Dedicated Commercial Recovery Inc. has now fed one million children. Through a three-year partnership with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), Dedicated has now donated one million meals to children across the globe. Dedicated's founder and CEO, Shawn Smith, hopes that the company's philanthropic business practices will inspire others to incorporate similar practices into their own daily operations.
The one millionth meal marks a major milestone in the company's mission to use debt collection as a force for good. Smith incorporated charitable giving into daily operations soon after the company’s 2015 inception. First, the company donated one meal for every account that was collected by Dedicated's specialists. Soon after, the company expanded this goal to include one meal donated for every collections account that was placed with the company. Along the way, the company made seasonal and other donations.
Today, Dedicated donates 10 meals for every account that is placed by a client, 10 meals for every new arrangement that is negotiated by a collector and 10 meals for each day that is worked by every non-collector on staff. Dedicated also sponsors FMSC’s Annual Gala and Pack at the Park events. In addition, Dedicated has integrated charitable giving into its Legal Path Program and its equipment finance services.
Of course, this approach to business doesn’t go without drawing its share of skepticism.
“Even in years where profit is down, I believe there is still space to give. There is always a way to live and operate generously. Do some people think I’m crazy? I’m sure of it,” said Smith. “But leading with our values has brought our company growth and employee excellence since day one.”
Smith explained he intends to lead by generous example in an industry that is caricatured for its miserly and aggressive behavior.
“We’re using perhaps the most stereotyped industry in the world to demonstrate that any business–even a collections company–can be a force for good,” said Smith.
Dedicated employees, their families, and their friends volunteer with FMSC multiple times per year, packing the meals that will be shipped out to hungry children. And while one million meals is a huge milestone, the Dedicated team has their sights set on donating an additional 1 million meals within the next 12 months. To learn more about the Dedicated mission, visit here.