Joanne Vencius, Marketing Content Strategist, Holman Enterprises, volunteers at Joseph’s House.

Joanne Vencius
Marketing Content Strategist
Holman Enterprises

Years with Company:
27 years

Where I’ve volunteered and why

Last summer I began supporting Joseph’s House of Camden. They had put out a public request for marketing strategy support. The plea traveled through the Holman Community team to our Marketing team and to me.

I have a sad connection to Joseph’s House through a lost loved one, my niece. A friend of hers had been a guest there at one time. After she died, he went on to change his path and began mentoring youths on how to avoid making his same mistakes.

I was inspired by his change of heart, but I needed more time to heal. Then when I saw JHOC’s request for marketing-specific help, I knew that was my signal to stand up.

Reflecting on my niece’s friend’s turnaround, I figured if the shelter can continue to carry its guests through to the day that they decide to make a change in themselves – so that they can then begin to give back to others – sustaining that then became my goal: to get Joseph’s House the support it needs to keep going.

Activating my passion into meaningful impact

I took on the writing of their annual report. I have many years’ experience writing corporate proposal responses, financial summaries and other applications, in addition to thought leadership content and storytelling.

I wanted to produce a report for Joseph’s House that included all the pertinent financial information that investors need to see. But I also wanted to do it in a way that showed how the shelter guests not only benefit but in fact improve their lives through the people and resources of Joseph’s House. I wanted to create an emotional connection that would inspire readers to give more generous support.

I’ve since joined the JHOC Development Committee so that I will have deeper insight into the organization’s passion and mission. Then, as I continue to write for Joseph’s House, I’ll be able to reach a more meaningful level of emotional persuasion.

Work/volunteer synergies

It’s part of the Holman Enterprises mission to “give back to the communities that support our success.” As such, it is one of the most giving corporations in the South Jersey area. Holman is actually a global company with more than 7,000 employees in North America, the UK and Europe. So the company’s support of community organizations spans continents.

The Holman Community team gives employees continuous visibility to community service opportunities, just like the way I was connected with JHOC. Also, the Holman annual Days of Caring events typically send out hundreds of employees to locations in which each employee’s professional skills or personal interests are aligned with the specific needs of the organizations they will be supporting.

Beyond its own reaches, the company also supports the organizations that employees believe in. Employees can request financial support for their organizations from the company and invite co-workers to support their efforts as well.

Through the company and its inspiration, I have been active in community support for more than 20 years. I believe it is a big part of the individual purpose of each of us to share our God-given talents with others to help improve lives.

What corporate volunteerism means to me

I know that we can learn something from every person we come in contact with. Volunteering opens us to meeting more new people – that means more chances to learn about ourselves and others. Sometimes the others we are learning from are our co-workers, when we get to interact with them in a different environment than our day-to-day work.

In all cases, giving of yourself for the good of others is a chance to see someone’s true character, their true spirit. And when you make that kind of heartfelt connection with someone, now you’ve spread love, which I believe is our ultimate purpose.