A new report finds that even the most satisfied employees may be pursuing a different job, spurred by the desire to work for a company committed to the community.
ABD’s learned that it is also the case with Augusta-area businesses like the Meta team member efforts to clean up Hitchcock Woods. (Photo Above)
goBeyondProfit, founded in 2017, began tracking business generosity in 2019. Its 2025 report finds 97% of employees say business generosity is important. That’s more than double the 47% reported in 2019. (https://gobeyondprofit.org/research/2025-business-generosity-report/)
Brittany Burnett, President and CEO of the United Way of the CSRA (UWCSRA), said they have seen that companies that prioritize community involvement are more successful in attracting and retaining employees.
“Because they (employees) feel like, yes, I’ve got a really important job to do, what I’m hired for, but my company also realizes the importance of giving back. It gives me flexibility. I can volunteer where I want to, an hour a month, or as a group of people, as a team, we can go off and do a project together, and those employees end up just happier and there’s better morale,” she said.
UWCSRA has an extensive list of local employers that collaborate closely with it and other local nonprofit organizations. One of the most recent corporate partners is Aurubis Richmond, LLC. The company has a representative on the UWCSRA Board of Directors.
Aurubis celebrated its official startup on September 24. Toralf Haag, CEO of Aurubis AG, told ABD that community involvement is an important commitment by his company.
“If we invest in a region, we want to be part of the community. We not only want to invest in brick and mortar and machines, we also want to be part of the community,” he said. Aurubis has been in place for over 150 years, and wherever we build a plant, we also participate in the social life. We want to contribute to the community. That’s part of our values, that wherever we are, we want to be part of the community and add our share.”
That community involvement, particularly by new businesses, is also manifesting itself on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River.
Meta, the parent company of the Aiken Data Center, which is under construction in the Sage Mill Industrial Park, has joined the Aiken and North Augusta Chambers of Commerce. It has also sponsored events with educational institutions.
“We particularly focus on supporting initiatives that help improve STEAM education, put technology to use for community benefit, and enable people to build strong, sustainable communities,” Laura Warren, Meta’s Community Development Regional Manager, told ABD. “Being a part of these helps us stay connected to the community and understand what matters most to them — guiding our investment and contributions to where it brings the most value.”
Meta has provided financial support to the Aiken United Way’s “Success by 6” program to create a Born Learning trail at Smith Hazel Recreation Center and expanded the county’s ability to reach students on the waiting list for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. It also donated $25,000 for ongoing hurricane relief through the United Way and teamed up with its Aiken Data Center construction partners, DPR Construction, to clear hurricane debris from Hitchcock Woods.
Burnett said community involvement appears especially important to younger employees, those who will be the company’s workforce for the future.
“So many younger people, not only do they go to work and leave, but they’re feeling supported in things that are interesting to them. They’re feeling like their company prioritizes giving back,” she explained. “There’s more than one bottom line in situations like this, and so when we look at companies who prioritize community engagement, their retention is higher, their morale is better. So overall, they’re getting a much better all-around employee.”
Businesses that also engage with smaller nonprofit organizations have an impact on grassroots community needs.
“They’re literally supporting a very small part of the USA, directly in their hometown, where their friends and their families and their coworkers are all living and working,” said Danielle Williams, Executive Director of Day One Fitness. “It’s a resource that they’re helping keep open to the direct public, and you never know when somebody down the line from that facility may need our services.”
At Aurubis, the program that champions community involvement is called “Together We Care.” It includes focusing on environmental protection, education, and the circular economy at the local, national, international, and employee levels.
Later this year, Meta will launch the Meta Data Center Community Action Grants program.
“This program provides grants for short-term, high-impact projects that address needs that align with our focus areas in metadata center communities,” said Warren.
Follow the Aiken Data Center’s progress on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AikenDataCenter
