Team Otis — The Making of a Partnership
Building the Partnership
Any lasting relationship needs to be nurtured, and your partnership with Special Olympics is no exception. It's been said that things often are at their best in their beginning. So now that you have experienced a good beginning, continue to build momentum for your partnership. You'll need to look for your own ways to strengthen the partnership.
The Otis Experience: The management of Otis Elevator initiated an annual Team Otis-Special Olympics Partnership Award. Working with Special Olympics public relations staff, a partnership award was created. Several categories were included in the award: Best Fundraising Project, Best Volunteer Outreach Effort, Best Public Education Project. Additionally, based on all entries submitted, a fourth award was created for Best All-Around Effort. Entry forms were printed and sent to Team Otis coordinators who then sent their entries to the Special Olympics public relations staff who served as judges. Otis Elevator presented the winners with a hand-crafted glass sculpture in the shape of a globe and also made a contribution to the Special Olympics Program of the winner's choice. In most cases, the winning teams directed that the contribution go directly to the local Special Olympics organization.
Saying Is One Thing; Doing Is Another
There is really no limit to what employees can and will do if given an opportunity and are encouraged along the way.
The Otis Elevator experience: The company's management gave its employees the freedom to dream big and to share in a company effort that represented "doing good." The Team Otis coordinators became the company's unsung heroes of this effort. Management remained a very visible part of the Team Otis endeavor and continues today to work alongside employees at Special Olympics events and at company-sponsored activities that are tied to Special Olympics. In other words, management made a commitment and continues to honor that commitment today, notwithstanding a change in company management.
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