CLIENT STORY
USAA: How one good idea led to one million acts of Goodness
The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) is among the leading providers of insurance, banking and investment, and retirement solutions exclusively for members of the military, veterans, and their families — and doing good is embedded into the way they work and support their customers.
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Financial services
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United States
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36,000+ employees
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Benevity Products used:
Spark, Missions, Grants
The challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic and movement for social justice had USAA’s people feeling heavy, and less connected than ever before. The company’s CSR team had to think about what their people really needed at that moment, and if they would go about business as usual with their CSR program, or pivot to adapt to a new normal.
The solution
Enter A Million Good Things, an initiative inspired by Benevity’s #OneGoodThing campaign kit that was designed to drive impact and engagement. A Million Good Things challenged USAA’s people to do good for each other, the community and the planet, using the Missions module in Benevity’s employee engagement platform to help them track diverse positive actions.
There were a few keys to success…
Dream big
One million good things is a lot, even for a company of 36,000. Yet, setting a goal that seemed audacious — and maybe even unachievable — sparked inspiration and some fun competition within the company. Plus, if the company didn't meet the goal, they knew they would still have a positive impact on the world (and their culture).
Start early
Giving Season, when many companies focus on their biggest campaigns, typically runs from about October to December. USAA kicked off early, engaging their people in their A Million Good Things campaign for nearly a full year, with the goal of reaching one million acts of goodness by the end of December.
Make it easy to participate
Not everyone has the time to volunteer, or the funds to give. By also rewarding their people for positive everyday actions like conserving energy or donating to shelters, more employees were able to participate in ways that were accessible and personally meaningful.
The result
In 2022, USAA’s corporate purpose program:
- Tracked nearly 1.6 million good things!
- Saw the highest number of volunteer hours ever logged
- Had the biggest one-day employee donation total
By thinking outside the box, starting their initiative early, and making it easy to participate, USAA and their people went above and beyond achieving their goals with a record-breaking year in Goodness. Most importantly, they restored hope in their people and their communities when they needed it most. And it all started with one good thing.
USAA won Benevity’s Bestie Award in 2024 for best-in-class approach and overall impact! They proved that it’s more than possible to make an impact on a big issue and they’re putting everything they’ve got into it — partnerships, granting and employee engagement.
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