Starting a team at a BIG company

[Guest]

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[OKSure]

Question for the masses,

I just started an internship at a BIG company (50,000+ employees), so I decided to do a search to see if they had a lending team. When I found out they didn't I decided it would be a good idea to start one.

Well here's the thing: I don't want to get sued. I don't think as an intern I will ever be able to get to the head of HR to get permission for this. I am in a facebook group with 500 other interns for this company so I feel like I could find ways to get people to join the lending team, but getting the company to back me up may be a different story.

So my question is this: How can I do this successfully without getting in trouble? Any suggestions?

[Visitor Number 1]

You should be commended for thinking these issues through.  Even if you have the best intentions, things can go sour very quickly since we live in such a litigious society.  

If you really want to have your lending team affiliated with your company, then the HR department is probably not the best place to start.  Most large organizations have departments devoted to community service or community outreach since they want to maintain a corporate image of being "responsible" citizens.  These types of departments organize events for their employees to get involved in charitable work.  This is probably your best bet.  If they are open to your idea, then it is best that you let the company take ownership of this project and then you can offer to serve on a committee or as an adviser.  

If your idea gets shot down completely, you may want to start a group that has no specific affiliation with your company.  You should make sure your lending team name does not use the company name or any trademarks or logos.  One suggestion would be to find something else your potential membership has in common, such as location or industry.  You could name your team something like "Los Angeles Based Interns" or "Banking and Finance Interns".  If you want to limit membership to your FB group, then you should make your lending team a "closed" group so that the Team Captain (most likely you or anyone else you designate) can approve who is part of the group.  Also, be wary of communicating any of your activities using company e-mail or on company time.  Lots of organizations monitor the use of company resources.  

Good luck on this endeavor and let us know how it goes.

[OKSure]

Thank you very much for your help.

[cpbailey]

Other ways to make an impact...Kiva is a non-profit, so it can be a designated charity for United Way.  This means getting Kiva.org added to the list at the company you work for. 

There are Kiva college groups as well.  If your school doesn't have one, you could look into that.

Colette