Through their partnership with CFT4B, NETSCOUT established a business-advised fund and launched their Heart of Giving Community Grant program. Over the years, this charitable initiative would not only provide much-needed dollars to local nonprofits–$70,000 since the program’s inception–but it would also unite their employees in volunteerism and boost their company’s camaraderie.
NETSCOUT’s community grant program encourages employees to join their internal work group to select a cause area they are passionate about, narrow down the list of nonprofits provided by CFT4B, participate in voting for their favorite causes, and engage in company-wide volunteerism for the winning nonprofit.
In 2022, NETSCOUT and CFT4B worked together to expand the program from one grant of $10,000 to offering three grants totaling $15,000 disbursed among the company’s charitable finalists. For the 2023 grant cycle, employees chose to focus their impact on supporting the elderly population, and in May they gathered to hear pitch presentations from finalists Meals on Wheels Collin County, SPAN Seniors Pet Assistance Network, and Texas Ramp Project.
Past grant recipients include All Community Outreach, CARDBoard Project and Dallas Innovation Alliance, Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County, City House, Community Garden Kitchen, Family Promise of Collin County, Frisco Fastpacs, Minnie’s Food Pantry, and North Texas Food Bank.
Karen McCloskey, Director of Internal Communications at NETSCOUT, shared her experience working with CFT4B. “Being able to partner with CFT and leverage their connections and relationships in the community really helps this program be successful,” she explained. “Selecting a nonprofit that we want to work with is exciting and our employees are really enthusiastic about it.” Lorrie Mathers, Vice President of Finance and Allen Site Leader at NETSCOUT, echoed this by saying, “Through this unique grant program with CFT, we are providing financial support to local organizations while empowering our employees to participate in the philanthropic process, all while building strong relationships across the community.”
NETSCOUT’s Technical Services Operations Analyst, Samantha Wilson, shared how she feels about participating in the Heart of Giving program. “It’s really nice to work for a company that will pay you to do acts of service. You’re there with people you see in the office but might not get to talk to as much.” Similarly, Chakradhar Davuluri, NETSCOUT’s Director of Engineering, said “When we are at volunteering events, somehow, work doesn’t come to mind; we are here for something bigger. We talk, and we bond. It is a beautiful thing.”
Here at CFT, we help businesses engage their employees and dollars to better their surrounding community. We offer a wide range of philanthropic services to help start or grow your company’s giving and community engagement program. We’re here to provide our expertise and resources to help your company develop a culture of corporate citizenship. We can help align your community engagement efforts with your business goals and connect you and your company to the causes that matter most to you.
To learn more about CFT for Business, visit CFT4B.org. Our CFT for Business team is here to help your company do good, even better.
