​Chesapeake’s contributions take many forms: financial contributions, employee volunteerism, scholarships and educational support, as well as employee giving, in-kind and donations and an "out of the box" approach to thinking on the best way we can impact our operating areas. Here are just a few ways we do that.

Employee Giving

In addition to volunteer time, the company provides employees with many opportunities to donate financial resources to various charities. In many instances, Chesapeake matches employee donations.

United Way
Our annual United Way campaign is the company’s biggest company-wide fundraiser. Employees raise money for United Way through a duck derby and raffle ticket sales. To solicit donations, emails are sent to employees asking them to pledge an amount that is automatically payroll deducted during the following year. Chesapeake matches each contribution dollar for dollar. Our 2010 campaign was our biggest year yet, Chesapeake raised a record $4.7 million for United Way companywide.

Step Up to the Plate for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
Employees from across Oklahoma stepped up to the plate to fight hunger in the state, donating more than $140,000 to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma (RFBO), which equates to approximately 980,000 meals for hungry Oklahomans.

The first annual Step Up to the Plate campaign, held in May 2011, asked employees to donate money to help provide food and hope to low-income senior citizens, families and individuals in need.

In addition to funds, employees gave their time to the organization in May. During the U.S. Postal Service’s annual Letter Carriers Food Drive, employees helped stamp out hunger by sorting and organizing the food donations collected by postal workers. Thanks in part to Chesapeake employees, the drive collected more than 834,000 pounds of food and stocked the food bank for the summer months.

While Chesapeake highlighted the RFBO during May, encouraging employee engagement and financial support, the company is a committed partner year-round. Chesapeake gave the group a $1 million gift, the largest corporate donation ever received by the organization.

In-kind donations

Last year, we made numerous in-kind donations of laptops, office supplies, reconditioned Chesapeake fleet vehicles and subsidized office space. These contributions provide essential operating tools as nonprofit organizations across the nation attempt to serve more people — often with lower budgets — in tough economic times.

For example, in Louisiana, we donated 12 vehicles in 2010, including one to the Panola College Oil and Natural Gas Technology Program, which teaches students about the natural gas industry and provides them with hands-on technical training. Across many of the company’s operating areas, we’ve donated computers to deserving students, schools and organizations through Chesapeake’s Discovering Tomorrow’s Leaders program.

In 2010 the company equipped 14 students with laptops and donated 70 computers to schools or supporting nonprofit organizations.

In 2011 employees collected thousands of office supplies during the company’s “Green Cleaning Week” that were repurposed or recycled for nonprofit organizations housed in the Chesapeake Community Plaza, as well as for Oklahoma City Public School teachers via the district’s Teacher’s Warehouse Project.

This School Rocks!
This School Rocks! is a companywide program geared towards teaching students (elementary – high school) in all our operating areas about the oil and natural gas. Industry professionals conduct hour-long, interactive presentations in classrooms or in other group settings. Classroom presentations give students an understanding of the industry in an engaging and memorable way; reiterate safety messages as many students come into contact with industry equipment near their schools, homes or other local areas; spark student interest in a career in the oil and natural gas industry; and educate and advocate for compressed natural gas.

Discovering Tomorrow’s Leaders
Implemented in 2007, Discovering Tomorrow’s Leaders is a Chesapeake community outreach program to schools in counties within our areas of operation that is structured to have community members, teachers and parents nominate students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities within their community. Each week, a young leader is recognized and a refurbished computer and/or school supplies are donated to their local school in their name. After an eight week promotion, Chesapeake Energy sponsors a winner’s banquet in which two lucky nominees will receive a free personal laptop computer.

Chesapeake Community Plaza
The Chesapeake Community Plaza is a dynamic office property available for nonprofit organizations in the Oklahoma City metro area.  Located just north of Chesapeake’s campus, this property offers approximately 64,000 SF of office space at a reduced rate to local, qualified nonprofits working to create a better Oklahoma.

If interested in applying please email contributions@chk.com.

Nonprofit Partners at the Community Plaza

• Arthritis Foundation – Oklahoma Chapter
• Best Friends of Pets
• Central Oklahoma Humane Society
• Citizens Caring for Children
• Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma
• Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City
• Leadership Oklahoma City
• National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Oklahoma Chapter
• NewView Oklahoma
• Oklahoma Brain Tumor Foundation
• Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits
• Oklahoma Community Service Commission
• Oklahoma Community Theatre Association
• Oklahoma Hemophilia Foundation
• Oklahoma Outreach Foundation
• Oklahoma United Methodist Circle of Care – Child Share Office
• Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition
• Oklahoma Women’s Coalition
• Parkinson Foundation of Oklahoma
• Rebuilding Together of Oklahoma City
• Redbud Foundation, Inc.
• WINGS