Get to know Katie Zacherle, Retail Branch Manager with Middleburg Bank, and this week’s Business User Spotlight.

“We’re not just your run of the mill financial institution. We truly are something unique and different.”

Tell us a little about yourself and your work.

I had always envisioned myself working in PR or fundraising for a nonprofit organization after I graduated from UVA, but it’s amazing how life surprises you. I have met my match in Middleburg Bank, with its devotion to true community relationship.

My clients come into a bank that doesn’t have a teller line but instead offers a cup of coffee and a seat at a desk with a banker to process a transaction. We have all the mobile and technological tools of the big banks, but we offer something truly unique — the time and energy that it takes to build genuine relationships that last a lifetime. We truly get to know our clients in a no-pressure environment and build trust — something essential for someone like me, who lives to understand people and businesses’ positive passions and serve those needs.

How does your business work with nonprofits?

My original draw to the bank is what drives our mission here in Richmond. In Northern Virginia, Middleburg Bank is the trusted name in banking, with an enviable 85% retention rate of all its clients. Thanks to this blessing, we’ve been able to utilize our resources to devise some amazing services for the nonprofit community that are truly unmatched.  

Over the last few months, we have partnered with some amazing organizations, but one in particular comes to mind: we worked with the board of a local arts organization to help them generate new income producing ideas, reduce costs of operation by eliminating fees, providing onsite transaction services free of charge, so that their team members and volunteers could get deposits in more quickly without sacrificing valuable work hours, and connected them to local businesses who shared their passion; but we didn’t stop there! My team showed the organization how to leverage its assets to secure a line of credit and how to go about beginning an endowment. That’s the sort of work that my team and I strive to do here in our great city. 

What do you love about your work?

I really enjoy connecting the small business community to the nonprofit community. The sectors are so similar and yet so dissimilar at once. There is so much knowledge and so many resources that can be shared between the two. My team together with another local organization, Synapse, have been able to lead our clients, business and nonprofit, to likeminded individuals who have been able to work together to achieve some really amazing things.

I’ve watched quite a few local businesses blossom by adding more charitable components to their business models, and I have seen nonprofits benefit from the guidance of their commercial business partners, who have helped them to sometimes think more like a traditional business and whom have also given of their time, talents, and dollars to support the nonprofit cause. I don’t think community gets any better than partnership like that. It delights me that we are partners with ConnectVA, because we both share a passion for collaboration, education, and innovation as well!

What’s coming next?

We’re becoming an additional sales force for our business and nonprofit clients — ensuring that we connect them with each other. Every quarter, we host what we call “Five O’Clock with the Fox” (because our mascot is a delightful red fox named Mosby) during which we offer our clients and guests a happy hour spread and an opportunity to network with each other. It’s been a fabulous way to get to know our clients better, to help them develop new beneficial connections with vetted professionals, and to allow prospective clients to explore our unusual space in a truly unimposing, non-sales focused environment. Instead, they can hear from their peers and friends just what they can expect from partnering with us.

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Katie Zacherle manages the Richmond offices of Middleburg Bank, a 90 year old community bank, which has been in the region since the fall of 20ll. Middleburg Bank helps individuals, families, and businesses across Virginia meet their financial goals with a broad range of financial services. Through their personal service and strong client relationships, they have earned the distinction of being “Neighbors You Can Bank On’.

Does your business provide services to nonprofits? Register for a listing in the ConnectVA Business Network and contact info@connectva.org for sponsorship or partnership opportunities.