As 2022 comes to a close, we take a look at some of the things companies are doing to try and improve the world around them.
Corporate social responsibility, or CSR, is increasingly becoming part of companies’ agendas. And it’s something that can arise at this time of year in particular as people think about how they can give back and spread goodwill.
Thankfully, lots of businesses around Ireland do implement good CSR initiatives and provide opportunities for employees to get involved too.
Let’s take a look at what these 10 companies are doing to give back a little in local communities.
Amazon Web Services
AWS runs its InCommunities fund in Drogheda, Co Louth, where it is developing data centre facilities. The company announced earlier this year that it would launch or expand 38 local projects, with funding managed and administered by ChangeX.
It provided funding for local addiction support service The Red Door Project to upgrade and refurbish its facilities. It also helped a local youth project called Basement Sounds, offering local teens a place to hang out, rehearse and take part in workshops. With the AWS funding, they were able to install soundproof recording booths.
Another music-related project to receive funding from AWS was The Junk Percussion Sensory Garden Orchestra, which hosts music workshops for autistic children and adults.
And women based in Drogheda from diverse backgrounds got a boost with the AWS-funded Hands 4 Unity project, which aims to help women settle into the community and feel at home.
Citi
Dublin is a major hub for banking and financial services giant Citi, so it makes sense that it gives back to the local community.
Last year, the company lit up the capital in blue and pink as a show of support for pregnancy and infant loss awareness. Citi’s community affairs group is also involved with local pregnancy and infant loss charities such as The Rotunda Foundation, Féileacáin, A Little Lifetime and SOFT Ireland.
Citi’s co-lead charity partners, Carol Monahan and Sonia Dussoni, have been leading efforts to raise funds for the LauraLynn foundation. Through various activities, staff have raised €100,000 for the children’s charity.
Deliveroo
In November, Deliveroo Ireland announced a year-long partnership with social enterprise FoodCloud, which will see its customers encouraged to donate while they’re ordering food.
When a hungry customer orders food in Deliveroo’s app, they can round up their payment to the nearest euro. For every euro raised, Deliveroo and FoodCloud will provide 3.2 meals to people who need them.
Deliveroo, with its customers, aims to raise funds to provide up to 500,000 meals, which will be distributed to FoodCloud’s network of more than 600 charities and community groups over the course of 2023.
Through the partnership, Deliveroo is also aiming to save 210m tonnes of food from going to waste.
DigitalWell
Dublin-headquartered enterprise IT and comms company DigitalWell recently partnered with Irish domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid.
The partnership will see DigitalWell working with the charity to implement new tech including a chat-based translator to enable people who don’t speak English to get the help they need.
DigitalWell is deploying support personnel to assist Women’s Aid staff as they learn how to use the new system. It’s expected to be fully operational for staff to take calls by March 2023.
The new system will include upgraded contact centre configuration and capability, webchat and web messenger roll-out, as well as the chat translator.
Fidelity Investments
Fidelity Ireland runs an education-focused programme called Paying IT Forward, which it continued to build up throughout 2022.
The company teamed up with Junior Achievement and Science Foundation Ireland to launch a five-module STEAM skills programme called Our World, which focuses on sustainability, problem solving and coding.
Our World aims to reach more than 12,000 fifth class students, teachers and parents between now and 2024. The scheme is facilitated by business volunteers and plans to target DEIS schools and girls in particular.
For older children, Fidelity hosts its Root2STEM work experience programme in February and November, focusing on creating enthusiasm around STEM subjects and careers. Company volunteers provide workshops in areas such as cybersecurity and innovation, giving an insight into various careers. The programme has focused on inclusion, with girls making up 66pc of this year’s 111 participants.
Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, recently announced it was setting €300,000 aside for Dublin charities supporting local employment efforts.
The funding will be distributed to two different programmes run by St Andrews Resource Centre and Ringsend Community Service Forum.
Google set up an employment taskforce last year to work on finding solutions to long-term unemployment in the south inner city. The taskforce’s membership is comprised of people working to find ways to drive economic growth in Dublin that is supportive of the city’s residents.
PwC
The professional services giant supports several community programmes in Ireland. It works with the Dublin North East Inner City group and Junior Achievement Ireland to inspire and motivate young people in schools nationwide.
For the 2021/2022 school term, there were 36 PwC volunteers taking part in the scheme. This academic year, there are 26 volunteers working to give children confidence, as well as general skills and knowledge.
PwC’s One Firm Every Day volunteering programme encourages its staff to give back by spending one day each year on a volunteering opportunity of their choice.
Throughout 2022, the company’s employees volunteered more than 3,000 hours of their time to support organisations including Pieta House, Gheel Autism Services, the Irish Youth Foundation and Crinan Youth Project.
Globally, PwC raised €30,000 across the whole firm to support the people affected by the conflict in Ukraine, making a donation to Unicef and Red Cross.
Sky
Sky is a partner of Peter McVerry Trust, the Irish housing and homeless charity.
So far this year, almost 300 Sky Ireland staff have volunteered more than 1,000 hours of their time with the charity. Employees spent time fundraising for and volunteering at the charity’s residential community service in Dublin.
Recently, the company opened a digital hub in Dublin aimed at young people using the Peter McVerry Trust services.
Backed by an €11m fund, it is part of an initiative that aims to help upskill people under 25 and over 65 by providing them with technology, connectivity and training.
Teamwork
Cork-based tech company Teamwork recently secured €100,000 from growth capital firm Bregal Milestone’s Bregal Helps Initiative.
The Irish business is planning to donate the money to Depaul for its work with Ukrainian refugees. The donation will help with the transfer of Ukrainian families from temporary hotels into long-term furnished accommodation.
It will also cover the salary of a support worker who will work directly with Ukrainian families to settle them into the community and help them access local services.
Earlier this year, Teamwork donated €10,000 to the Irish Red Cross for its Ukraine Appeal and matched all donations made by its staff, resulting in a further donation of more than €5,000.
Workhuman
Unsurprisingly for a company that specialises in HR software, Workhuman runs a comprehensive DE&I education programme.
It advanced the programme this past year, with anti-racism workshops and listening sessions hosted by Doyin Richards, who is a TEDx speaker and founder of the Anti-Racism Fight Club.
Workhuman is also giving all employees a recognition award to redeem for a gift card, which they can use to donate to any charitable project they are passionate about.
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