Our volunteer programs give employees an opportunity to enhance their skills, network, and give back to their communities, all while increasing the impact of our investment. Maintaining appropriate and regular dialogue with key stakeholders helps to ensure that our strategy, services and our performance objectives reflect their expectations. We monitor and report our community investment and benefit data and information in our Annual Report. They also benefit taxpayers and strengthen the economy. Many people really enjoy the intangible benefit of giving—a pleasant feeling of connectedness and the satisfaction of at least trying to make the world a better place. In addition to the high-quality housing her company builds, ... ©2019 Community Investment Strategies, Inc. Business development is synonymous with relationship development. We actively engage with our customers, our communities, our people, our suppliers and our investors. Numerous studies point to the fact that employee engagement and corporate citizenship improve talent retention. Economic and societal benefits through projects and partnerships have the ability to add value to our business and the wider community. Sign up today. Chris’ business model focuses on building assets – high quality properties that retain their value and provide a benefit to the community in which they are built. Benefits information above is provided anonymously by current and former Community Investment Strategies employees, and may include a summary provided by the employer. For instance, pro-bono offerings from professional services can be a stepping stone to referrals or future work; the donation of service serves as both community benefit and a sort of ‘pilot project.’ In either case, you have the opportunity to showcase your specialization while participating in a good cause. Information about how we have consulted with the community for our most recent construction project, Viridor’s Avonmouth Recycling and Recovery Centre can be found. Employee Giving Programs. Maximum calendar year contribution to a Dependent Care Flexi… For most companies looking to attract the best and brightest of the now maturing millennial generation, corporate citizenship counts. June 17, 2015. This may not translate to a new source of customers, per se, but does mean a new source of recognition. Responsibility for our community relations ranges from local site management for operations-specific issues, the Community Relations and Sustainability Teams at Group level, the Environment and Sustainability Director and Viridor and South West Water senior management teams at Executive level, and the Pennon Sustainability Committee at Board level. Is being good actually good for business? Relationships are key to identifying new opportunities and overcoming challenges. We’re proud to have won awards and recognition for our learning and awareness programmes and for the education centres operated at some of our recycling plants and energy recovery facilities. Too often, organizations focus on community involvement only to get something back in return - more profits, marketing, etc. This benefit provides the option for out-of-pocket health care costs or to pay for dependent care expenses while reducing the employee's taxable income. Community Investing: Investments made directly into low-income or disadvantaged communities through channels such as community development … We provide free office furniture donations, including delivery, to all non-profits across the US and Canada. Give to Get: 5 Ways Community Investment Benefits Business, embedding sustainability right into their products, improve company reputation and correlate with business growth, the top seven reasons that large companies invest in their communities, in-kind and pro-bono donations are becoming more popular choices, Community organizations are always eager to thank donors, Spotlight: Green Standards Facilitates Successful Donation from F5 to the Homeownership Center Northwest, Green Standards Wins CoreNet Global Innovator’s Award, Green Standards on Sitra’s list of inspiring Circular Economy solutions, Green Standards Among Canada’s Top Growing Companies in 2020 Report, Spotlight: Adobe and Green Standards Donate Furniture to New York School. Community benefits include: 1. With a ‘portfolio’ of available donations, all of which benefit community organizations and causes in different ways, businesses can balance how much they invest and allocate resources strategically. What is the problem? We are part of the communities we serve, seeking opportunities to contribute and deliver tangible community investment and benefit. ©  Copyright 2020 Green Standards Ltd. All rights reserved. More companies are engaging in smart and strategic community investment … Op-Ed: Community investment, not punishment, is key to reducing violence Officers in the solitary confinement cellblock at the Snake River Correctional Institution on Sept. 1, 2017. We have set a target to define leading practice methodology for assessment of community benefit and social capital impact of operational areas and projects, and of discretionary activity, by 2019/20. Creating and sustaining a positive reputation in the community is one way to promote your product or service and generate brand awareness. Sustainability-minded companies can derive dual benefits from their support for such an integrated project. Although 50% of participants felt strongly that it’s just a good thing to do regardless of business return, 72% agreed that what is good for the community is also good for business and 51% agreed it was good for reputation. These funds underwrite charity care for those individuals who can’t afford treatment, and subsidize more than 3,000 community-focused programs and services, such as community health screenings, programs for seniors, activities for children, investments in scientific research and medical education, and efforts to help battle the opioid epidemic. Corporations give hundreds of millions in capital and in-kind donations to domestic and international causes, increasingly aligning themselves with social issues, and