Byline Bank Awards more than $20,000 to local nonprofits for It Pays to Bank Local Contest

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Byline Bank Awards more than $20,000 to local nonprofits for It Pays to Bank Local Contest

CHICAGO, IL (November 22) – Byline Bank  announced today that it has recognized Bow Wow Revolution as the grand prize winner of Byline Bank’s 2019 It Pays to Bank Local Contest. The contest searched for Chicagoland’s favorite nonprofit based on a series of criteria including social engagement and impressive stories – Bow Wow Revolution met and exceeded those expectations of engagement consistently throughout the contest flooring the judges with over twenty thousand votes in the final round. The award was presented to Jen Freels, President, at volunteer-and foster-based rescue, Bow Wow Revolution in Chicago.

Second prize awarded to Youth Crossroads, Teri Terrazino, Donor Relations, for $7,500.
Third prize awarded to Almost Home, Sarah Galvan, Executive Director, and Lara Batchelor, President, for $5,000.

“We could not be more excited for this prize!” said Jen Freels, President, Bow Wow Revolution. “It means so much to the members of our community, and for the lives it will save and help fund. We could not have done this without our voters and Bow Wow family. We’re incredibly thankful to Byline Bank for making this opportunity possible.”

“At Byline, we’re committed to investing in our communities in meaningful ways that help our neighbors,” says Alberto J. Paracchini, President and Chief Executive Officer of Byline Bank. “We’re grateful to be able to present this well-deserved prize to our inspiring winners.”

In August, Byline’s It Pays to Bank Local Contest kicked off to find Chicagoland’s favorite nonprofit and award the Top 3 up to a $10,000 prize. The contest was promoted on their website and through a variety of print and digital advertising including a city-wide campaign on Chicago Transit Authority buses, `L’ trains, and at `L’ stations.

“The goal of the contest was to learn more about and to engage with our neighbors in the communities around Chicagoland, while supporting the work of nonprofits in our city,” said Erin O’Neill, Senior Vice President, Director of Marketing of Byline Bank. “We’re thrilled to have been able to do this two years in a row, and are committed to continuing to support nonprofits, in the future.”

The contest launched with a nomination period, in which organizations could self-nominate their qualifying Chicagoland nonprofit to be considered. Byline’s panel of contest judges reviewed all the entries based on social media engagement, community outreach, the story and mission of the organization, the demonstrated accomplishments and needs served, and how the entrant planned to use the funds, if awarded. Then the Top 25 were identified, voting opened up to the public, which accounted for 50% of overall score, in addition to the level of social media engagement during the contest period, the entrant’s plan for the funds and the overall accomplishments of the organization, to help the judges narrow the pool to the Top 10, and ultimately the final winner and two runners up.

“We received more than 100 entries, and so many of them were doing such important and at times critical work for our community,” said Erin O’Neill. “It was really inspiring to learn more about the missions and the great work so many nonprofits are doing to help make this city great.”

“Byline has a long history of supporting nonprofits in the Chicagoland area, says Megan Biggam, Senior Vice President, Head of Retail Banking of Byline Bank. “We’re proud to be able to help call attention to so many of them, and ultimately to financially help with some of their important work.”

Like many contestants, the Top 3 worked hard throughout the contest to generate votes and encourage their followers to visit the contest page as often as possible. Bow Wow Revolution knocked it out of the park, dutifully posting about the contest every day during the final round and tearing at their follower’s heart strings to submit their votes. There was also significant effort shown by both Youth Crossroads and Almost Home, driving impressive engagement and votes for all three of the top finalists.

For official rules and to learn more about the contest, please visit here or visit our social pages for more videos and pictures.

About Byline Bank
Headquartered in Chicago, Byline Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: BY) is the parent company for Byline Bank, a full service commercial bank serving small- and medium-sized businesses, financial sponsors, and consumers. Byline Bank has approximately $5.4 billion in assets and operates more than 60 full service branch locations throughout the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. Byline Bank offers a broad range of commercial and retail banking products and services including small ticket equipment leasing solutions and is one of the top five Small Business Administration lenders in the United States.

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For more information please contact:

Byline Bank
Moira Dolehide
Marketing and Communications Manager
[email protected]
(773) 843-7812