Jeroen Koks

About a year and a half ago, Jeroen Koks made the switch from a non-profit organization with 20 employees to NN, a multinational with almost a thousand times as many colleagues. Yet, he is now doing pretty much the same thing: inspiring and facilitating people to contribute to society. As a Community Manager within the Community Investment team, he connects NN's social partners with colleagues who want to contribute to society. ‘So far, about 1,500 of the 8,000 employees in the Netherlands have signed up on our new volunteer platform. I’m really proud of that, and at the same time, I'm super motivated to get that number even higher.’

The Community Investment program was an important reason for Jeroen to start working at NN. ‘What appealed to me was that contributing to society is an important part of the company’s strategy. This is also reflected in the goal to positively impact the well-being of 1 million people in the countries where NN is active in financial, physical and mental areas between 2022 and 2025. For example, by financially supporting social organizations and working together to make a bigger impact. But also by offering employees the opportunity to spend part of their working hours on volunteering for these organizations. I think it’s great that everyone here has the opportunity to contribute to a social cause during working hours."

Connecting and inspiring
In this regard, Jeroen plays a central connecting role from the Community Investment team. ‘In the Netherlands, we collaborate with more than 40 social partners. Think of organizations like Stichting Jarige Job, Nationaal Ouderenfonds, Oranjefonds, Linda Foundation, Stichting Schuldhulpmaatje, and Stichting Present. I am in contact with these organizations about volunteer projects and events, and I try to get colleagues engaged via our internal communication channels. Additionally, we have a platform where colleagues can sign up as volunteers and also respond to specific vacancies and projects. 

800 volunteers in one week
The highlight of the year for Jeroen is the NN Volunteer Week, which takes place every year. ‘In that week, we really put volunteer work in the spotlight, especially for colleagues who haven’t done this before. We work closely with our social partners and come up with fun and creative activities to get as many employees involved as possible. In a previous edition of the NN Volunteer Week, no less than 800 colleagues participated, by packing birthday boxes during a packing marathon, doing social activities with elderly people, or raising money during the NN Charity Run."

Half-year mentorship
Asked about his personal experiences as a volunteer, Jeroen passionately talks about his role as a mentor, which he fulfilled for six months through Emma at Work. ‘This organization supports people with chronic physical conditions in finding suitable work. I was paired with Joeri to explore what he would enjoy and how he could use his own network. We met about twice a month, sometimes online and other times at the library or at the Central Station. The beauty of it is that I learned a lot from it myself, especially in terms of coaching and listening more carefully to what someone really has to say. As a mentor, you don’t just give, you also get something out of it. And that’s true in a broader sense for volunteering. Research shows that volunteering has positive effects on the development of social skills, as well as on employee engagement and pride. It’s really a classic win-win.’

Warm welcome
Jeroen has now worked at NN for about a year and a half, after working for five years at a small-scale foundation. A big transition, which he found quite exciting at first. ‘A corporate company with 16,000 employees is obviously very different from the organization with 20 people I came from. I didn’t really have an image of what to expect beforehand. Would it be too formal, too business-oriented, or too career-driven for me? But it’s turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Of course, it's a big organization, but I really landed in a warm and welcoming environment, with many wonderful colleagues who support each other and are highly driven to achieve the best possible results together. So, my initial assumptions were completely wrong.’