April 2019 Newsletter

THE LBG CANADA NETWORK – WELCOME!

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Please join us in welcoming Graham Construction and Samsung to the LBG Canada network!

INSIGHTS REPORTS 2019

• $532M audited
• $119.5M in stakeholder contributions
• 54,183 transactions
• 58% of companies measuring impact.

Interested in the LBG Canada process? Contact Bryan today!

LISTEN UP! ELEVATING THE CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP CONVERSATION IN ATLANTIC CANADA

Are you looking for new opportunities to learn, get motivated and expand your network with other corporate citizenship professionals?

Join the Atlantic Corporate Volunteer Council (ACVC) for a brand new webinar series: Elevating the Corporate Citizenship Conversation in Atlantic Canada, May 8th at 12:30 PM AST.

To learn more and to register, please click here.

THE BUSINESS CASE FOR GIVING BACK

Employees have spoken!

This new report from Volunteer Canada, Great Place to Work and the Corporate Council on Volunteering provides evidence of increased benefits to business and tips to create a community investment program that improves employee engagement.

Click here to read the report.

FIDELITY INVESTMENTS PRESENTS THE GIVING MARKETPLACE

Following in the footsteps of the United Way & Salesforce Philanthropy Cloud, Fidelity Investments is launching its own version of workplace giving: The Giving Marketplace.

Fidelity believes that “giving is part of your employee’s DNA”, and to make the process as easy as possible, is the latest organization to utilize technology and give their employees a new way to donate to their favourite charities.

According to a new Forbes article on the program, The Giving Marketplace allows employees to donate directly to the charity of their choice by logging in and selecting from a list of organizations, then directing payments through their own PayPal or credit card accounts. This way the charity knows exactly who the donor is and can acknowledge them. In addition to the giving platform, Fidelity expects to also release a feature that allows employees to track volunteer time.

To learn more about The Giving Marketplace, please click here.

LEADERSHIP PROFILE – SUSAN BYROM – FIRST WEST CREDIT UNION

For many, LBG Canada is synonymous with data insights and benchmarking. This is not a surprise! We have been honoured by the opportunity to support the LBG Canada network of companies on their quest to demonstrate the value of strategic community investment.

While we love being thought as the ‘go to’ source of data to support social purpose, we at SiMPACT equate the ‘L’ in LBG Canada with the leadership demonstrated by the work of so many individuals working to implement meaningful and impactful community investment strategies.

In recognition of these leadership contributions, we’re launching Leadership Profiles – an addition to the LBG Canada newsletter intended to highlight the brains and celebrate the leadership of community investment professionals across the LBG Canada network.

First up – Susan Byrom, Executive Director, Community Investment and First West Foundation at First West Credit Union. If you haven’t yet met Susan, you will recognize a positive force the moment you connect. One of Susan’s signature traits is her deep commitment to sharing knowledge and to building capacity at every opportunity. The interview below offers some insight into Susan’s experience, approach to community investment and vision for impact. Susan’s LinkedIn profile is also here.

Tell us about your journey to today. Have you always worked in this field? For First West?

I always had an early interest in giving back, but no real scope of what exactly community investment was. In 2001, I was working for a pharmaceutical company and there was an apartment fire in the community. Through the local paper there was a call for donations, and our company felt like it could help. As a result, I created what would now be considered a community investment plan, which then lead me to becoming involved in the company’s internal United Way campaign.

In 2005, when I moved over to Envision Financial, I started volunteering with their community investment team, taking on a couple projects. Over a period of time, a position opened up within the CI team and the First West Foundation, and I jumped at the chance. Two years later we joined LBG Canada, and never looked back!

Support for community investment can ebb and flow as leaders change and profits rise and fall. What do you consider to be key ingredients of a CI strategy, to sustain it through changing and sometimes challenging times?

At First West one key ingredient of our CI stratgey is our signature cause programming. We leverage this pillar of our investment across all lines of our business, through employee engagement and with our members. We also partner with other community businesses and non-profits to integrate our signature cause programs when it makes sense. With a strong focus of our resources in this pillar area, we can maximize our investments during a downturn in the portfolio.

