BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF MASSACHUSETTS HELPS 12 COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

BOSTON — Thirty-eight Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross) associates with highly sought after business skills were selected for the 2015 Skills-Based Volunteer Program to help 12 local nonprofits improve their organizational effectiveness. The volunteers were paired with community organizations based on their skill sets to help address their important business needs ranging from analyzing diversity and inclusion efforts, measuring recruitment and retention strategies, and controlling costs while expanding programs and services for those in need.

“The Skills Based Volunteer Program provides our associates with the opportunity to collaborate with nonprofit organizations in developing innovative approaches to operational challenges,” said Jeff Bellows, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship at Blue Cross. “There is mutual benefit - our associates are able to leverage and hone their skillsets in new areas, and the nonprofit partners receive additional resources that they may not otherwise have. All parties have an opportunity to learn from one another in the process.”

Blue Cross associates will work on with the following nonprofit partners to:

· Big Sister Association of Greater Boston - Evaluate and streamline the volunteer intake process. Develop recommendations for improving the volunteer placement process.

· Codman Square Health Center - Assess and streamline the current patient intake process while developing recommendations for improving access to services and overall patient experience.

· Girls, Inc. of Worcester - Conduct a safety needs assessment and create a disaster readiness plan.

· Girls Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts - Analyze current Diversity & Inclusion efforts and make recommendations on how to improve hiring and retention practices to make the organization more culturally competent.

· Livable Streets Alliance - Evaluate current data collection processes, analyze member demographics to identify trends and recommend how the data will inform the organization’s new strategic plan.

· Medically Induced Trauma Support Services - Analyze existing programs and services to identify opportunities to generate increased revenue and meet gaps in funding.

· Pine Street Inn - Develop recommendations for a comprehensive tracking solution for customer data that will assist with targeted marketing and communications.

· Rosie’s Place - Develop recommendations on how to translate complex technical instructions into simple easy to use instructions to enable the staff to be more efficient and effective.

· School on Wheels of Massachusetts - Capture current departmental processes involved in day-to-day operations while making recommendations on how to improve business processes to enhance efficiencies.

· St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children - Assess the organization’s purchasing processes and create a centralized procurement tracking system for its 10 departments.

· The Family Pantry of Cape Cod - Develop the business plan to launch a mobile pantry delivery service to target populations in the Cape Cod community.

· United Way of Massachusetts Bay & Merrimack Valley - Create a professional development strategy to build leadership capabilities to achieve organizational goals, increase the engagement of leaders and employees, and retain a high performing staff.

“I’ve been incredibly impressed by the breadth of services the Family Pantry of Cape Cod provides to the local community,” said Kelly MacDonald, an Operations Management employee at Blue Cross. I feel privileged to work with such a passionate organization that strives to make a difference in the lives of others. And, I’m thrilled at the opportunity to work with a team of talented colleagues who haven’t had the opportunity to work together before.”

As the largest community-focused, taxpaying, not-for-profit health plan in Massachusetts, Blue Cross has a strong commitment to the community. In 2014 alone, associates contributed more than 30,000 volunteer service hours to nonprofit organizations across the Commonwealth. Additionally, the company gave nearly $6.1 million in philanthropic contributions to 531 nonprofit organizations. To learn more about Blue Cross’ Corporate Citizenship efforts, visit our annual Corporate Citizenship Report.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (www.bluecrossma.com) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are the trusted health plan for more than 29,400 Massachusetts employers and are committed to working with others in a spirit of shared responsibility to make quality health care affordable. Consistent with our corporate promise to always put our 2.8 million members first, we are rated among the nation’s best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+.

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