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Volunteerism
Employee Volunteerism
Rolling up our sleeves
UBT’s employees are passionate about helping nonprofits provide services to individuals, families, businesses, and neighborhoods so they can thrive. We all live, work, play, and pray here, so it’s natural to want to make our community the best it can be.
- 612 employees participated in Community Involvement (including 63% of UBT’s Lincoln employee base)
- 2,812 volunteer hours were tracked
- Household item and tool drive: supported three local nonprofits with tools and gardening supplies and $2,050 in donations
- School supply drive: supported three nonprofits with school supplies, books, and over $2,700 in donations
- Blood donations: 236 employee donations over six blood drives yielding 178 units
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Charitable Giving
UBT’s Corporate Giving
A culture and history of giving back
UBT’s corporate financial support is focused around four key areas: education, the arts, community betterment, and direct services. All four play such an important role in setting up our future leaders for success, bringing beauty to our community, and lifting the hopes and spirits of those who need it most.
- Capital campaigns supported in 2023 include Cultural Centers of Lincoln, CEDARS, Lincoln Community Foundation for Open Harvest, Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach, Solidago Conservancy, Lincoln Literacy, and Lincoln Parks Foundation for Youth Football
- Number of nonprofits supported: 230
- Dollars given: More than $2.5 million
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United Way/CHAD Campaign
UBT’s United Way/CHAD Campaign
One drive helps 60+ agencies help thousands
Our 2023 campaign supporting United Way of Lincoln & Lancaster County and the Combined Health Agencies Drive (CHAD) yielded our largest total donation to date. These organizations support 60+ member agencies whose efforts help meet the need for education, income, and health for thousands of people in our community.
- 436 givers = 50% participation
- $342,731 in employee pledges
- Campaign total: $685,438 with UBT’s employer match
- 197 Leadership Givers
- Largest campaign in Lincoln/Lancaster County
*Our Omaha associates supported their local United Way chapter, too, with 54 donors — an 81% participation rate — amounting in $37,550 with the UBT match.
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Scholarships
Powering Academic Scholarships
Helping brighten more futures
UBT contributed $500,000 toward The Learn to Dream Scholarship, a scholarship also generously funded by the Acklie Charitable Foundation and Nelnet. In addition, $60,000 went toward People of Prosperity Scholarships. All told, more than 500 scholarships amounting in $560,000 were awarded throughout 2023. In addition to those two programs, UBT supported:
- Lincoln Education Foundation — Future Teacher Scholarship
- Asian Community & Cultural Center — ACCC Youth Scholarship
- Lincoln G.O.L.D. — G.O.L.D. Scholarship
- Lincoln Journal Star — Inspire Scholarship
- Bryan Foundation — Bryan College of Health Sciences Scholarship
Financial Literacy Program
Building financial education foundations
UBT’s Financial Literacy program is designed to serve nonprofit organizations within Lincoln, Nebraska. For many, basic money management foundations do not exist. Financial skills may not be taught at home, and they haven’t always been addressed in our schools. There is simply an absence of knowledge when it comes to money, and we aim to bridge that gap in our community.
612 employees
612 employees participated in the Community Involvement program, including 63% of UBT’s Lincoln employee base.
Household item and tool drive
UBT supported three local nonprofits with tools, gardening supplies, and $2,050 in donations.
2,812 volunteer hours tracked
UBT employees volunteered with dozens of nonprofits, agencies, and religious organizations. Lincoln employees volunteered 28% more hours than in 2022!
Blood drives
113 unique UBT employees racked up 236 employee donations over six blood drives yielding 178 units.
School supply drive
UBT supported three nonprofits with school supplies, books, and over $2,700 in donations.
Union Bank Place
Reviving an iconic Lincoln landmark
Union Bank Place opened its doors in August 2023. With an emphasis on paying homage to the historical value of the space designed by I.M Pei and Associates while simultaneously finding ways to breathe new life into the building, Union Bank Place features a host of community-centric accommodations, including:
- Small Business Center — a multi-purpose space for local business to use for meetings and conferences.
- Small business pop-up shop — a space specifically for local small businesses who do not have a brick-and-mortar presence to occupy for a few months to sell their wares.
- Stories Coffee Co. — a coffee shop available to the public that prioritizes people and love.
- Downtown branch — a full-service branch, including a bilingual mortgage offer, to better serve the downtown area.
Green Team
The team’s vision is to make UBT a sustainable, environmentally friendly leader in all communities we serve — now and in the future.
Recycling
UBT’s efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle resulted in nearly 260,000 lbs. of recycled materials, including 240,000 lbs. of paper and 19,940 lbs. of metal.
Compost program
Composting service has been established at five larger UBT offices.
Energy reduction
LED lighting upgrades were implemented in Ainsworth, Valentine, and four buildings in Lincoln. Additionally, 10 HVAC systems were upgraded to more efficient units in Lincoln and Wahoo locations.
Furniture donations
Eight office sets were donated to local nonprofits, consisting of desk, chair, guest chairs, and bookcases.
Shred Day 2023
In 2023, a record 3,000 cars visited our Shred Day event, resulting in the shredding of 53,000 pounds of documents by our friends at Paper Tiger.
Magic Moments
Spreading a little magic when it’s needed most
Union Bank celebrated the 21st year of our Magic Moments program during the 2023 holiday season. It’s our way of spreading comfort and joy to individuals and families who are in need or deserve some special recognition.
