Making fundraising matter on a local level has not only helped those in need, but has had a positive effect on one brokerage’s corporate image and ability to hire quality people.
“It is extremely important to give back to the community,” says John Jenner, executive director of the Western Communities Foundation, the charitable arm of the Western Financial Group. “It is part of our cultural fabric in the organization. It is important for our staff to know that the organization is investing in the communities where they live and work.”
Jenner, who is also the vice president of the marketing communications and customer experience department with Western Financial Group, points to several initiatives that are on the table for the coming year.
“This year the Western Communities Foundation has raised more than $370,000 for 2015 programs through its annual initiatives: the Support the Cause walk, and the annual golf tournament,” he told Insurance Business. “Most of the communities where we have our branches are very small communities, and they see their clients daily, whether it is at the grocery store or the gas station. So it is very important for them to feel that they are giving back to the community.”
For 2014, the foundation has donated more than $345,000 to not-for-profits in rural communities across Western Canada, adds Jenner.
Just a few of the initiatives from the Western Communities Foundation include:
• Surprising residents of High River, Alta. by covering over $165,000 in sports registration fees for families still rebuilding after the 2013 floods;
• Distributing 20 infrastructure grants totaling $100,000 for community projects including a child care centre in Richmond, B.C. and a skating centre in Assiniboine, Sask.;
• Supporting communities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba that were affected by floods, through donations to the Red Cross, the Mennonite community, and the Roblin Fire and Rescue Department; and,
• Awarding 94 student bursaries, valued at $500 each, to students who have overcome adversity, achieved success despite physical or mental limitations, displayed outstanding community or school spirit, or performed an act of heroism or acted as a leader in a crisis.
It is the role that a large corporation can play, says Jenner, to make a difference and to indirectly help market the broker better. (continued.)
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“It is part of the marketing mix; you are trying to help with your corporate reputation,” he says. “And you are trying to help with your corporate awareness as being a good citizen. The other thing that is just as important for corporate Canada to get involved in the community is to get better employee engagement.”
Employees today want to work with corporations that are socially respectable, says Jenner.
“I’ve been hiring as of late, and one of the things employees look for is what you are doing in the community insofar as corporate responsibility,” he says. “Especially with Millennials; they want to know ‘What do you do in the community? That is what interests me.’”
