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Contact

Dina Horwedel, Director of Public Education, American Indian College Fund
303-426-8900, dhorwedel@collegefund.org

Colleen R. Billiot, Public Education Coordinator, American Indian College Fund
720-214-2569, cbilliot@collegefund.org

THE DENVER POST NAMES THE AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND A WINNER OF THE COLORADO TOP WORKPLACES 2020 AWARD

Denver, Colo., September 9, 2020 — The American Indian College Fund was awarded a Top Workplaces 2020 honor by The Denver Post for the second year in a row. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage, LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures 15 drivers of engaged workplace cultures that are critical to the success of any organization, including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.

For more than a decade, the Top Workplaces award has helped organizations stand out among their competitors to attract talent,” said Eric Rubino, CEO of Energage. “This differentiation is more important than ever in today’s tight labor market. Establishing a continuous conversation with employees so you have a deep understanding of your unique culture is proven to help achieve higher referral rates, lower employee turnover, and double the employee engagement levels. No longer is recognition simply a much-deserved cause for celebration, but it’s fast becoming mission-critical to establish a competitive advantage for recruitment and retention.

Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, said, “The College Fund team is an amazing group of individuals who share the vision of educational success and community wellness with the students and colleges that we serve. The team acts intentionally and thoughtfully with a focus on how they can do their best. Being recognized by our team as a top workplace is really a testament to their talents. I want to thank them for their creativity, commitment, and caring behaviors. Also thank you to the Denver Post for providing this pathway to recognition.”

The honor is even more pertinent now as the College Fund works to continue its employee engagement and other priorities to ensure staff members enjoy work-life balance and mental and physical health while working at home to ensure the safety and uninterrupted higher education of the Native communities they serve, which are at greater risk with regard to health and economic upset during the COVID-19 crisis.

Lisa Smith, Senior Director of Administrative Services, said, “We are honored to make it on the Denver Post’s Top Workplaces list for the second year in a row. This award is particularly gratifying because it is driven by employees and based on the trust and dialog we encourage every day at the College Fund. From social activities conducted by our Fund Employee Engagement Team to a full range of benefits and training, employees say they feel supported and respected so they can fully engage and carry forward our mission. We have even found creative ways like virtual happy hours, morning coffee chats, and the power of a lunch hour to stay connected in our new ‘virtual’ reality. We put a lens on the people we work with and serve, and it pays off in a strong organizational culture!”

About Energage—Energage, a certified B-corporation, offers web-based solutions and advisory services that help organizations recruit and retain the right talent. Home of Top Workplaces research, Energage offers solutions that collect, understand and amplify the voice of the employee, enabling organizations to reduce unwanted turnover, lower recruiting costs and increase retention. Based on more than 13 years of culture research, advanced comparative analytics, and patented algorithms trained on more than 20 million employees at 58,000 companies, Energage has isolated the 15 drivers of engaged cultures that are critical to the success of any organization. For more information, please visit energage.com.

About the American Indian College Fund—Founded in 1989, the American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 30 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and provided $7.72 million in scholarships to 3,900 American Indian students in 2018-19, with nearly 137,000 scholarships and community support totaling over $208 million since its inception. The College Fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs at the nation’s 35 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators and is one of the nation’s top 100 charities named to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org.

Reporters: The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund.

CONTACT:
Dina Horwedel
dhorwedel@collegefund.org, 303-430-5350

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