even embedding sustainability right into their products. This can also help develop a better relationship with businesses and non-profits overall to the betterment of the general community. In fact, in-kind and pro-bono donations are becoming more popular choices for corporate community investments. Behavioural change campaigns e.g. Deliver measurable community benefit and social capital gain in our relevant operational areas and projects. Evaluate relevant operational areas and projects for net social capital gain (using defined methodology), demonstrating 3% year on year improvement from a 2019/20 baseline. Investments in high quality childcare, early education, and other programs do more than help children. It’s one of the ways that non-profits and charities nurture the relationship from their end and use even minor donations as an opportunity to spread awareness of their cause. To start, companies can follow two principles for community investment, which will help build holistic programs. We work with our partners including The Wildlife Trusts and Keep Britain Tidy to support projects that contribute to our local communities and a better environment. Companies often benefit from press releases, coverage in non-profit annual reports, mention in newsletters and invitations to events. Stakeholders provide important feedback on the matters they consider to be important and any issues concerning our operations and the way we do business which require addressing. Our education facilities and outreach programmes support community engagement and environmental learning, and our charitable donation schemes support a variety of good causes in communities in which we operate. Depending on the business, the same community and organizations you engage may be those who can benefit from your offering. Donations can include in-kind gifts of no-longer-needed items, pro-bono services or surplus products. Community relations and investment policy, Formal agreement reviews, project specific meetings and ad hoc meetings. And, whether or not every instance of giving is strategic, it’s proven to improve company reputation and correlate with business growth. Our sustainability strategy and Community relations and investment policy actively promotes community involvement from the start to the end of a project and in our day to day business activities. Our businesses operate in the heart of local communities and we work closely with their stakeholders on local projects and initiatives, through holding regular community liaison meetings and community events around our operational sites. Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Natural Resources Wales, Local authorities (inc. LGA, ADEPT & LARAC), Businesses and trade bodies (CBI, CoC, etc), Govt Department of the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Charity partners including Age UK, Air Ambulance Trust & RNLI. Provide measurable positive investment and support for local communities through our services, our active sponsorship, partnership and donation programmes, community liaison groups, education services and our employee volunteering scheme. Networking with the non-profit sector and encouraging other local businesses to participate in events and programs is a great way to establish and nurture relationships in an amiable, pressure-free setting. The Pennon Sustainability Committee annually reviews the businesses’ community involvement, investment and relations performance. While hard to predict, community investment can translate into new sales. The objective of the program is to support projects, through non-repayable contributions, that: 1) Enhance a community’s identity; 2) Provide economic and social benefits; 3) Enhance existing community assets; or 4) Enhance or develop initiatives that strengthen a community. These days, it’d be hard to make a case that says otherwise. Spur Local Awareness. Take a "community in the front, business in the rear" approach. Pennon values the part it can play in bringing resources to life and helping to create a more sustainable UK. In 2010 we introduced a standard annual community benefit of £5,000 per MW installed. Community Investment TransAlta seeks to invest in communities where we can have meaningful impact and enhance the quality of life where our employees work and live. Community Colleges. We are committed to delivering positive community relations and benefit, wherever practically possible and economically reasonable. Community Investment and Benefit Our focus area objective: Provide measurable positive investment and support for local communities through our services, our active sponsorship, partnership and donation programmes, community liaison groups, education services and our employee volunteering scheme. We work with local schools on STEM-focused and mentoring initiatives and also offer outreach and community learning programmes, all aiming to raise awareness and encourage positive behaviours in better resource management. They are an important way of sharing the value that wind energy can bring with the local community. Community benefit payments Community groups may be eligible for benefit payments from developer-led renewable energy projects. First, there is the clear humanitarian benefit derived from safer cooking. It’s a simple matter of tending to the issues in “your own backyard” and the positive outcomes it can have – corporate social responsibility. 