CCSD’s Employee Discount Program Working to Support Staff and Local Business
Staff Report From Charleston CEO
Thursday, August 23rd, 2018
Last year, CCSD’s administration held a series of teacher listening sessions during which participants shared ways the district could better serve employees. One issue, that was often mentioned, was the district’s educator discount program and how the program could be more beneficial to staff.
The administration responded with a redesigned program focused on increasing visibility and relevancy of discounts for employees. This strategy required transitioning to a local-driven approach to attract area businesses and organizations to participate.
In January, the redesigned platform launched with only a handful of local merchants. However, the look and feel was different, featuring a new internal website that was solely dedicated to communicating discounts and opportunities to staff, who could now easily access the site from the district’s employee portal. As the new program rollout progressed, employees began to take ownership in growing the initiative through internal leads and recommendations.
“The opportunity was there for improvement,” said Erica Taylor, Chief Strategy and Communications Officer. “The administration believed in the strategy. The concept was simple; we are not asking merchants to give our teachers free goods or services. We are offering businesses a chance to partner with CCSD in support of our educators. There is no cost for a business to participate, but they must offer our staff a discount along with quality service.”
The program has resonated with the community and grown to include close to fifty local businesses to support the 6,000 employees in the district. In the last week alone, M. Dumas & Sons, Wild Blue Ropes, Home Team BBQ, and the Charlotte Hornets have come aboard.
One beneficiary of the program has been the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission. Beth Kempton, CCPRC Group Sales & Sponsorship Coordinator, says, “I’m delighted to say CCSD has surpassed the company’s goal, which is already a 252% increase from 2017.”
“CCSD teachers do a wonderful job collaborating with other educators in the community,” added Taylor. “We are confident they will do the same thing in this situation to make the program successful. This will bridge a relationship between our employees and the district both internally and in the community.”