Making a Difference by Sharing Expertise

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MetLife Foundation focuses on improving the financial health of low-income people. And that can be done in many different ways, including by making a social impact in local communities. Thanks to MetLife volunteers, numerous nonprofit organizations have gained invaluable help and improved their futures – without spending a dollar.

A professional development challenge to solve

Keeping kids engaged in education is an important task but it isn’t HEAF’s only job — they also have to make sure their staff are thriving and developing too. Staff feedback about professional development had worried Deirdre. “In exit interviews, a couple of staff said the need for professional development was one of their reasons for leaving,” Deidre explains. “So we did a staff survey to find out what they were thinking about and what they needed for their professional growth.”

It turns out that HEAF needed help to solve their HR problem that had come from a simple communication error. “A lot of our professional development was actually already in place, but staff weren’t seeing it that way – they thought learning was only in the classroom and weren’t thinking about mentoring, leadership opportunities, and external free training,” says Deirdre.

A skill shared

Last year, MetLife Foundation and MetLife employees helped to solve HEAF’s problem. MetLife Foundation teamed up with the Taproot Foundation to share the skills of employees with HEAF at a half-day event called an Opportunity Workshop.

MetLife Foundation worked with the Global Learning and Development team to identify the employees with the right skills to help HEAF out, and they came together at MetLife headquarters in New York City.

See how MetLife Foundation is helping HEAF tackle HR challenges by providing expertise in professional development.