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CANADIAN INDUSTRY ONLINE - JANUARY 2012
CIO: How do you convince
management that philanthropy is
important?
NB: We decided to create a
stronger link between philanthropy
and business objectives.
It’s becoming more accepted that
companies will support a good
cause. When it comes down to is, it
is good business practice to be
corporately responsible. But you
need to get your executive or board
on board. You can write a bunch of
cheques, but you want to align
yourself with a great cause that
matches your value system. For us,
it’s investing in that culture of
volunteerism.
CIO: What have you needed to do to
get your employees engaged?
NB: We’ve had to do very little to
get our employees involved. We have
done community spirit initiatives.
We use our intranet to have
employees profile their own
volunteer activities, so that their
colleagues can see what is going on.
We have also created a volunteer
hub. The hub offers information,
tips and tools, and directs
employees to the online matching
tool.
CIO: So what’s next for Manulife in
terms of philanthropic initiatives?
What can you tell other Canadian
companies?
NB: Getting the executive on side
is crucial. And tracking success and
measurement is also critical. It is
important to constantly evaluate
how these efforts are resonating. We
are always looking at what is
coming up next and what is fresh.
Our employees put in 25,000 volun-
teer hours in 2010.
What’s great is that volunteering
allows you to support all causes,
and we are continuously doing
things to align with our signature
cause. The more commitment we
have to our signature cause, the
more impact we can have. You want
to make sure you are differentiating
what your signature cause is from
other companies, so that you have
more impact at the top level.
Philanthropy makes good busi-
ness sense. My recommendations
for other companies in Canada are
to choose a cause where you can
have some impact, a cause within
which
your
presence
will
differentiate it from others. I know
how much non-profits need our help,
and it is all about preparing
Canadians for a better future.
MODERN PHILANTHROPY - MANULIFE