Strategic Philanthropy: 5 Banks Evolving Holiday Outreach
For community and regional banks, the December holidays have long offered a natural opportunity to give back. But across the country, a number of institutions are reimagining what seasonal outreach can look like. They’ve moved beyond familiar food drives or volunteering days to create local experiences that are memorable, participatory, and strategically aligned with brand and culture.
From Michigan to Florida to New Jersey, these efforts share a key trait: They turn holiday goodwill into something interactive, visible, and distinctly local.
Leveraging Physical Assets for Experiential Branding
In Holmdel, New Jersey, PNC Bank transforms one of the area’s best-known venues into a seasonal destination. The Magic of Lights drive-through spectacle at the PNC Bank Arts Center converts a summer concert site into a winter wonderland, drawing families from across Central Jersey and beyond. The multi-mile display runs from late November through early January, pairing themed installations with ticketed entry and sponsorship opportunities.
For PNC, whose commercial and retail footprint spans the Mid-Atlantic, the event serves as more than seasonal branding. It doubles as a client-hosting platform, a family-friendly community hub, and a durable brand impression at a time when attention is scattered.
The takeaway for other banks is less about scale than intent: Institutions with naming rights, cultural partnerships, or event venues can transform those assets into shared holiday experiences that feel genuinely communal rather than promotional.
Participatory Giving: Using Public Voting to Drive Engagement
In Mount Pleasant, Michigan, Isabella Bank pushes decision-making outward with its Holiday with Heart program. Employees nominate local nonprofits, but the final allocation of funds is determined by public voting.
As covered by WNEM, the program awards tiered donations, culminating in a $10,000 grand gift. The voting process drives digital engagement while reinforcing Isabella’s identity as a community-rooted bank across central Michigan.
A similar idea guides Cadence Bank, headquartered in Houston and operating throughout the South and Southeast. Through its Cadence Cares Holiday Program, customers, employees, and community members vote on how the bank’s year-end charitable pool is distributed.
In a recent cycle, more than 6,500 votes helped allocate $150,000 among 10 nonprofits. For a multi-state institution, this model balances enterprise-level cohesion with local relevance.
Both programs show how participatory philanthropy can turn holiday giving into engagement, data, and storytelling, without inflating budgets.
Creative Competitions and Interactive Charitable Events
In Dunedin, Florida, just outside Tampa Bay, Achieva Credit Union adds whimsy to its holiday calendar through the Home for the Holidays gingerbread house decorating competition. Organized by the Achieva Foundation, the event invites corporate teams and community groups to compete for a charitable prize.
As highlighted by the bank’s internal publication CUInsight, the winning team’s chosen nonprofit received a $5,000 donation. The contest also generated social buzz, local news coverage, and inter-business collaboration. What could have been a lighthearted activity became a structured philanthropic effort with measurable outcomes.
For banks and credit unions in competitive markets, the lesson is simple: creativity travels. A well-designed event can humanize a brand, strengthen partnerships, and deliver tangible charitable impact.
Local Impact of Personal Nominations
Not every standout initiative requires spectacle or digital platforms. In Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, Bank Five Nine has built its Holi-Days of Giving program around small, deeply personal acts of generosity.
Community members nominate individuals—often caregivers or families facing hardship—for holiday gifts tailored to their needs, with awards typically up to $500.
The program’s power lies in its storytelling. Each gift reflects a human connection, showcasing Bank Five Nine’s presence in southeastern Wisconsin as a relationship-driven institution that values neighbors as much as numbers.
A Broader Pattern Worth Noticing
Viewed together, these programs illustrate a shift in how banks think about holiday outreach.
They’re grounding their efforts in place, from a New Jersey arts center to a Michigan nonprofit network to a Wisconsin neighborhood. They’re inviting participation through voting, contests, or personal nominations. And they’re designing initiatives that generate stories, not just year-end metrics.
For leaders planning future holiday efforts, the message is clear: The most effective programs aren’t necessarily the largest or most expensive. They’re the ones that embody local character and give customers, employees, and neighbors a reason to feel part of something shared.
In a season defined by tradition, these banks remind the industry that imagination paired with authenticity can result in the most meaningful gifts of all.
