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We asked Heather Harris, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Kennebunk Savings, six questions about her work in philanthropy in Maine. Here's what she said...
1. What’s your favorite thing about summer in Maine?
The best thing about summer, for me, is that it’s not winter! Even as a native New Englander, I question my own judgment for living here! I love everything about summer – searching out the perfect lobster roll, warm evenings at the beach, trying to find undiscovered walks for the dogs and Saturday afternoon bike rides.
<img alt="Kennebunk Savings team of cyclists for the American Diabetes Tour de Cure" data-cke-saved-src="/sites/default/files/KS%20Team%20for%20Tour%20de%20Cure.jpg" src="https://www.mainephilanthropy.org/sites/default/files/KS%20Team%20for%20..." style="width:" 350px;="" height:="" 227px;"="">
Photo: A Kennebunk Savings group of volunteers and a team of cyclists celebrate their work at the finish line for the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure.
2. If you had to describe your work in three words, what would they be?
- Exhilarating – knowing what’s going on in the nonprofit world is gratifying. I feel like I have an inside look at what’s happening in communities all over York County and seacoast NH. There are so many people working hard to try to make our area a better place and being able to contribute to those efforts is truly satisfying.
- Exhausting – there are never enough hours in the day to get it all done.
- Email overload – I love how productive email makes me. I also hate that I will never be at one with my email inbox.
3. When you call a colleague for advice--what questions do you ask?
Through our Corporate Philanthropy group, I have access to other people doing the same kind of work. We’re able to chat about trends, any organizational changes we see and on occasion we’ll check in on topical issues such as natural disasters or community emergencies.
4. What's the biggest challenge for you? What keeps you up at night?
I ultimately struggle with what the impact of our giving is, and what are the ultimate goals of our philanthropy. Within that framework, I try to recommend how our funds will be best used. The unending nature of nonprofit work can be overwhelming. I end up thinking a lot about the cycle of poverty-- how it can be short circuited, what are the best solutions, if we’re contributing to the right causes for long-term solutions, and if our organization is the right one to help solve those issues.
5. What are you most excited about right now in your work?
My colleague, Liz Torrance, and I recently attended the Corporate Philanthropy workshop and listened to Karen Voci from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation speak. It was very interesting and raised some good questions to think about as we near giving our ten millionth dollar away. It was particularly helpful to see what other organizations consider as they look at their charitable giving and how that could help enlighten what we do.
6. What does success look like for Kennebunk Savings? What's your endgame?
Success for us is to have our communities understand our company’s true commitment to their well-being. Not only is Kennebunk Savings committed to donating funds to nonprofits, we are also committed to being involved. Our employees volunteered over 8,500 hours last year for organizations they’re passionate about.
When our employees give their time to a nonprofit we’ve donated to, when we have numerous volunteers show up and the organization is then able to leverage our funding to raise additional funds – that’s success all around! And we have our ‘big check’ ready to be out at the next event at a moment’s notice!
Thank you, Heather!
Photo: Heather Harris (far right) and Brad Paige, President and CEO of Kennebunk Savings, (second from right) present Cocheco Valley Humane Society with the "big check."
Kennebunk Savings' Mission:
Kennebunk Savings is a mutual savings bank offering banking, insurance and investments services with 17 branches in York County, Maine and seacoast New Hampshire. For more than twenty years we have contributed 10% of our earnings back to local nonprofit organizations through our Community Promise program. Our community now includes 17 branches in York County, Maine and in seacoast of New Hampshire. Learn more about Kennebunk Savings' Commitment to the Community.