It’s no secret that we find joy in giving at Excellence in Giving. For the Excellence in Giving team, Friday, January 24, was no exception. In place of the usual phone calls and client meetings, the Research and Client Services teams were embroiled in a heated philanthropy competition. Years ago, Joe Coors set aside funds to create the Excellence in Giving Fund to allow the Excellence in Giving staff to invest as they uncovered worthy nonprofits. President Al Mueller had recently decided to give away some of those funds using an office competition designed to drive innovation, creativity, and teamwork.
After dividing the staff into teams, Al’s instructions were straightforward: select a worthy local organization and prepare to experience generosity in a very personal way. He encouraged the teams to put themselves in the role of client. The competition was fierce as the teams interviewed and researched their favorite local nonprofit groups. Each team presented their findings to the entire office.
Now, the results are in! Excellence in Giving chose to support several worthy groups including Dream Centers, International Students, and COSIloveyou. Al originally planned to award one $5,000 grant to the best idea, but found each nonprofit to be a compelling and worthy recipient. Each of these organizations brings something special to the nonprofit landscape of Colorado Springs and each organization was chosen to receive a separate $5,000 grant!
Matthew Ayers of Dream Centers with Anna Waller (L) and Olivia Peller (R)