Building the next generation of community volunteers

If he was looking for ways to get involved in his new community, BOK Financial® relationship manager Dylan Harden had come to the right place.

"It was an auction where you bid with volunteer hours," Harden recalled of the event, which was put on by Tulsa Area United Way.

"Instead of bidding money, you bid volunteer hours and they would go toward partner agencies."

Harden, who works in the corporate banking division, got in on the bidding and went on to win one of the auction packages, committing to 45 hours of volunteering.

The experience that followed—helping out LIFE Senior Services with upkeep and odd jobs around the agency's main Tulsa property—would officially serve as his introduction to United Way service.

"It really opened my eyes," he said. “There were projects they had wanted to get done for years, but they just didn’t have the people or time to get them done.”

Helping young professionals get involved

Today, five years later, Harden, 29, serves as chair of the Tulsa Area United Way's Next Gen Affinity Group, where his efforts include connecting younger professionals with volunteer opportunities and partner agencies.

The goal, he said, is to provide young adults with a practical way to get involved in their communities, especially at a stage of life when they have more time to give than money.

Harden, who's also active in efforts to promote volunteering among BOK Financial employees, said: "My biggest thing is that I want people who genuinely want to be involved. There are opportunities for whatever level of commitment someone can give, whether that's an hour here and there or something more ongoing."

Starting small can grow into bigger things later, Harden added. A single project can introduce someone to an organization they did not know existed. One volunteer shift can turn into a longer commitment.

Connecting to everyday needs

That's how it started for Harden with the United Way. Like many people, he knew the name and had a general awareness of the organization, he said.

What he did not know then was how closely its work connected to the everyday needs of people across the Tulsa area. That changed as he became more involved.

For Harden, the mission fits with the way he was raised. He grew up in Sulphur, a small town in south central Oklahoma.

His family had a cattle ranch and, when he was younger, a fish hatchery. It was a long way from corporate banking, but Harden sees a clear line from that upbringing to the work he does now.

In a small town, relationships are part of daily life, he said. You know business owners. You talk to people at events. You see how work, family and community overlap.

"Growing up in a small town shaped how I connect with people," Harden said. "I grew up talking to people."

Managing relationships

That interest in people carried over to his career. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, Harden joined BOK Financial in 2020 through the company's Accelerated Career Track (ACT) program. He was placed on the Commercial Banking team, where he underwrote before transitioning to relationship manager.

As a relationship manager, Harden works with companies on loan and deposit services and helps connect clients with other areas of the bank. The role gives him a close look at how businesses operate, something he says he's always enjoyed.

He's also seen nonprofits up close. During his time in commercial banking, he worked with several that were United Way partner agencies.

Volunteering, in turn, helped him to view those organizations from a different angle—not only as clients or community institutions, but as groups filling real gaps for people.

"You realize you're not just making a loan," Harden said. "That financing may help an agency expand services, open a building or reach more people. Seeing how all those pieces connect has been really meaningful."

Nonprofits are stretched thin

Equally meaningful, Harden said, is seeing the impact volunteers can have.

Through Next Gen, for example, volunteers get to take part in monthly or bimonthly service projects with United Way partner agencies.

The format is often simple, Harden said: 20 or 30 people show up for an hour or two and do whatever the agency needs done. It might mean packing supplies, organizing materials or preparing a project. Alternatively, it might be just helping with work the organization has not had the time or staff to finish.

As Harden first observed when he volunteered at LIFE, many nonprofit teams are stretched thin, with a few employees carrying a large amount of work, he said. Volunteer support can free staff to focus on other priorities or help an agency move forward with a project that has been sitting on the list.

"You can see the impact in measurable ways, but you also hear it directly from the organizations themselves," Harden said. "Even two hours of volunteer help can make a real difference."

As an organization, BOK Financial is also doing a good job in making a real difference, he added. Employees support the United Way and other organizations in various ways, including financial contributions and organized giving campaigns.

Still, Dylan hopes to see even more of his coworkers, especially younger ones, get involved directly with community organizations. "The financial support matters, but the in-person volunteering matters, too. Showing up, helping people and building those relationships has a different kind of impact."

'Volunteering gets you outside your own bubble'

The impact goes both ways.

For younger professionals especially, there are a lot of benefits to service, Harden said. It's a way to build relationships, learn about the community and develop a broader sense of responsibility. It can also help people who are new to Tulsa find connections beyond work.

In a city that still carries some of the close-knit feel of a smaller place, Harden believes those connections matter. “Most people can find a personal connection to something somewhere,” he said. “Even if you don’t, just being a better citizen of Tulsa and helping out where you can—I think that’s important.”

“You value the people around you more when you’re actively involved and helping," Harden said. "Volunteering gets you outside your own bubble.”

To learn more about Next Gen or other options for volunteering through United Way, reach out to Harden at dharden@bokf.com or Madison Cotherman at mcotherman@tauw.org.

Photo: Dylan Harden of BOK Financial (third from right) and other members of the Tulsa Area United Way's Next Gen group. Dylan serves as chair for the effort, which works to involve more young professionals in community volunteering.