Alterra Raises $31,327 to Help Fight Malaria

Pictured (from left to right): Heath Avery (Dir. Of Ops, Alterra), Derrick Royce (CCO, Alterra), David Royce (CEO, Alterra), Chris Helfrich (Director, Nothing But Nets) & Kavita Sood (Senior Campaign Associate, Nothing But Nets).

PROVO, Utah — Malaria kills more than 1 million people per year and is one of the leading causes of death among humans. The majority of these cases are attributed to a single bite inflicted on a person from a disease-infected mosquito. Alterra decided to join the fight against Malaria with Nothing But Nets in a big way. David Royce, founder & CEO, has supported the non-profit Nothing But Nets since 2009, and was anxious to find a way to enlist the support from his employees.

Alterra rallied its 1,000+ employees in nineteen U.S. branches to unite in the cause. Motivated by a bit of competition, employees at each branch were encouraged to give a minimum $10 donation. Over the course of two weeks, each branch’s progress was visible to everyone to heighten the competition’s feel and encourage transparency. In an effort to simplify the donation process, employees could have their contributions deducted directly from their paychecks. 

Throughout the campaign, the company reiterated the purpose of the charity by posting flyers in their branches, sending emails and text messages to employees, and using Alterra’s company Facebook page to keep employees and followers updated.

Chief Customer Officer Derrick Royce stated, “The Nothing But Nets concept and process is simple and very easy to get behind. We wanted each branch to raise $1,000, for a company total of $19,000. If we hit that target, David committed to donate an additional $5,000. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of our people.” What Alterra found was a tremendous response of humanity from its staff. In total, Alterra was able to raise more than $31,000 over the course of two weeks, which would in turn generate 3,132 insecticide-treated bed nets for African families in need.

Alterra sets an excellent example of how any pest control company can combine corporate goals with a great social cause. They hope to inspire other pest control companies to join the Nothing But Nets cause in an effort to fight the world’s biggest pest - the mosquito. Alterra has decided to institute this charity drive as an annual challenge with their employees each summer.

For information about Nothing But Nets and sponsorship opportunities, or to donate now, please contact Kavita Sood, Senior Campaign Associate, at ksood@unfoundation.org.