Corporate Partner Spotlight: Federated Insurance
When you ask people in the Minnesota mentoring community about the state’s biggest mentoring champions, one company’s name might resurface time and time again: that of Owatonna-based Federated Insurance, one of the nation’s largest mutual insurance companies. For decades, Federated Insurance has demonstrated its commitment to advancing opportunities for young people in Minnesota and beyond through its support of, and belief in, the power of mentoring.
Federated Insurance’s mentoring story began on the local level when the company began supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies in Minnesota. In 2005, the company launched the Federated Challenge, a signature two-day gala and golf event which, at its inception, supported the youth mentoring and educational programs of Minnesota’s Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies. Since then, the Federated Challenge has raised more than $52 million and has expanded its reach to now also provide support for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. In addition to supporting the organizations themselves, the event helps to fund the Federated Challenge Scholarship program, which provides financial support to qualified Littles or high school Bigs enrolled in a non-four-year program focusing on apprenticeship, certificate, trade school, technical, or community college.
Federated Insurance’s Chairman, Jeff Fetters, has been instrumental in leading the company’s efforts to support mentoring. When asked why he feels mentoring is important, Fetters says, “Federated’s core principles and values focus on the next generation, which are ingrained in our beliefs and our everyday actions. We carry those beliefs into our corporate philanthropic efforts. When you are a mentor, you are investing in the most precious resource we have: our youth and our future.”
In many ways, Fetters’ journey in the mentoring world has mirrored that of the company he leads. He first became involved in mentorship on a personal level when he and his late wife, Marty, began serving as a “Big Couple” to an eleven-year-old named Mackenzie through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Minnesota. The couple stayed by Mackenzie’s side through her formative years, nurturing her love of cooking and encouraging her when she graduated from high school, entered culinary school, and eventually became a chef. Jeff Fetters later served a term on the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Board of Directors, where he was able to bring his vision and guidance to the national arm of the organization that invigorated his passion for mentoring.
In addition to supporting MENTOR National, Federated Insurance has also been a valued partner of MENTOR Minnesota since 2003. The company was an early investor in mentoring quality assessments in the state and has continued to provide support for MENTOR Minnesota’s work ever since. MENTOR Minnesota Executive Director Sarah Schaefer comments,
“Federated Insurance is a model for ethical philanthropy. For close to 25 years, Federated has trusted their investment in MENTOR Minnesota because they believe in, and see, the positive impacts of mentoring in community. Few funders have championed mentoring with such trust and compassion for youth development professionals, and it’s because of the foundation’s unwavering support of local change-making that MENTOR Minnesota has had the capacity to innovate around service delivery and enhance program quality.
Federated truly invests in what they believe in, and that’s healthy communities for young people. They are committed to growing and learning in order to support community work more effectively.”
Federated Insurance’s example illustrates how members of a company’s leadership team can set the tone for the company’s overall priorities, and it’s clear that a commitment to mentoring runs deep throughout the Federated Insurance culture as a whole. More than 150 Federated employees currently serve as Bigs in Minnesota communities, and in addition, many more assist in planning the Federated Challenge each year. Additionally, employees teach financial literacy in classrooms through Junior Achievement, work with eMentors to provide career guidance via email, and teach “scratch programming” at local elementary schools to introduce students to technical and analytical skills.
In recognition of its deep and continued commitment to mentoring, Federated Insurance has been named to MENTOR’s National Corporate Mentoring Honor Roll every year since 2017. The National Corporate Mentoring Honor Roll, first launched by First Lady Michelle Obama in 2011, recognizes outstanding corporations across the United States that support the youth mentoring field. Companies on the Honor Roll have demonstrated their support of quality mentoring in a variety of ways, and since its creation corporate engagement in youth mentoring has grown to reflect a broad range of innovations and strategies all working to connect youth to social and economic opportunities and build a strong 21st century workforce.
Year after year, Federated Insurance’s mentoring impact has grown in ways big and small. With each new employee who signs up to volunteer as a mentor, each increasingly successful Federated Challenge, and each gift in support of mentoring, the company has ensured its mentoring legacy will be felt across Minnesota and the country for generations to come.