UBT contributed $500,000 toward The Learn to Dream Scholarship, a scholarship also generously funded by the Acklie Charitable Foundation and Nelnet. In addition, $60,000 went toward People of Prosperity Scholarships. All told, more than 500 scholarships amounting in $560,000 were awarded throughout 2024. In addition, UBT funded five of the 39 Lincoln G.O.L.D scholarships, each in the amount of $2,000.
Brittany Planos, Financial Literacy Program Manager
Building financial education foundations
UBT’s Financial Literacy program is designed to serve nonprofit organizations within Lincoln, Nebraska. For many, basic money management foundations do not exist. Financial skills may not be taught at home, and they haven’t always been addressed in our schools. There is simply an absence of knowledge when it comes to money, and we aim to bridge that gap in our community.
597 employees
597 employees participated in the Community Involvement program, including 63% of UBT’s Lincoln employee base.
Water bottle drive
UBT’s Wellness Committee coordinated a water bottle drive for Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach. Six 50-gallon-size totes full of water bottles were donated, containing approximately 350 bottles.
2,822 volunteer hours tracked
UBT employees volunteered with dozens of nonprofits, agencies, and religious organizations.
Blood drives
162 UBT employees donated 310 units of blood.
Nonprofit board involvement
194 employees served on nonprofit boards; in total, 289 nonprofits were served by UBT employees in 2024.
Pop-Up Shop
A business training ground
One special way that Union Bank Place helps the bank develop small businesses is through its innovative popup shop space. In this space, small businesses who bank with UBT and do not have a brick-and-mortar store are given the opportunity to try out a physical location before going all-in. UBT provides free financial literacy, marketing, and advertising support, along with the rent-free space, and the business in residence gets to test out running a storefront to see if it’s something they want long-term. So far, we’ve hosted five businesses in residence offering a variety of goods and services, to great success.
Former Pop-Up Shop
Moose’s Mad Fresh
Matthew “Moose” Morrison is known throughout Lincoln as the man behind the “mad fresh” homemade guacamole, hummus, and salsas found at local markets and vendor events. It was an honor to have him selling his healthy, delicious products in our pop-up shop last year.
Former Pop-Up Shop
My Big Fat Greek Bakery
Fay Deligiannis-Worstell, proprietor of My Big Fat Greek Bakery, used her time in the pop-up shop to cultivate a fast-growing audience for her authentic Greek pastries and other assorted baked goods. We can’t wait to find out what she does next.
Former Pop-Up Shop
Susa’s Sweets & Balloons
The first pop-up shop business owner to take up residency in Union Bank Place resulted in a smashing success. Bia Espinoza, owner of Susa’s Sweet & Balloons, brought her sweet disposition and even sweeter treats to the space inside our newest location in downtown Lincoln.
Former Pop-Up Shop
Truth Papers
As owner of Truth Papers, Lindsay Griepenstroh combines modern design with antique production methods to create one-of-a-kind stationery and other assorted products. Her heartfelt, quirky, and creative products were right at home in the pop-up shop.
Green Team
The team’s vision is to make UBT a sustainable, environmentally friendly leader in all communities we serve — now and in the future.
Recycling
UBT’s efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle resulted in nearly 250,000 lbs. of recycled materials, including 236,000 lbs. of paper and 14,000 lbs. of metal.
Compost program
Composting service has been established at five larger UBT offices.
Energy reduction
LED lighting upgrades were implemented in eight Lincoln locations as well as the branch in Wahoo. Additionally, HVAC systems were upgraded to more efficient units in four Lincoln locations and the Wahoo branch.
Furniture donations
46 office sets (consisting of desk, chair, guest chairs, and bookcases), 19 conference tables with chairs, and 25 storage cabinets were donated to 19 local nonprofits.
Shred Day 2024
In 2024, 2,800 cars visited our Shred Day event, resulting in the shredding of 62,000 pounds of documents by our friends at Paper Tiger.
Magic Moments
Spreading a little magic when it’s needed most
Union Bank celebrated the 22nd year of our Magic Moments program during the 2024 holiday season. It’s our way of spreading comfort and joy to individuals and families who are in need or deserve some special recognition.
