From Green Spaces to a Great Workplace: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Volunteer Collaborates with Speak for the Trees to Strengthen Their Employee Handbook and Onboarding  

At Speak for the Trees (SFTT), growth isn’t just about roots and branches, it’s about people and purpose. This Boston-based nonprofit has made a name for itself by planting and distributing thousands of trees while driving environmental equity forward, one neighborhood at a time. Their work expands the tree canopy to heal historic inequities, safeguard health, and build climate resilience in communities disproportionately affected by climate change and redlining. Every initiative, from community tree plantings to policy advocacy, is a step toward rebuilding stronger, healthier, and more connected neighborhoods across Boston. 

So, when it came time to scale its internal operations, SFTT brought that same heart and strategy to its internal culture through a three-month advisory project powered by Common Impact and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross). The project involved Executive Director David Meshoulam, PhD, and Associate Director MarS McCormick of Speak for the Trees, in close collaboration with Underwriting Training Consultant Julia Nash of Blue Cross, who served as the volunteer. Together with project consultants from Common Impact, they planted the groundwork for a more inclusive, aligned, and resilient employee experience for SFTT through a skills-based volunteering (SBV) engagement. 

Partnering for Health and Environmental Equity 

Through SBV, the time and talent of Blue Cross employees are leveraged to support nonprofits tackling complex, mission-critical challenges. The program is part of Blue Cross’ broader Health Justice Partnership and Grant Program, which supports nonprofits through unrestricted funding, pro bono consulting, and long-term collaboration. For this project, Common Impact consultants first aligned Speak for the Trees’ mission with Blue Cross’ commitment to tackling the environmental and social drivers of health inequities, then matched the nonprofit’s business challenge with a volunteer whose skills could directly address their needs. 

The Need for Learning and Development

As the Speak for the Trees team grew, it became clear that the organization’s original employee handbook and onboarding process no longer reflected the complexity or values of its expanding structure.  

As MarS put it, the updated handbook is more than just a document, it’s a reflection of how far the organization has come and where it’s headed. MarS states, “this handbook was a key priority because, as a tool, it will be one of the first ways folx onboard into the organization, and those who are already at the organization gain more clarity on expectations and gain a greater sense of our culture.”  

Blue Cross and Common Impact matched Julia Nash with the SFTT team for this three-month, high-impact advisory engagement that began in the fall of 2023. Julia brought a wealth of experience in leadership coaching, training, onboarding, communication, and documentation, alongside a personal passion for environmental issues.  

“The mission of supporting green spaces in Greater Boston really resonated with me. It felt like a perfect alignment of values, and I was excited to collaborate with the SFTT team. It was fulfilling to help bring clarity to the handbook and ensure it aligned with the organization’s culture,” said Julia enthusiastically.  

Julia facilitated a culture and engagement report, gathering insights from SFTT staff around workplace experience, benefits, collaboration, and internal communication. This data and weekly collaborations with David and MarS helped shape an updated employee handbook and onboarding roadmap grounded in transparency, inclusion, and organizational alignment. 

A Two-Way Street: Growth for Volunteer and Organization 

While Julia’s work made a meaningful impact at Speak for the Trees, the experience also gave her space to stretch her leadership and apply her consulting skills in a fresh, mission-driven context outside her day-to-day role. The engagement deepened her ability to lead with empathy, communicate clearly, and translate strategic vision into actionable plans, all skills that directly contribute to her leadership at Blue Cross. 

Tangible Outcomes and Lasting Impact 

By February 2024, the project wrapped with measurable outcomes and a deeper internal alignment that reflected the same community-first values SFTT brings to its external work. 

David reflected on the tangible outcomes of the project, “Julia helped us see where our current systems were out of step with our aspirations and offered practical, thoughtful strategies to bridge that gap. We walked away with an updated handbook, a more inclusive approach to onboarding, and a clear implementation plan that supports our team members.” 

This engagement is a testament to what’s possible when nonprofits and corporate professionals unite with a shared commitment to impact. With Common Impact’s support, this project was thoughtfully scoped, strategically managed, and grounded in a collaborative spirit from day one. Through Common Impact’s three-month advisory project, Speak for the Trees has a stronger foundation on which to build for the future. Blue Cross, through its ongoing investment in SBV, continues to demonstrate how corporate time and talent can drive real change—both inside mission-driven organizations and in the lives of the professionals who serve them. Together, they’ve shown how culture, like a tree, grows stronger when nurtured with intention.