Covestro Center for Community Engagement

At Robert Morris University

Corporate Partners Include:

BNY Mellon | Covestro, LLC | FedEx Ground
Highmark | PNC | Howmet Aerospace

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Dress for Success and Covestro: A Flash SkillShare Partnership

August 17, 2021

Dress for Success Pittsburgh is a local nonprofit that empowers women who are entering and returning to the workforce across Southwestern PA through clothing, connections, and confidence. The organization partnered with a team of Covestro employees through CCCE for a “Flash SkillShare” opportunity to help them gather, analyze, and present crucial data in an effective and economical way.
Dress for Success quickly pivoted with COVID-19 to a Typeform system to collect information from clients and to track services. However, they needed to report that quarterly and annual data to funders and stakeholders, as well as monthly operations. The organization also quickly moved their Connections resource center online, which “houses” employment resources, resume assistance, and job readiness materials but needed to capture its usage and impact.
Erram Ahmed, Mobile Services Coordinator, was delighted with the project and partnership success…

For the FEMCon (Female Empowerment Mobile Convention) Team, it was incredibly important that we accomplish as much as possible for our goals within our own team to keep the financial focus of our efforts on our clients. However, for the more technical part of our needs, we had no idea who to turn to or even what exactly it was that we needed. The COVESTRO [SkillShare] team was able to not only identify what technical outcome we needed but were also able to build that product for us.

We had just a day and a small but mighty team that, despite their many different backgrounds, was able to be resilient and utilize everyone’s talents to the maximum to save the FEMCon team countless hours of work and money! Now the FEMCon team has a live database that informs an incredibly crucial part of the process for the FEMCon Life & Career Resource Fair that wants to go beyond what has ever been done before.

Filed Under: News

ESC Volunteer Profile: Dee Delaney

August 17, 2021

Talk to us about life before retirement and ESC. What fueled your purpose and passion?

I loved working with nonprofits and witnessing the positive impact they have made in our region. During my career I experienced working with and serving on many types of boards. When I retired as executive director of FISA Foundation in 2010, I realized that, as a grantmaker and former fundraiser, I was a “nonprofit management generalist” but with deep experience with boards. Each organization and each board has a unique culture, requiring flexibility when interacting with them. What do they say, “When you’ve seen one board, you’ve seen one board!” Giving back through the Bayer and Covestro Centers was a logical step for me.

How did you find ESC? What made you want to get involved?

Since 2011, the Bayer Center has researched local wage inequity issues within nonprofit organizations. Their initial report pointed out that, even though women at that time made up 74% of the workforce, they only earned 74% of the dollar earned by male counterparts. While attending the inaugural 74% Project event, current Covestro Center Associate Director Yvonne Van Haitsma asked me if I would be willing to consider volunteering for ESC.

What is one of your most memorable volunteer experiences?

I have enjoyed facilitating 14 BoardsWork! retreats, working on consulting projects, facilitating brainstorming sessions, and serving as an executive coach. It has been a wonderful way to keep engaged with the nonprofit community as a volunteer. One memorable experience was facilitating a board retreat for the Midwife Center on a Saturday morning in January amidst a huge snowstorm. The board members were so dedicated that they decided not to cancel the retreat, even though the roads weren’t plowed yet. Demonstrating true dedication, every board member attended.

This season for the Bayer and Covestro Centers (and, really, the rest of the world) is all about resilience. What do you think it means to be resilient, here and now?

During the pandemic I have facilitated separate Zoom brainstorming sessions for nonprofit executive directors and board chairs. Both groups exhibited resilience par excellence, progressing from initial stress when the lockdown occurred to amazing creativity through partnerships and new ways of fundraising, to a fresh outlook for the future. They were fine examples of what it means to be resilient in today’s world.

How are you spending your summer? What memories are you creating?

I enjoy lap swimming, walking with friends, enjoying nature and reading. This was a special year because my husband and I marked our 50th wedding anniversary in May by celebrating with fun family visits, a trip to Santa Fe and dinners with friends.

Filed Under: News

Participate in CCCE’s Virtual Flash SkillShare during National Volunteer Week

March 16, 2021

National Volunteer Week
VIRTUAL Flash SkillShare
Thursday, April 22, 2021

Take corporate volunteering to a new impact level. Get your volunteers involved virtually by assisting a nonprofit solve a management challenge. Make a long-term impact in the community and the lives of your employees. We pair the talents and passion of the nonprofit and for-profit sectors for true mutual benefit in a one-day event. [Read more…]

Filed Under: News

BCNM Course Catalog Available

September 8, 2020

The latest edition of the BCNM course catalog is live and available for viewing!

From BoardsWork! board member virtual training to understanding corporate social responsibility to HR guidance in the age of COVID-19, the content is diverse and deep.

Register online for upcoming classes. Remember that CCCE partners receive discounts!

Filed Under: News

Blueprints Participates in SkillShare

September 8, 2020

Blueprints, a SkillShare program participant, serves as the catalyst to mobilize the resources of the entire community to enable families and individuals to attain the skills, knowledge, motivations, and opportunities to become self-sufficient. As an organization they are proud to change people’s lives, embody the spirit of hope, improve communities, and make America a better place to live. Blueprints has partnered with CCCE for the past two years with teams of skilled consulting partners from local businesses to strengthen their operations. [Read more…]

Filed Under: News

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Covestro Center for Community Engagement at Robert Morris University

Robert Morris University
Benjamin Rush Center
6001 University Boulevard Moon Township, PA 15108

Phone: 412-397-6000
Email: cie@rmu.edu

Proud Affiliate of:

Member of ESC US

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