PORTLAND, Maine — For a few years, the event organizer Diversified participated in United Way’s annual Day of Caring, which brings together volunteers from numerous companies across the U.S.
Diversified’s employees really enjoyed this opportunity, but the organization wanted them to work together on volunteer projects, instead of being distributed across various sites.
Around 12 years ago, Diversified decided to create its own Day of Caring: It selects a day every spring to send its teams into the greater Portland community to help non-profit partners with important work.
The 2026 edition was held May 21 and employees worked with five local organizations: the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals, Fort Williams Park, Maine Needs, Friends of Casco Bay and Cultivating Community’s Valley Street Community Garden, painting, cleaning, organizing, weeding, planting, clearing invasive plants and picking up trash.
Trade Show Executive’s Young Professionals Corner checked in with Janice Rogers, Diversified’s Chief People Officer, to learn about the value of Day of Caring and how anyone can start to give back.
ANDREW: Could you walk through the planning process?
JANICE: Every year, the Human Resources team works with employees to contact selected non-profit organizations in the community who would benefit from volunteer labor and support.
We attempt to coordinate relatively large groups of 10-20 employees at five worksites to allow as many employees to participate as possible.
This year, we had 95 employees participating in projects such as helping at community gardens, doing park and beach cleanups, sorting donations at a community resource distribution center and painting at an animal welfare organization.
ANDREW: How does it benefit the community?
JANICE: These nonprofits rely on volunteers to support their communities through a variety of efforts and programs.
With limited staff, the dedicated hands-on assistance we provide allows organizations to complete major projects that would otherwise require significant time or resources.
ANDREW: How does it benefit Diversified?
JANICE: One of our Cornerstone values as an organization is “Strengthening our Communities.”
Our employees are very passionate about giving back, and our Day of Caring allows us to connect with local groups who do important grassroots work in our area. It’s incredibly rewarding for our staff to be hands-on with these groups and really understand the impact of their work and how it benefits our community.
We have built strong, ongoing relationships with these organizers over the years.
It’s also a teambuilding activity. Often, employees are working with people they don’t normally during the business day, and it’s a quick way to get to know some new faces and build relationships.
We end the day with a social hour at a local venue so that all participants can come together and share their experiences over a drink and a snack. It’s a nice way to wrap the day together.
ANDREW: Why are events like this important?
JANICE: The connections we make with these groups last well beyond the Day of Caring. Together we’re immersing ourselves in the community in which we live and work and learning about organizations that we might not normally have run across.
Then, we can provide support to them in other ways in the future, through donation programs, inviting them in for lunch-n-learns or providing corporate support. We truly get a lot more than we give!
ANDREW: What advice would you give to another professional who is inspired by this event?
JANICE: It’s easy to get started! Talk with your employees about their existing relationships with community organizations, values that they have in common or organizations that they would like to get involved with.
It takes some time to do outreach and find organizations that have projects where they can use volunteers, but it’s generally not a problem to find them and coordinate efforts. We go back to some year after year after the initial connection.
Having an internal team to help coordinate the event is very helpful. Each project has a lead employee who is the point of contact with the non-profit to help with supplies, food, waivers and other needs for the day of the activity.
We have a variety of activities planned so that there is something for everyone!
ANDREW: What should they factor in while planning and what should they avoid?
JANICE: Avoid anything that is too physically demanding or rigorous.
ANDREW: Is there anything else you would like to add?
JANICE: Diversified offers up to 20 hours of paid volunteer time per year, so employees can give back to the causes that matter most to them without using personal time off.
This can be done solo or with a group. Additionally, employees can nominate non-profits to receive charitable contributions and holiday donations.
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