Dollar Bank’s Public Affairs and Communications department, which had gone several years without a dedicated internal communications function, has been rebuilt over the past few years, a process that began with a small internal project.

When Allie Farabaugh joined Dollar Bank, one of the first tasks she took on was updating the internal employee newsletter. At the time, different departments were managing their own messages, and no single team was responsible for coordinating communication across the organization. 

Farabaugh redesigned the newsletter into what is now called the Dollar Digest, something that gives the bank a consistent channel for updates and employee information.

And, what began as a redesigned email, gradually expanded. This newsletter started as a monthly publication, shifted to weekly during the pandemic, and is now distributed every other week, along with new stories, everyday, that share stories within the bank. 

As the communication needs grew, the department eventually expanded beyond one role. In 2025, Ben Drickman and Rachel Soloff joined the team. Drickman manages multimedia content, while Soloff works on internal communications and corporate giving initiatives. 

Both described their roles as contributing to the department’s ongoing development as Dollar Bank continues to grow and share stories from the community. 

Together with Senior Vice President Maria Amoruso, the four-person team helps coordinate volunteer efforts, highlight nonprofit partnerships, and showcase Dollar Bank’s community initiatives, including a bank-wide diaper drive that brought in far more donations than expected.

“You have this idea and you’re not sure if anyone’s even going to want to do it,” Farabaugh said. “But the response was incredible.”

Through it all, she says the mission remains the same. To keep the focus on the people.

“There are so many beautiful and unique stories here in Pittsburgh,” Farabaugh said. “We want to shine a light on them, to help build a future for families, neighborhoods, and generations to come.”

And what began with one question, “Can I redesign this?” has since grown into a department dedicated to telling those stories every day.