CorTrust Bank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has turned “casual Fridays” into a rally for community causes. Through the CorTrust Cares Jeans Day initiative, employees of the $1.5 billion-asset bank can wear jeans on Fridays if they make a charitable donation.
Each month, Jeans Day donations go toward one nonprofit chosen by Jeans Day committee leaders who identify causes that align with the bank’s values. Since its rollout, the initiative has raised $40,846, including $17,425 in 2024 alone.
“It definitely makes me so proud to work at a community bank and among colleagues who have such giving hearts,” said Hillary McQuade, vice president and director of marketing at CorTrust Bank. “That’s really one of the [values] of CorTrust Bank. … We really hope you believe it matters to give locally and to give to the places we call home.”
Following a series of mergers and acquisitions in 2018 and 2019, the community bank wanted to find a way to unite the bank and community. So, in early 2023, CorTrust started the CorTrust Cares Jeans Day initiative.
The program has made donations to local nonprofit Lanford Area Lunch Program, the Aberdeen Area Foster Closet and larger organizations like the Ronald McDonald House, but the bank’s support for these organizations extends beyond financial contributions. For instance, when an organization collects coats and mittens for winter, the community bank serves as a donation site, collecting items and providing staff with another way to give back. In some cases, CorTrust Bank has provided direct support to employees facing hardships, reflecting its culture of care and connection.
“We’re now a fourth-generation family-owned community bank, and when we say we treat people like family, we really do mean it,” McQuade said. “If someone of our own is going through a hardship, we want to step up and support them.”
