2022 Community Impact Report

Together, we can make a greater impact

We all live, work, play, and pray in the places we call home, so it’s natural to want to make our communities the best they can be. Read on to learn about the philanthropy efforts and green initiatives that grow our impact on people’s lives while decreasing our impact on the environment.

  • 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.

    • 637 employees participated in Community Involvement

      (75% of UBT’s Lincoln employee base and 80% of associates based in Greater NE, Omaha, and Kansas)
    • 3,475 volunteer hours were tracked
    • Pet Supply Drive: supported five local nonprofits with food, toys, supplies, and $1,025 in donations
    • Personal Care Drive: supported five nonprofits with personal hygiene items and $2,250 in donations
    • Blood donations: Eight blood drives yielded 176 unique donors
    A row of UBT employees filling plastic sacks with food in a warehouse
  • 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 2022 include Lincoln Parks Foundation, Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties, Malone Community Center, Eastmont Towers Foundation, Camp Sonshine, and Boys & Girls Club of Lincoln
    • Number of nonprofits supported: 200+
    • Dollars given: More than $2 million to nonprofits, not including $1 million for The Big Give and $1.5 million for the Northwest High School Football Stadium
    Paper cutouts of people holding hands
  • United Way/CHAD Campaign

    UBT’s United Way/CHAD Campaign

    One drive helps 60+ agencies help thousands

    Our 2022 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.

    • 453 givers = 60% participation
    • $329,933 in employee pledges
    • Campaign total: $650,507 with UBT’s employer match
    • 178 Leadership Givers
    • Second-largest campaign in Lincoln/Lancaster County

    *Our Omaha associates supported their local United Way chapter, too, with 49 donors — an 88% participation rate.

    UBT employees doing landscaping on United Way Day of Caring
  • 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 2022. In addition to those two programs, UBT supported:

    • Lincoln Education Foundation — Future Teacher Scholarship
    • LPS Foundation — Financial Literacy Excellence Award
    • Lincoln G.O.L.D. — G.O.L.D. Scholarship
    • Lincoln Journal Star — Inspire Scholarship
    • Bryan Foundation — Bryan College of Health Sciences Scholarship
    A polaroid style photo of a group of students receiving a scholarship

The Big Give

Helping the community in a big way

Our local nonprofits are the lifeblood of this community, and never has that been more evident than over the past couple of years. They’ve worked hard to keep our community safe and cared for, and we decided it was our turn to give back to the local organizations who give so much to our most vulnerable citizens. In September 2022, Union Bank gave away $1 million, split evenly among 10 different nonprofits to fund projects or programs that are serving our community — and we looked to the community to help us determine who should get the funds.

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.

A headshot of Brittany Planos accompanied with some stats of her financial literacy program

Magic Moments

Spreading a little magic when it’s needed most

Union Bank celebrated the 20th year of our Magic Moments program during the 2022 holiday season. It’s our way of spreading comfort and joy to individuals and families who are in need or deserve some special recognition. This year, 20 deserving families received personalized care packages, and it’s an honor to share that moment with them.

UBT’s environmental initiative

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

Recycling services are in use at every Lincoln location (25 sites total). UBT recycled 20,780

pounds of metal in 2022.

Compost program

Composting service has been established at five larger UBT offices.

Energy reduction

Fluorescent bulbs were replaced with LED fixtures at four locations per year, cutting energy consumption in those locations by 66%.

Furniture donations

Eight office sets were donated to local nonprofits consisting of desk, chair, guest chairs, and bookcases.

Litter collection

In partnership with Keep Lincoln & Lancaster County Beautiful, 118 UBT associates participated in our trash pick up day last April, collecting 539 pounds of trash over 57 acres.