Business executives say they only see the positives in encouraging their employees to get involved in the community by volunteering.

"I can't see any downside," says Carol Brady, firm administrator at Beach, Fleischman & Co., a Leading Edge Alliance firm. "We encourage volunteerism.

"It's part of orientation and it's across the board, from partners and managers to administrative staff," she notes.

John Kunitzer, president and CEO of Yeo & Yeo, a Leading Edge Alliance firm, says promoting volunteerism comes from the top. "It's handed down one generation to the next," he says, noting Yeo & Yeo has been active in the community for 82 years.

Kunitzer says creating a volunteering culture comes from not only talking about its importance but doing it. "It's a real firm belief that it feels really good giving back to the community," he says.

Volunteering is a built-in expectation, Kunitzer notes.

Both Kunitzer and Brady say volunteering takes on many forms-from sitting on boards of organizations to giving time and money to a particular effort.

At Main Street Gourmet, co-CEO Steve Marks combines his business' products directly with the community service needs. He helped create the Muffins for Mammograms program with Akron (Ohio) General Hospital. Main Street bakes and donates its muffins to the hospital to sell. The proceeds go to pay for mammograms for women who are not able to afford them.

"It's actually saved lives," Marks says.

"Giving back to the community is the right thing to do," he says. "It makes strong business sense."

Marks understands first hand the importance of connecting community service to good business. He is the founder of the Akron Marathon, which requires corporate sponsors and 2,500 volunteers to produce.

"When I raise money for the marathon, I ask, 'what would the donor want?' from a marketing standpoint, not necessarily a philanthropic one," he says.

That approach stems from being inundated with donation requests himself at Main Street Gourmet, a client of Leading Edge Alliance firm SS&G Financial Services.

Both Brady and Kunitzer understand the challenge of so many requests for charitable contributions. Each follows a general plan in determining to whom to donate, which primarily centers around those activities in which their employees are involved.

"We have a lot of people involved," Kunitzer says. "We try to mix it up and spread it around."

Brady says her firm supports organizations rather than individual events, and 90 percent of its approved requests come from within the firm.

"We like the fact that we can promote the wonderful firm reputation in the community," she says.

Marks says his Main Street Gourmet employees frequently offer their time without ever being asked. "I didn't consciously build it. I found the right people to hire, good people who have a good work ethic and have a good conscience," he explains.

Kunitzer also says having the right people on board for the company overall sustains the volunteer culture as well.

"We're a good corporate citizen," he says. Last year, Yeo & Yeo won the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce Community Service Award.

It's the little stories in which Kunitzer also finds rewards. When the United Way pledges came in one year, he noticed a pledge from a single, divorced mom. Knowing of her struggles, he was surprised at the generous amount and made a point of recognizing her.

"We don't do it for recognition, but it's nice to be recognized. We're not strong-arming employees. We're a committed culture," he says. e