And, without a doubt, I believe the greatest asset we have at our disposal during challenging times is the strength of the relationship between our community partners and us. Strong relationships can weather storms; we engage in deeper and more open discussions; we ask tough questions and give honest answers; if we’re not already investing additional assets like employee volunteerism, mentoring, products and services, the time is now to bring those opportunities to the table.

The community investment profession continues to evolve. What is the most significant change that you’ve seen?

One of the biggest changes I’ve seen is the moving from a transactional type of community investment, to a more strategic and partnership-based approach. While there are definite mutual benefits to a partnership approach, we must be mindful of what an organization needs, rather than what you feel you can give. Building partnership require thoughtful listening and connection – this is crucial. But it takes WAY more time to be a good partner than to write a cheque – we need to be prepared to make that investment.

When you look back at your community investment work thus far, what are the things that really stand out? Is there something that you are particularly proud of?

Our signature cause Feed the Valley in the Okanagan, Thompson and Similkameen valleys and its partner program The Full Cupboard in the Fraser Valley, Kitimat and Vancouver Island. Since 2010, we’ve raised $2.8M dollars for BC area food banks and it’s all made possible through our employee led programming, community partnerships and dedicated branch champions.

As we continue through 2019, is there a challenge you are looking forward to taking on?

Oh, the Sustainable Development Goals! Aligning our community investment to the SDGs and being part of those conversations is an important place to be. We’re not sure what it will look like just yet, but I’m looking forward to digging in and starting the work. And I’m confident the LBG team will be along for the ride, helping me down this path!

You have been part of the LBG Canada network since 2007. What keeps you coming back?

LBG Canada is always on the forefront of community investment evolution, whether that be SROI, Impact Measurement or the SDGs. The LBG team has the expertise I need to help me navigate any path that I’m charting.

Also, being involved with a network of like-minded individuals who are willing to share and collaborate is a strong benefit of LBG Canada. With budgets staying more stagnant than in years past, we’re allowed more room to be innovative, to look to other groups and partners, and come together as a force rather than a fragment. We truly are a community working together for greater impact.

Stay tuned for more Leadership Profiles as 2019 continues!

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

2019 Insights & Opportunities Reports – April 30th, 2019 

The LBG Model & Impact Measurement Framework – May 21st, 2019 – Register me!

Review of LBG Canada Benchmarking Community Investment Results – June 4th, 2019 – Register me!

Review of LBG Canada Benchmarking Employee Volunteering & Giving Results – June 6th, 2019 – Register me!

SROI TRAINING

Accreditation Training Toronto – May 14th-15th, 2019 – Register me!

LBG CANADA IN THE COMMUNITY

LBG Canada companies are doing cool things in community, check out these recent examples!

Coast Capital Youth Get It Education Awards – Coast Capital’s annual Youth Get It Education Awards help youth who have faced adversity and personal challenges to have access to post-secondary educations. Since 2004, Coast has invested nearly $2.2M in over 800 students. Click here to learn more.

Servus Credit Union Annual Province-Wide Scholarship For Youth Leadership Camp – Servus is pleased to once again offer a province-wide sponsorship that will send youth to the ACCA Co-operative Youth Leadership Program camp. The camp provides an opportunity for youth to develop their leadership and teamwork skills, and is designed to give a sense of independence and confidence while building lasting relationships. Click here to learn more.

INTERNATIONAL CORNER

Using behavioural science to recruit and retain volunteers more effectively – GIVERS

This comprehensive report by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, and the GIVERS framework that results, breaks new ground, helping to dig deeper into the barriers, motivations, and the messages that can be used to address employee volunteers successfully.

To read the full report, click here.

Investing For The Future: The Practice and Potential of Employee Volunteering in the UAE

SiMPACT Strategy Group is a long-standing partner of IMPACT2030, and set the framework for IMPACT2030’s data capture of volunteering in the UAE. Investing For The Future: The Practice and Potential of Employee Volunteering in the UAE is the world’s first regionally focused report on the capacity of employee volunteering to meaningfully contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The official report launch event was held in Dubai on March 11. IMPACT2030 partners came together with other business leaders and senior government officials to explore the potential to activate thousands of professionals across the UAE and identify opportunities to collaborate for the betterment of communities.

To read the report, please click here.