New Holland Brewing Company (NHBC) has been growing and giving in West Michigan for 24 years. The company opened its first brewpub in Holland in 1997. In the years since, New Holland has expanded to offer national distribution, created a line of spirits, opened two additional tasting rooms, and a brewpub in Grand Rapids. Today, Brett VanderKamp, CEO and Founder, and Matthew (Matt) Hoeksema, President, lead a team of nearly 250 employees towards a collective mission of enhancing the quality of people’s lives and creating savored moments.
As NHBC experienced incredible growth, CEO/owner Brett VanderKamp spearheaded an initiative to name the six corporate values: we believe, we engage, we own, we lead, we act with integrity, and we care. More recently, NHBC leadership was intentional about seeking and distilling feedback on those six values from a wide range of team members, understanding that their corporate values needed to reflect the entire team. “It has been key that we also align our growth principles with our corporate values,” Kelli Cavasin, Vice President of People and Culture said. “We look to our values as a north star in every decision we make – whether it’s how we expand our business footprint, how we hire, or how we engage with our community.”
Community mindedness has been at the heart of New Holland’s operations since the beginning. Their corporate giving takes a few different forms – donations of product, sharing their time and talents, and financial contributions. To respond to these requests, a giving committee was formed, and is comprised of a group of team members who review requests and bring new opportunities to the table. In 2022, New Holland Brewing plans to expand the giving committee and have representation from each area of the company. The committee’s guiding principle is to partner with organizations that through their own missions are working to enhance the quality of people’s lives. Community Action House, Samaritas, and Kids’ Food Basket are among their recent nonprofit partners.
“Our biggest asset is our people and our time,” said Matt. “One of the most meaningful things we’ve done as a company recently was help pack and deliver holiday meals with Community Action House. We could see the exact way in which our time was contributing to enhancing the quality of lives.”
To provide structure for their financial gifts, NHBC established a corporate Donor Advised Fund at CFHZ. “A lot of companies manage their giving with a checkbook approach. You get a great request, and it fits your philanthropic goals, but then you have to figure out if you have the resources to respond,” said Matt. “Our Donor Advised Fund helps us manage that, we can make steady contributions to the fund and distributions to nonprofits, and the administrative side is taken care of by CFHZ staff.”
The challenging events of the past 18 months highlighted another benefit to NHBC’s fund. “Part of us being true to our commitment to give back is making sure we move forward at a sustainable level,” said Kelli.
“Our Donor Advised Fund allows us to manage giving through seasons of hardship by growing our fund when times are good and counting on those resources to maintain our commitment to the community even when times are difficult.”
“The partnership with CFHZ and establishing our Donor Advised Fund has been seamless,” said Matt. “Our mission to enhance the quality of people’s lives aligns well with the services the Community Foundation offers, and we’re proud to work with them to help our community thrive.”
Donor Advised Funds (DAF) continue to be the fastest growing giving vehicle in the nation. Click here to learn some of the reasons why donors should consider using a DAF for their charitable giving.
