How BOK Financial employees help direct giving to nonprofits they know firsthand

While still processing the news that their 3-year-old son had autism, Josh Miera and his wife Amanda were clear on at least one thing.

If their search for the right early learning center had been important before, now it was even more critical now.

Fortunately, though, a solution was closer than they realized. "It was never 'we can't do that for you,' but instead 'How can we support Leo the best we can?,'" Miera said of the staff at the University of New Mexico's Children's Campus, which admitted his son and accommodated him at every step of the way.<.p>

That supportive spirit has remained consistent over the two years since, Miera added. And it's a big reason why he wanted to return the favor.

Miera, a consumer support consultant with Bank of Albuquerque, submitted the nonprofit early learning center as a nominee for BOK Financial's 2025 Guide the Giving initiative. It went on to receive the most votes in its market and was awarded a $10,000 grant.

Over $880K since 2020

Across all the markets that BOK Financial serves, nonprofit efforts like Children's Campus are hard at work every day, helping to meet the most pressing needs of their communities. And since 2020, BOKF employees in those markets have had a special opportunity to support their work.

Since going company-wide in 2020, the employee-driven Guide to Giving program has given away over $880,000 to organizations across the company's footprint. That includes another $130,000 that will be awarded through this year's effort, which kicks off June 1.

One nonprofit in each of 10 markets will receive a $10,000 donation. Five additional “people’s choice” winners per market each receive a $5,000 donation.

Nonprofits are nominated by BOK Financial employees who have some kind of personal connection to them, whether through volunteering, financial support, service or direct experience.

Last year's effort garnered nearly 200 nominations, supporting nonprofits ranging in focus from education and health care to housing, food access and other community needs.

'Immediately knew it was the right place'

For Miera, it was a chance to give back to UNM Children’s Campus for the way it had supported his family. The program, which delivers inclusive early learning that helps children build strong foundations, had been there for the Mieras at a pivotal moment in their son's development.

“When we finally got this diagnosis, it was a relief, at least a little bit. It meant we weren’t doing anything wrong as parents,” Miera said. “But it was also overwhelming—something that we’re going to live with for the rest of our lives and Leo’s life.”

From the beginning, teachers and staff showed they were willing to meet Leo where he was. One lead teacher, Kim, reached out to the family right after he was accepted into the program and became an important source of support, Miera said.

“She knew what we were going through,” he said. “It was almost like she knew Leo the same way we did.”

The campus went out of its way to make practical accommodations for Leo, bringing in special food that worked for him and allowing his outside therapists to work with him in the classroom.

"We kind of immediately knew it was the right place," Miera added.

The $10,000 grant has helped the Children’s Campus support classroom needs, including sensory toys and other resources requested by teachers.

Miera, who previously nominated another Albuquerque nonprofit that received a Guide the Giving grant, said the program is a way for employees to support organizations whose work they have seen up close.

“If there’s something you’re passionate about, and there’s an organization that has supported you or your family, there’s no better reason to go back and give to them,” he said.

Employees often know best where help is needed

Those kinds of connections are central to Guide the Giving. The program is built on the idea that employees often know best where help is needed because they are already part of the communities where they live and work.

In Denver, Kathy Westfall and Mariana Munez nominated Project Angel Heart, a nonprofit that prepares and delivers medically tailored meals to Coloradans living with severe illnesses. Members of the BOK Financial commercial real estate team had built a relationship with the organization through years of volunteering, and had come to believe strongly in its mission.

Angel Heart became the top vote getter in its market last year and received a $10,000 grant. “The generous award meant a lot to a smaller organization,” Westfall said.

In Oklahoma City, Alex Holloway nominated Homeless Alliance, which works with individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Holloway first learned about the organization through a longtime family friend who works there, then became involved by organizing donation drives with family and friends.

Holloway said: "Homeless Alliance's mission is so closely tied to real, everyday needs in our community, and I want to do what I can to help them reach and support as many people as possible."

When the organization was announced as a recipient of a $5,000 Guide the Giving grant last year, “it felt like a full circle moment where advocacy turned into real support,” Holloway said.

'Make somebody's life better'

After being on hand for the check presentation last year, Miera will be back at UNM Children's Campus on Thursday, May 30, for a different milestone moment.

That's the day his son Leo officially graduates from pre-K.

For the Mieras, it will also wrap up the first stage of a journey that started two years earlier. For every step of it, the Children's Campus has been there for them.

Miera said he nominated the campus for Guide the Giving because it was "so abundantly clear" that it was a nonprofit deserving of additional support.<>

“Just think,” he said. “Take an hour out of your day and write this nomination, and you could possibly make somebody’s life better.”