Corporate Volunteering

A day for charity with Česká spořitelna

Since 2007, the Česká spořitelna Financial Group has become one of the major multinational corporations that allow their employees to work for charity during working hours and for full pay.

Corporate volunteering is a way to prove that we want to divide a part of our profits and help those in need. Apart from financial and material conations, we also want to give non-profit organisations the work and time of our employees, as a form of collective help from the company and its employees. The benefit is active help in the areas that need and higher employee motivation and loyalty. In the course of the year, every employee can devote two business days to charity and public service activities. It has become customary that mangers or assistants help paint senior citizens’ homes, wash windows at children’s homes, clean up forests or provide their help to an animal shelter.

The importance of a Day for Charity is demonstrated by the active participation of 1,655 volunteers in 2010, 1,252 in 2009, 927 volunteers in 2008 and 600 volunteers in 2007. We have helped 119 non-profit organisations across the Czech Republic.

The corporate volunteering project was awarded twice (in 2009 and 2008) with the 1^st prize in the TOP Corporate Philanthropist competition in the category of “Involving employees in public service activities”. The jury particularly valued the scope and form in which the project contributes to cultivating the corporate environment in relation to social responsibility.

Česká spořitelna Grant Program

For the third year running, the Grant Program allows all employees of the ČS Financial Group to obtain a grant of up to CZK 30,000 for the non-profit organisation that they cooperate with in their free time. All of the bank’s employees vote for the winning projects - this year 3,054 of them voted. Last year, the bank supported six such projects with CZK 180,000 and this year it will divide CZK 300,000 among ten projects. The winners use the financial donation for example to purchase two multimedia laptops for the children with oncological or haematic-oncological diseases or to buy rehabilitation aides for Parkinson’s diseases patients.

The Česká spořitelna Grant Program is another way of involving employees in CSR activities. The aim of the Grant Program is to support non-profit organisations within the strategic areas of CSR - helping people in need (seniors, socially needy, drug addicts, etc.) and sustainable development (environment, animal shelters, etc.).