MetLife employees live our purpose by lending their business skills and enthusiasm to their communities through support for pro bono initiatives, mentoring and coaching, hands on projects that support communities and the environment.

Volunteering with purpose

MetLife’s second annual “Volunteering with Purpose: 90 Days of Giving” campaign encouraged employees globally to activate our purpose through community volunteering. Volunteer opportunities were designed to increase the impact and reach of nonprofit partners, with a focus on helping underserved communities and supporting our DEI focus areas of disability, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Some of our key partners included:

• Girls Who Code, To provide girls and young women with a unique blend of computer science, sisterhood, and a first-hand look into careers in technology;
• Room to Read, which transforms the lives of millions of children in low-income communities by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education;
• Special Olympics, which used the power of sport as a catalyst for inclusion for children and adults with intellectual disabilities; and
• Together We Rise to improve the lives of children in foster care.

In addition, MetLife volunteers partnered with food banks and other feeding programs to address the problem of food insecurity. In Florida, volunteers staffed a Feeding Tampa Bay event, distributing boxes of healthy, nutritious food to 6,000 neighbors. Volunteers in Greenville, South Carolina, continued their more than 25-year partnership with Meals on Wheels, providing food and interaction for homebound seniors.

Mentoring With Purpose

Education and engagement with caring adult role models can play an important role in increasing social capital and a sense of belonging, thereby driving economic mobility and reducing inequality. Here are a few examples of how MetLife and MetLife Foundation are driving mentorship opportunities around the world:

• Through partnerships with APIA Scholars, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, volunteers shared their educational and career journeys and helped students see the many paths to success.
  
• In partnership with American Corporate Partners, MetLife employees, including MetLife’s Chief Financial Officer, mentored veterans by helping them build their careers in the corporate world and ease the transition to the civilian force.
• MetLife Foundation is a longstanding partner of Junior Achievement Worldwide, one of the world’s largest organizations working to inspire and empower young people to succeed in a global economy. MetLife volunteers in 21 countries helped prepare youth for employment and entrepreneurship in 2021.
• As part of our month-long celebrations for Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Heritage Month, MetLife Foundation hosted two virtual workshops for MetLife employees to serve as mentors for public school students.

Skills-Based and Pro-Bonovolunteering

MetLife employees around the globe drive social impact through skills-based and pro bono volunteering, sharing their expertise in technology, legal and human resources, among other areas.

 MetLife Legal Affairs Department established its pro bono program in 2008  to provide our communities with legal as well as non-legal support, such as bankruptcy support and estate planning. Our mission is to build stronger communities and strengthen our workforce through pro bono and volunteer opportunities. The program fosters collaboration across Legal Affairs and attracts broad participation from the Legal and Compliance teams.

In addition, MetLife Foundation encourages skill-based volunteering in which employees live our purpose by lending their business skills and enthusiasm to their communities. Since 2016, MetLife Foundation and Taproot Foundation have offered “Opportunity Workshops,” which pair skilled employees with nonprofits who needsupport to develop approaches and solutions for issues critical to their day-to-day success.

In 2021, we partnered with Dell Technologies on two workshops, including the first-ever Opportunity Workshopin the U.K. and Ireland, bringing our companies’ best combined skillsets to the table.

Honoring the 9/11 20th anniversary (U.S.)

MetLife has a longstanding commitment to supporting 9/11 disaster recovery and honoring those who were lost in the attacks, including two MetLife employees.

Building on the $8 million the company has contributed to recovery efforts and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, MetLife Foundation made a series of contributions to commemorate the anniversary and educate new generations, while providing sustained safety and preparedness, and uniting America in service to communities:

• Support for 9/11 Day, a nonprofit that commemorated the anniversary through “Shine A Light,” a CNN broadcast and livestreamed concert, and other service initiatives and education;
• 9/11 Memorial and Museum “Never Forget Fund” to continue to educate and preserve the legacy of 9/11; and
• Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) Foundation to support training and equipment needs, as well as outreach, education, diversity recruitment and youth programs. 

MetLife employees in seven cities volunteered for the September 11 National Day of Service, packing healthy nonperishable meals which were distributed to local food banks.