Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota recently wrapped up its annual Community Giving Campaign, with more than $860,000 pledged in support of approximately 600 charities across the state.

The Community Giving Campaign is Blue Cross’ largest annual workplace giving program. A voluntary opportunity built on choice, the campaign empowers employees to direct their financial donations in support of causes and local nonprofits that are most important to them.

Sara Hreha, the chief actuary at Blue Cross who served as a co-chair of this year’s campaign, says it was a privilege to give and serve alongside her colleagues.

“I love hearing what my coworkers are passionate in supporting,” Hreha says. “Each of us is so much more than the work we do in our ‘day jobs.’ It’s through these conversations that I come to understand and appreciate my coworkers all the more, as well as learn about other perspectives and cultures.”

This year, Blue Cross and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation selected seven featured nonprofits that closely align with its strategic commitments  to advance racial and health equity. The Foundation matched pledges to the seven featured nonprofits at 100 percent and to all other eligible charities at 50 percent.

Blue Cross Chief Experience Officer Matt Hunt feels a personal connection to the campaign which drew him to serve as a co-chair.

“Raised for over a decade by a single mother, I know how impactful the support is from some of these programs,” he said.

Hunt added that he has actively supported fundraising campaigns for the last 20 years, giving him valuable insights into the importance of such efforts.

“What I did not understand when I was younger is that these campaigns are critical to help organizations raise funds without having to hire expensive fundraising staff,” Hunt says. “In some cases, community giving funds allow organizations to focus their staff on other fundraising programs like grants from philanthropies.  These community giving campaigns are essential to the operational support of the receiving organizations.”

Giving back to the community has long been a critical part of the Blue Cross culture, with more than 80 percent of associates participating in the 2024 campaign.

Learn more about the 2024 featured nonprofits

• Apple Tree Dental
• CLUES – Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio  
• Hmong American Farmers Association
• NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
• Native American Community Clinic
• Northland Foundation Inc.
• Seed Community Fund/Roots Birth Center and Family Wellness