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The Broadmoor Gift of Giving
December 12, 2008
'Tis the season of economic woes and anguish. But the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs isn't letting the economy dampen their holiday spirit. In lieu of gifts for top customers, the Broadmoor gave a gift that would keep on giving.
By Karen Yi
'Twas the time of recession, when all through the Broadmoor, many creatures were stirring, including the manager. The bikes were lined up in the back room with care, in hopes that these gifts would bring hope in despair.
'Tis the season of economic woes and anguish. But the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs isn't letting the economy dampen their holiday spirit. This year, in partnership with Christmas Unlimited and Destination Services Company (DSC), the Broadmoor built and donated 60 bicycles to local kids in need.
Every holiday season the up-scale hotel recognizes its key accounts by doling out gifts. But this year, they wanted to do things differently. With the resources normally allotted to customer gift giving, they instead gave back to their local community by launching the Give Back to the Community Holiday Gift Program.
The staff decked out the ballrooms with rows of tables, equipped with a bike-building toolkit and an employee team of three or four. From managers to line staffers, 90 individuals participated in the Give Back to the Community Holiday Gift Program. Holiday music pranced all around as employees labored two-and-a-half hours putting together bikes for children aged from toddler to teen.
And, as an added bonus, employees that participated were paid for their volunteer hours and were a part of a team photograph that will be distributed to all of the Broadmoors' customers in a holiday flash card.
David Fine, director of sales & marketing for the Broadmoor, says, "It's just a nice opportunity for us to collectively do something for the betterment of the community…You know you're working toward something that will mean something in the life of a kid."
Get on the Give-Back Track
Tim Sanders, author of Saving the World at Work, says giving back to communities is one of the best things a company can do to get the holiday spirit going. "We've become a lot more sensitive to other people's suffering," says Sanders. "A community in need is a wonderful opportunity to unleash the power of many at work."
While the CSR program costs were higher than the normal yearly holiday gifts, "we got the benefit of a team building exercise," says Fine. Employees really enjoyed the experience because it gave them a "feel good" sentiment. "You're doing something in concert with your co-workers that you know the end result is going to lead to someone enjoying it for the holidays," Fine says.
With the current economy, it's important to "find other ways to pay people and make them feel good," says Sanders. "It's the new quality in managing things now, it's a new way to streamline a business, make it appeal more to a customer and motivate employees."
"I think it's a home run," says Fine. "I honestly feel that this year more than ever, based on the conditions of the environment we're in, it's nice to participate as a teambuilding exercise and demonstrate to people that you can use your time for the betterment of someone else’s life."
The Broadmoor is the consecutive winner of both the AAA Five-Diamond and the Mobil Travel Guide Five-Star awards. Known as the Grand Dame of the Rockies, the Broadmoor's philanthropic give-back shows that despite the economic downturn, there's still some holiday gift-giving in store for communities in need.
For companies that wish to emulate CSR programs in the Broadmoor, Fine suggests reaching out to local communities and "hav[ing] some fun with it."
"The bottom-line is, it was fun for our employees that participated, the benefit is going to serve the community and I think our customers are going to be appreciative of it as well," says Fine.
Editor's Note: For more on Corporate Social Responsibility, read "Inspiration on a Budget at Incentivemag.com.
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