Community Commitment Awards Categories

Learn more about the eight Community Commitment Award categories.

Affordable Housing
Community and Economic Development
Financial Education
Economic Inclusion
Protecting Older Americans
Supporting Military Families
Volunteerism
George Bailey Distinguished Service Award

Affordable Housing

Commends outstanding efforts to improve the availability of quality housing for everyone in your community. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Establishing partnerships with stakeholders such as civic groups, nonprofit organizations and government agencies to promote affordable housing construction or rehabilitation;
Creating mortgage lending programs designed to encourage qualified buyers to become catalysts for change and purchase homes in neighborhoods in need of residential renewal; or
Hosting homeownership seminars to encourage community members to become responsible homeowners.

Community and Economic Development

Applauds banks that think inside and out of the commercial lending box to drive economic growth and revitalization in their communities. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Establishing partnerships with stakeholders such as merchants, community groups, residents and property owners to assist in job creation, identification, and training, to attract new businesses to the area, or to build a thriving economic center in the neighborhood;
Creating rural lending programs designed to meet the unique lending needs of rural and frontier communities as well as their local economies; or
Financing community facilities or addressing elements that improve a neighborhood’s quality of life, including access to child care, education, health care, fresh food, physical activity and public safety.

Financial Education

Honors educational initiatives that raise awareness and build personal finance knowledge from financial literacy programs that impact youth, seniors and bank employees. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Form a program or partnership with local nonprofits, community centers, or schools to offer age appropriate personal finance presentations and resources;
Creating or participating in financial outreach programs that have changed long term attitudes and behaviors about managing money through use of tools, products, services, or any combination of the same;
Providing financial education programs to employees that show results, innovation, effective tactics, and a significant scope in increasing employee financial wellness; or
Host or partner in event that involves community outreach by way of improving attendees personal finance skills.

Economic Inclusion

Celebrates efforts to increase economic inclusion for all. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Establishing partnerships with stakeholders such as nonprofit organizations, government agencies and other financial partners to promote financial inclusion for unbanked individuals with no or limited credit histories;
Hosting credit counseling workshops or lessons; or
Creating innovative, safe, and affordable products to encourage unbanked customers to access mainstream financial institutions.

Protecting Older Americans

Recognizes banks that excel in combatting elder financial abuse. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Establishing partnerships with stakeholders such as law enforcement, adult protective services, corporations, community-based organizations, and faith-based ministries to protect older Americans from financial abuse;
Hosting workshops to educate older Americans, their families, and other community members about the various forms of financial abuse and informing them on the bank’s role in preventing elder financial abuse;
Creating robust training programs for front-line employees to prevent, detect, and report on elder financial abuse;
Developing innovative product features to protect older Americans from financial abuse; or
Constructing new technological systems to designed to detect and counter elder financial abuse.

Supporting Military Families

Recognizes bank projects or programs that improve the quality of life for active duty, transitioning and veteran military families. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Programs or workshops that educate active duty service members, veterans, military spouses and their children about personal finances;
Any innovative training, mentoring and employment program for hiring and retaining transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses;
Housing programs, fundraising events and partnerships with organizations that support veteran and activity duty service members; or
Programs or workshops that help veterans and/or military spouses start, grow and build small businesses.

Volunteerism

Celebrates banks that put their employees to work for the good of the community. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Outreach programs in which teams of employees commit to renovating schools, community centers, clubhouses and other facilities to help anchor and sustain life in the community;
Mentoring programs that match employees’ skills with the needs of underserved or at-risk groups;
Partnerships with groups advocating for seniors and others to retrofit their homes to enable them to enjoy full accessibility and increased quality of life;
Develop or participate in practices that protect the environment/sustain natural resources by “going green”; or
Provide companionship care or coordinate transportation for community members.

George Bailey Distinguished Service Award

Named after the community banker hero of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” is given to a non-CEO bank employee who demonstrates outstanding initiative, performs highly effective work and inspires others. George Bailey Award winners go above and beyond to serve their banks, their colleagues, their industry and especially their communities. Examples include, but are not limited to:

An employee who has gone above and beyond to build goodwill between their bank and community;
Made outstanding contributions to their institution(s); had major positive influence on peers, subordinates, and even affected the industry as a whole; or
Consistently gives back to the bank and the community, giving freely of their time, energy and resources for volunteerism, community service and charity.