Employee spotlights

Making a greater impact on our communities, together

July 01 2025

Picking up trash on the beach. Knitting items for donation. Building sets for community theater. Joining 50+ coworkers to package meals for food insecure families.

These are just a few of the ways our employees invest time in their communities. And added together, they make a big impact.

Hear how five employees lean into flexibility, maximize donation matches, and turn their volunteer hours into dollars they can give to causes they care about most.

Helping employees maximize their impact

Principal® offers the schedule flexibility and paid volunteer time off employees need to get involved in their communities.

Principal® Foundation offers matching programs to help financially support employees’ passions, including:

·        Donation matches

·        Board membership match    

·        Dollars for Doers, a program that turns volunteer hours into real money employees can donate to a cause of their choice

Bekah, account management strategist

Work passion: Streamlining creative processes

Volunteer passion: Knitting items for donation

Knitting with a greater purpose

Every Tuesday over lunch, I meet with coworkers to knit/crochet various items for donation—scarves, hats, gloves, dish towels, washcloths, blankets. The pieces created in our group, Love and Stiches, are beautiful. (Many of them I would buy in a store.) It’s not just about providing clothing to others; it’s about providing dignity in clothing that’s beautiful and thoughtful.

Doubling my impact

I donate funds I earn through my hours knitting to the nonprofit childcare center that my children attend. It feels like a way to double my time.

Bekah knitting a scarf for donation

Leaning into flexibility

Volunteering is an important part of our culture. I feel empowered to make time to give back during the workday. The Principal Community Relations team provides our group with a space to gather, and whenever I leave to go to Love in Stitches, my leaders and teammates are supportive.

Chris, marketing operations lead strategist

Work passion: Forging connections between people and technology

Volunteer passion: Keeping her local beach clean and safe

Taking intentional walks along the beach

Before logging in to work, I walk a mile-and-a-half-stretch of Fort Myers Beach picking up debris. It gives me the opportunity to exercise, act as a beach ambassador, and make a difference. After Hurricane Ian devastated our island in 2022, each subsequent storm (and even high tide) has continued to bring in an assortment of items back onto the beach—from small items like DVDs and shoes to larger items like mattresses and pool furniture.  

Helping people and sea creatures enjoy the beach

Our beach is our backyard, and we need to keep it clean and safe to be a viable place to live and visit—for humans and all creatures. A number of endangered shore birds and sea turtles nest on our beach each year. A lot of the debris can be very hazardous to them if they ingest it, get tangled in it, or run into it.

Chris picking up debris along Fort Myers Beach

Chris picking up debris along Fort Myers Beach

Doubling my impact

People on the island find it hard to believe Principal® and Principal® Foundation offer such generous matching/volunteer reward programs. I max out my volunteer rewards dollars every year and contribute those funds to nonprofits on Fort Myers Beach, helping extend relief these organizations provide to those devastated by the hurricane, as well as helping these organizations get back on their own two feet.

Jim, senior infrastructure engineer

Work passion: Optimizing cloud cost efficiency

Volunteer passion: Keeping his community theater thriving

Bringing productions to life

As a volunteer for Carousel Theatre of Indianola, I take on a wide range of responsibilities that contribute to the success of each production and the overall operations. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that my time and skills—whether I’m balancing the books, building a set, or managing a show—help bring these productions to life.

Harnessing the power of community arts

Volunteering with the theater is more than just a commitment—it's a passion. I believe deeply in the power of live theatre to bring people together, tell stories that inspire, and create shared experiences that resonate far beyond the final curtain. Supporting community theatre means nurturing creativity, giving people of all ages a platform to express themselves, and keeping the arts vibrant and accessible in our local area.

Jim building a set for an upcoming production

Doubling my impact

I'm grateful to work for a company that supports and encourages community involvement. Work-life balance allows me flexibility to dedicate meaningful time to my volunteer role with Carousel Theatre without compromising my professional responsibilities. Principal Foundation also amplifies my efforts through Dollars for Doers—a generous initiative that directly benefits the theater. And they’ve donated equipment, helping ensure our productions have the tools and resources needed to succeed. Giving back to the community is not just encouraged—it's celebrated.

Amanda, assistant director of product management

Work passion: Creating seamless customer experiences

Volunteer passion: Supporting local teachers

Leading with appreciation

I manage the teacher appreciation committee for my local elementary school. We plan and execute activities for teachers and staff—from yoga sessions to breakfasts to donation drives for supplies. We also encourage students and families to share their gratitude during Teacher Appreciation Week.

Providing acts of service

As a child of an educator, recognizing the hard work, care, and human-shaping that happens in schools is intrinsic. I can't think of anything more important than finding ways to support teachers and staff. I enjoy trying to anticipate ways we can surprise and delight the teachers, especially during extra stressful times of the year.

Amanda (right) at her kids’ elementary school with fellow Principal employees and committee members

Amanda (right) at her kids’ elementary school with fellow Principal employees and committee members

Leaning into flexibility

Principal supports my need for flexibility. I’ve dropped off fruit for a yogurt bar while listening to a trends call and organized a committee meeting between work meetings. It’s also easy to tap into my professional network: Two committee members work with me at Principal.

Holly, product manager

Work passion: Boosting confidence that retirement savings will last

Volunteer passion: Giving cats good homes

Helping cats and kittens thrive

As a volunteer for the Animal Rescue League of Iowa and a founder of the nonprofit Cat Care Network, I foster kittens, trap community cats for spay/neuter, and provide food, supplies, education, and crisis support to help low-income owners keep their cats.

Connecting through a love of animals

Our shared love of pets can span across language barriers and political, class, race, age, and religious differences. My passion for cats has been an entry point to connecting with many incredible people. And, of course, so many pets need help, especially now as shelters are overflowing and struggling for funding.

Holly holding a rescued kitten named Yzma

Holly holding a rescued kitten named Yzma

Doubling my impact

I deeply appreciate Principal and the Principal Foundation supporting so many ways to help our local, national, and global communities. Their generous board match was a great incentive to create my own nonprofit. The Dollars for Doers program offered by the Principal Foundation has helped finance hundreds of spay/neuter surgeries. And the generous donor match helps further support causes important to me.

Find your next career passion at Principal.

And we'll support your volunteer passions.

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