Paragon One is a team out of MIT (and Y-Combinator) that facilitates remote Externships to empower your employees to launch strategic projects with diverse students at scale without burdening teams and budgets.

We’re profiling industry leaders to gather their insights into the transforming worlds of DEI, social impact, and brand elevation. 

Jennifer McFarren leads Navy Federal Credit Union’s corporate social responsibility strategy and elevates their Navy Federal Serves brand that contributes to their mission causes and communities. Prior to joining Navy Federal, her experience includes over 15 years in the nonprofit, community & economic development, and corporate social responsibility sectors. Most recently, Jennifer served as the Executive Director of the Gulf Power Foundation, where she transformed the company’s corporate philanthropy strategy to an impact investment model. In 2014, she completed a national fellowship for educational attainment through the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. Jennifer was named Businesswoman of the Year by the Junior League of Pensacola in 2019. Her passion for service is anchored in her long-term involvement serving on numerous boards: as a Big Sister and executive committee board member with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida, Achieve Escambia and United Way of Florida’s ALICE advisory committee. 

What is the most personally-gratifying aspect of working within Social Impact? What motivates you to remain in the social impact field?

There are two things that come to mind when reflecting on the most gratifying aspect of working with social impact: the deep sense of purpose and passion I have for my work, and how intellectually challenging it is.

In my current social impact role, I love to see how our team members exercise our core value of “championing community," which looks like:

1. Connecting with team members
2. Connecting with veterans
3. Connecting with the broader community

People often think that careers in social impact are “fuzzy and warm.”  While it’s a deep honor to work in a space that drives positive change, you must be incredibly strategic. Working in social impact within the private sector requires practitioners to function as intrapreneurs to influence and engage stakeholders and create meaningful programs that align with business strategies.  

In my current social impact role, I love to see how our team members exercise our core value of “championing community” every day as they serve our members and communities. It’s incredibly gratifying to witness how social impact programs deeply connect our team members to our mission of serving the military and veteran community as well as their own communities where they live and serve.

I’m motivated to remain in the social impact field because of the ever-changing landscape. It's evolving to focus more on outcomes and integration of diversity, equity and inclusion, and environmental social governance. Therefore, no day is the same!

Why are some Fortune 1000 brands appealing to early-career Gen Z professionals more than other brands?

‍

"Gen Z is looking for the full package when it comes to an employer. They expect companies to authentically walk the walk as positive corporate citizens. Gen Z professionals want to work for companies that uphold good ethics, and sustainable practices and align with their values."

‍

They’re laser-focused on the authenticity of brands and ensuring that actions speak louder than words. They want to see companies fully demonstrate their commitment to societal challenges. To attract and retain Gen Z talent, brands must be focused and intentional about supporting causes that they’re uniquely positioned to act on.

We’re proud to be an employer of choice through Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, and we’re activating our value proposition for our next generation of team members, which includes a variety of growth, development, and upskilling opportunities. 

Why do you sense the Fortune 1000, as a whole, is seeing lower employee engagement numbers than in previous years?

We’re navigating through a new era of attention economy after the pandemic. With limited time, people are more selective about what they participate in and engage with. After navigating through deep loss and isolation, people have shifted their priorities and perspective.  

At Navy Federal, our overall employee engagement has remained high – for a variety of reasons but notably anchored in our deeply rooted culture of service and member-centric mission of fostering financial health and well-being for the military, veterans, and their families. Our members are the mission, and many of our employees are members themselves. So, there's a unique sense of ownership in everything we do to serve. And we know that our ability to provide superior member service is a direct reflection of our employees feeling that same level of service and support in the workplace.

To drive deeper engagement through corporate social responsibility, we’ve become more focused on the “why” behind serving in our communities. Giving back is an additive that connects people more closely to one another, our communities, and causes that align with our business purpose – serving and supporting the military & veteran community.  

We’ve seen a significant increase in participation in our corporate social responsibility programs. In 2022, participation in our paid volunteer leave program doubled from 2021 with 28% of our team members engaging in those opportunities. We also had a 200% increase in participation in other give-back events & campaigns, which focused on supporting our military community. We know that team members who participate in our programs are genuinely connected to one another, our mission, and our culture of service. 

What’s the most essential CSR focus you see across the next 5 years for any brand in the Fortune 1000?

Integration and alignment of CSR strategy into company purpose. CSR can no longer be a chart of activities and outputs (transactional philanthropic giving, generic volunteer events, etc.) that loosely tie to company purpose. CSR must be integrated into the company's purpose and values for it to be truly authentic.

As a not-for-profit, member-owned, and governed company that has always been focused on serving the military community, Navy Federal Credit Union has been a socially responsible company since our origins. It’s natural for us to integrate CSR activities into our culture and purpose because it’s who we’ve always been and will be.

Social impact professionals need to carefully focus on integrating CSR into company purpose, while also curating programs that empower employee choice in service and giving.

At Navy Federal, that means wholly integrating our focus on the military community and financial wellness, as well as providing personalized and customizable opportunities for team members to give back in their local communities through causes that matter to them.

How is your company leveraging volunteerism or mentorship opportunities throughout your team to deliver CSR value?

Through force multiplication. Our volunteer leaders are the driving force behind our volunteer program and key enablers of our CSR value. We have hundreds of engaged volunteer leaders that bring our volunteer programs to life daily. Let me share a few examples.

Our Community Service Council has representation in each geographic space and department across the enterprise. They’re our boots on the ground where we serve. They’re the most passionate, dedicated leaders I’ve ever had the honor of working with.  They’re identifying volunteer opportunities with local 501(c)(3) nonprofits that meet the specific needs of our communities and interests of our team members. 

Our School Partnerships Program facilitates meaningful mentoring programs with students in our key campus communities of Pensacola, FL; Winchester and Vienna, VA. We integrate career exploration, financial education, professional skills and so much more into each of our programs with the goal of preparing students for success beyond graduation. We’re also excited to highlight the many career pathways at Navy Federal and continue to develop our talent pipeline. We’re so grateful to have strong partnerships with incredible organizations, like Big Brothers Big Sisters, Junior Achievement, and many more!

All of this delivers on a mutually beneficial CSR value of improving outcomes in our communities and in the lives of our team members. 

Explore the Next Era of Social Impact

To discuss how your social impact priorities could be transformed through the Paragon One externship, talk to us. 

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates on the latest in CSR, social responsibility, and corporate leadership news and events.

There are two things that come to mind when reflecting on the most gratifying aspect of working with social impact: 

1. The deep sense of purpose and passion I have for my work. 
2. How intellectually challenging it is

‍