Volunteering at Travelers: Nick Jones with Junior Achievement

Tell us about yourself. What is your title and what do you do in your role?

I’m a Sr. Consultant for Business Performance Analytics on our Workers Compensation Claim Product team. I leverage our claim data to create analytics tools for the product team and our various business partners, assist management with monitoring our key performance indicators and outcomes and support broader product initiatives. Examples of those broader initiatives would be new workflows that we’re exploring or predictive models that we’re developing to create efficiencies and assist our claim staff in achieving optimal outcomes on our claims.

It’s a pretty wide array of work. Sometimes it’s a relatively quick task like querying our data tables to generate a short list of claims that someone is looking for and other times I’m working on complex team projects that go on for several months.

How did you first get involved in volunteer work?

I was inspired to volunteer because helping other people is my way of paying it forward. There’s a lot of people who helped me get to where I am personally and professionally, and I don’t forget that.

I started volunteering early in my tenure with Travelers. I had friends here who recruited me to join them in some of our local Junior Achievement USA events, the nation’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future and make smart academic and economic choices. I spent a lot of time working with kids and young adults in some jobs I had prior to my time at Travelers so working with Junior Achievement seemed like a good fit for me. I also thought it would be a great way for me to connect with my coworkers outside of our daily routine while making a positive impact on our community. I’ve met a lot of coworkers who work in departments that I typically don’t interact with in my role so there’s been a professional networking aspect to it that I didn’t anticipate. That’s been an unexpected bonus.

You do most of your volunteer work with Junior Achievement. Why are you passionate about this cause?

I enjoy working with Junior Achievement because they do a great job of helping students learn essential life skills in a creative, engaging environment. I believe their mission to prepare young people to succeed in areas like financial literacy and entrepreneurship is a really worthy cause. I wish I had that available to me when I was a student.

Can you describe the volunteer work you do?

My volunteer work is primarily broken down into two different Junior Achievement programs: The Discovery Center and 3DE.

The Discovery Center is a one-day volunteer event where we help in facilitating a simulation for middle school students participating on that day. For example, during the Finance Park simulation, students are assigned a random “life situation” which includes being assigned an education level, salary, credit score and family scenario. They spend the day living out that life scenario, learning how to budget for various items – housing, food, transportation. They also learn about loans and credit. As volunteers, we facilitate discussions at the various storefronts to help the students navigate their unique scenario and understand the implications of their decisions.

3DE is a multi-week project that involves multiple volunteer sessions to help high school students work through a larger group project. Travelers and 3DE by Junior Achievement, a program dedicated to re-engineering high school education nationwide, collaborate to present the students with a case challenge in which the students work together over the course of five weeks to solve a real business problem. As volunteers, we will go to the school and meet with the groups to answer questions, give feedback on early drafts of their presentation and help them round out their solution. On the final week, we’ll return to the school to judge the presentations and select a winning team. Additionally, I serve as the 3DE lead for my local field office, so I work with 3DE to develop the case challenge and organize our volunteer efforts each year.

What impact do you feel your volunteer work has on the community?

I think the work we do with Junior Achievement really helps cultivate financial literacy, big picture thinking, and high-level problem solving. These are essential skills that everyone needs to develop as they prepare for adulthood. The impact won’t be seen immediately, but it will positively influence students and our broader community for years to come. Outside of that skill-building, I like to think that we’re also building a stronger sense of community. We’re working with teachers and students in schools close to our office, in the communities where many of our employees reside. We’re making meaningful connections with people we might not otherwise meet.

How has volunteering influenced your personal or professional growth?

Professionally, it has helped me develop leadership and communication skills. It gives me an opportunity to work on things like public speaking and leadership influence. These are skills that are transferrable to a lot of different roles within the company. There’s also the networking component I mentioned earlier.

Personally, I appreciate it a little more each year. I mentioned earlier the idea of paying it forward. The further I get in life, the stronger I feel about that because I can look back and see more moments where someone volunteered their time or other resources to help me. I’m also a parent now and can picture my own kids eventually being one of those students in need of a volunteer.

How do you balance your volunteer work with your professional responsibilities?

I view it as part of my professional responsibilities. It’s just like any other meeting or commitment I would have here. It comes down to planning ahead, managing my calendar and prioritizing my work appropriately so that I can be available to participate in these volunteer efforts when they come up.

How does the company support your volunteer efforts?

The company is great about communicating when volunteer opportunities are available, but it goes beyond that. Our leadership team leads by example by volunteering and encouraging everyone else to do the same. My manager is an active volunteer and he’s always been very supportive of me participating as well.

Additionally, the company supports volunteering by providing rewards dollars for the hours I spend volunteering. Once my volunteer hours are logged, the company provides me with rewards dollars that can be allocated to a partner organization of my choosing through the Travelers Community Connections site.

Do you have any touching/memorable moments from volunteering that you wish to share?

There is one moment that happens every time I volunteer at the Junior Achievement Discovery Center, and it never gets old. By the end of the simulation exercise there is at least one student that says, “Wow, my parents do all this stuff? That’s a lot!” It’s really cool to see that “ah-ha” moment where they have a newfound appreciation for the parental figures in their life.

Do you have any future plans or goals related to your volunteer work?

I plan to continue my work with Junior Achievement. Each year we challenge ourselves to improve our 3DE case challenge and find new ways to make the experience meaningful for the students and volunteers.

Outside of my formal volunteer work through Travelers, I have some personal volunteering I’d like to expand on. My 5-year-old son started playing hockey and I’m part of a group of parents that volunteer to run weekly practices. It’s enjoyable to see how quickly all the kids learn and how much fun they have out there. I’m looking forward to continuing that this year.

What advice would you give to someone interested in starting volunteer work?

Sometimes it can be a little intimidating or uncomfortable to try something new, but it’s easy once you try it. Start by finding an organization that shares your values and interests. That makes it easier to have confidence about the skills and knowledge you can offer as a volunteer.

Also, while it’s certainly great to volunteer in a formal capacity with an established non-profit, keep in mind that there are many other volunteer opportunities that present themselves every day. Sometimes volunteering can be coaching your child’s sports team or helping your HOA board members with a weekend project in your neighborhood. Plug in wherever you feel comfortable, it’ll be worth it!