Stories

#GivingTuesdayCLT would not be possible without the generosity of our sponsors. Wells Fargo returns for the third consecutive year in a row as #GivingTuesdayCLT's presenting sponsor, and while the global #GivingTuesday movement kicks off the giving season, Wells Fargo does GOOD for the Charlotte community all year long. We asked Wells Fargo how and why giving back to the Charlotte community is such a priority for their company. 

A few GOOD questions for Wells Fargo...

Why did Wells Fargo decide to sponsor #GivingTuesdayCLT again this year?
We are excited to be a sponsor for the third year in a row. Wells Fargo appreciates the spirit of the campaign, which encourages all of Charlotte to get engaged during this season of giving.  We also recognize that #GivingTuesdayCLT helps to support a wide-range of nonprofit organizations with important tools and resources to further their missions.

What community engagement does Wells Fargo do throughout the year? 
We have more than 25,000 Wells Fargo team members in Charlotte who are an active part of the communities where they live and work. They volunteer, serve on nonprofit boards and give financially.  

In 2017, our volunteers recorded more than 180,000 volunteer hours and we are on track to match or exceed those numbers in 2018. We have more than 250 leaders serving on boards or community initiatives. And, so far this year, our team members in Charlotte have recorded more than $12 million in financial contributions to nonprofits and schools as part of Wells Fargo’s Community Support Campaign. 

Does Wells Fargo focus on a particular cause or support a specific nonprofit sector?  
Each year we invest more than $10 million in grants to local nonprofits across the Greater Charlotte region. We primarily focus on two areas – Community Development and K-12 public education. Our community development grants include support for affordable housing, small business development, financial empowerment and neighborhood revitalization. In education, we are proud to support efforts around literacy, teacher training and development and college and career readiness. We are also pleased to be part of collective initiatives, including Project LIFT and Read Charlotte.

In what ways does Wells Fargo encourage their employees to get involved? 
Wells Fargo team members receive 16 paid hours of community service time each year. We also offer numerous recognition programs that include a paid volunteer leave program and opportunities to receive grants for organizations that team members support. 

We also host an annual Day of Caring, where more than 1,000 team members volunteer at various organizations across the region on a Friday and Saturday in early June.

What is one thing you would like Charlotte to know about Wells Fargo that they may not already know? 
In August, Wells Fargo announced $20 million in pledges to support efforts aimed at providing affordable housing in Charlotte. This commitment is in addition to $16.7 million we provided from 2013 to 2017. We are excited about this “$20 million by 2020” pledge and look forward to working with the city, county and other partners to help address the critical housing needs in our community. 

Why does Wells Fargo think community-wide campaigns like #GivingTuesdayCLT are important to Charlotte? 
There are so many benefits to broad, community events like #GivingTuesdayCLT. For nonprofits, this campaign provides a unique opportunity to collaborate. There are thousands of nonprofit organizations in Charlotte and many of them have never met or had the chance to connect in a positive, supportive way before. For Charlotteans, it helps raise awareness of the needs in our local community, the great work organizations are doing, and how each of us can get involved and make a difference.

In addition to this Q&A, we are excited to SHARE this quote from Kendall Alley, the Region Bank President of Wells Fargo, about why the bank continues to support #GivingTuesdayCLT: “We are thrilled to continue our support of #GivingTuesdayCLT and the great work SHARE Charlotte is doing for our local community. Our goal is to help build strong and vibrant communities, improve the quality of life for everyone and make a positive difference. Wells Fargo and SHARE Charlotte are ALL-IN on Charlotte!”