Show Up. Give Back. Repeat: 15 Years of Service at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

True social impact isn’t built on a single day of giving, but on repeated efforts to contribute to communities and causes. For Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, impact is built on a 15-year promise to “show up, give back and repeat.” This mindset is exactly what has defined their signature Service Day initiative for the last 15 years.

What started in 2011 as an employee-driven effort to translate a corporate mission into hands-on impact has blossomed into one of the nation’s most recognized corporate volunteer programs. Today, Blue Cross doesn’t just participate in community service; they set the standard for what a high-impact employee volunteering program looks like.

Engagement By the Numbers

• 82% Volunteer Rate: While the national corporate average hovers around 20%, Blue Cross consistently sees more than four times that engagement.
• $12 Million Invested: Since its inception, the program has driven massive community investment through direct labor and financial contributions.
• 45,000 Acts of Service: From packing kits to virtual consulting, the scale of impact is immense and the cause areas diverse.

This is a culture that prioritizes frontline employee engagement and has seen results in action. Through the BlueCrew Leadership Council, more than100 colleagues participate in year-round civic leadership development, ensuring that when Service Day arrives, the projects are led by passionate, trained internal stakeholders.

Trust-Based Philanthropy in Action

At the heart of Blue Cross’s strategy is a commitment to trust-based philanthropy. This means moving away from traditional charity and toward long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships where nonprofit voices lead the way. For example, their 15-year partnership with Cradles to Crayons Massachusetts has resulted in over 135,000 essential kits for children.

“Through critical funding and volunteer support, Blue Cross fuels our mission to ensure that children in our community have the basic essentials they need to thrive at home and in school—including warm winter coats and backpacks.”

— Alicia Kabir, executive director of Cradles to Crayons Massachusetts

By focusing on the needs of partners like Girls Inc. of Worcester and Community Servings, Blue Cross ensures its efforts contribute to truly sustainable communities. Rather than imposing a pre-set agenda, this approach allows nonprofits to define their own metrics for success, ensuring that volunteer hours and resources are directed toward the most urgent local needs, like food insecurity or youth mentorship.

Innovation and Inclusivity

As the landscape of volunteering has changed, Blue Cross has changed with it. To ensure every employee can “show up,” they’ve pioneered a hybrid volunteering model. Whether it’s community-based work, in-office building projects or virtual, skills-based volunteering, the program is designed to be inclusive of geography, mobility and schedule.

As Blue Cross celebrates its 15th anniversary of Service Day, the theme remains: Show Up. Give Back. Repeat. The future holds even deeper integration of digital service and an expanded geographic reach, maintaining their status as a national leader in the healthcare sector and a perennial honoree on The Civic 50^®.

Elevate Your Social Impact

Success stories like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts don’t happen in a vacuum. They’re fueled by a network of peers and resources that help CSR leaders navigate the complexities of modern social impact.

If your company is looking to build a program with this kind of longevity and impact, consider the Points of Light Corporate Service Council, which provides the tools, research and peer-to-peer connections necessary to turn something like a single day of service into a year-round engine for change.