5 Ways That Giving Locally Can Benefit Business 1. After the passage of Amendment 50 on November 4, 2008, the Colorado gaming industry has forged a new partnership with the state’s community colleges. One reason for the shift is that local philanthropy presents a sort of logistical advantage: businesses have more to offer than random capital investments. The amount of media generated by a donation usually depends on how remarkable the donation is in size or kind although even small donations can yield results. Love Your Loo, Think Sink, Right Stuff, Right Bin, etc. healthcare of residents of a particular community to promoting climate change awareness programmes or reducing greenhouse gas emissions The direct benefit to business is the ability to sustain a philanthropic role in the community without necessarily investing hard capital. The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), enacted in 1977, requires the Federal Reserve and other federal banking regulators to encourage financial institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they do business, including low- and moderate-income (LMI) neighborhoods. We capture community feedback, whether this is in the form of compliments, opportunities, complaints or grievances, via our reception, call centres, social media channels, customer service teams and the ‘contact us’ form on the Pennon and subsidiaries websites. Learn about Community Investment Strategies , including insurance benefits, retirement benefits, and vacation policy. Principle 1: Be Inclusive Community investment is based on the idea of inclusion: By improving the well-being of individuals and communities, we can build an inclusive economy , in which everyone participates in, benefits from, and contributes to global and local economies. We are committed to carrying out our business in a responsible way and remain focused on improving the provision of water and waste services for benefit of all of our stakeholders. In the same way that advertising or PR dollars can be spent on awareness campaigns, community investment can target similar goals. It contributes to bettering the community and also can serve as good publicity for your business. When it comes to U.S. corporate giving, the news is encouraging. Six of the top seven reasons that large companies invest in their communities influence business development, as reported by Imagine Canada. Community organizations are always eager to thank donors, often using a variety of outlets to do so. Community Benefits approaches offer some scope for innovation the requirements to act in accordance with the Core principles of transparency, equality and Non- ... investment through the Wales Infrastructure Investment Plan continues to maximise the value for the citizens of Wales. Our engagement is partnership-based, working with selected charities and through Pennon’s volunteering and community outreach. We also engage with our communities through print, digital and social media. Our investments fill a recognized need and build the sustainability of the communities where we operate. Form industry relationships that result in new business opportunities and collaborative solutions Connect with our advanced community | Our members are the best and brightest advisors, consultants, and wealth managers who share a drive to continually advance their knowledge and skills. The process may involve financial investment by large corporations, local business people, or even private citizens and grass roots organizations.In many cases, successfully investing in communities involves a combination of all these resources. In 2018/19, twenty six Community Liaison Groups were convened at Viridor sites (most meeting several times during the year). 1. Corporations that recognize their role in their local communities as institutions, employers, influencers and citizens stand to benefit in various ways. A positive reputation among the local community can often translate to a positive reputation among the local professional community. However, there also are tangible benefits. Community investment is a strategy of using available resources to create a brighter future for a given community. This became industry standard and is part of … We offer employees a variety of ways to support the causes they care about. Investments in Early Childhood Benefit Our Entire Community. South West Water consults with customers on its plan for, For proposed new major facilities, local stakeholder consultation is conducted from the start or early stages of our projects and is incorporated into our planning process and communications plan. Creating and sustaining a positive reputation in the community is one way to promote your product or service and generate brand awareness. In the same way that advertising or PR dollars can be spent on awareness campaigns, community investment can target similar goals. Community investment in local projects and people Supporting communities Putting any kind of value on the total sum of the human, social, environmental, cultural or built capital these community benefit funds can unlock is impossible; but it’s clear that these funds are playing a critical role in building some very strong and capable communities in Scotland. All new revenue generated from increased bet limits, expanded operating hours and the new games of craps and roulette will benefit the state’s community colleges. Maximum calendar year contribution to a Health Care Flexible Spending Account is $2,750 2. The new Community Investment Fund (CIF) was announced as part of the 2019-20 budget as a new program. The idea that businesses flourish in vibrant societies is not new – the business case for strategic philanthropy and corporate community investment is widely documented, with clear benefits for both the company and communities. Who’s willing to go to bat for your business or your management team? Still, many businesses face challenges around its measurement and reporting. The information collected is recorded and handled by our community relations and environment and sustainability teams and the relevant local site representative, to ensure the issues or opportunities are captured and any necessary action taken. Capital gain in our relevant operational areas and projects humanitarian benefit derived safer! And societal benefits through projects and partnerships have the ability to add value to business... Positive reputation among the local community can often translate to a positive reputation among the local professional.! Add value to community investment benefits business and the wider community translate to a positive reputation among the local professional.! Community without necessarily investing hard capital most meeting several times during the year ) development as! 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