Serving up two decades of loyalty and leadership in volunteering

Two things stand out about Ray Butiong: his unwavering loyalty and his gift for getting others to volunteer. For 20 years, he’s been a steadfast employee at Charles Schwab, starting his career at Ameritrade and staying through the company’s acquisition by Schwab where he currently facilitates rebates on account transfer fees for new clients in Advisor Services. When asked why he’s never sought a change, Ray replies simply, “If I find a team that I connect with, why would I leave?”

Ray’s loyalty extends beyond his job. He’s also committed to a San Diego nonprofit called Mama’s Kitchen, where he’s volunteered for over two decades. The organization, which delivers medically tailored meals to clients and their families battling critical illnesses resonated deeply with Ray in high school, when he first started volunteering. “Being able to have a nutritious meal while going through so much is a basic human need,” Ray says, reflecting on why he has continued to serve with the nonprofit.

Ray took a brief volunteering break during college, but after joining Ameritrade, he was thrilled to discover that employees were given eight hours of paid volunteer time each year. Naturally, he used his time to return to Mama’s Kitchen and has been volunteering there ever since. Over the years, Ray has remained a key figure in getting others involved, both in high school as a member of the social student body, and now at Schwab, where he is the ambassador to Mama’s Kitchen. Whenever there’s a volunteer opportunity, people look to Ray to lead the charge.

When Ray was introduced to Schwab Volunteer Week, annual time dedicated to employee volunteerism each spring, he wasted no time integrating Mama’s Kitchen. He coordinated three events, where he and his colleagues prepared and packed meals.

While volunteering is an integral part of Ray’s life and has become part of his personal brand at Schwab, Ray’s greatest wish is that people take initiative to volunteer themselves. "I want employees to feel empowered to initiate acts of volunteerism. They can find a cause or a community that they feel passionate about and find ways to support them.”

Four years ago, a serious accident left Ray in a coma for a month and took him away from work for six months. When he returned, what warmed his heart the most was learning that someone else had organized a Mama’s Kitchen event at Schwab in his absence. “Oh my, I didn’t have to ask anyone,” he recalls. It’s one of his proudest memories, knowing that the volunteer culture he helped foster continued without him.

Earlier this year, Ray was able to expand his impact when Charles Schwab Foundation asked employees to nominate nonprofits they cared about for grants. Ray of course put forward Mama’s Kitchen. The grants were ultimately awarded to the nonprofits that received the most votes from employees, and due to Ray’s influence, the organization received $6,000, money that will help feed clients and their families.

Through his career and volunteer work, Ray has shown that loyalty, combined with a passion for giving back, can create meaningful change. And he hopes that he is serving as an example to others and inspiring them to find causes they care about and that they bring their friends and colleagues along with them too.