When breast cancer survivor Steve Ewoniak decided to commit to BRIGHT Run in 2020, he tapped his employer to help out.
As a senior associate with ScotiaMcLeod, Steve, captain of BRIGHT team SuperMoobs, learned parent company Scotiabank had two programs available to help employees raise money for a charitable organization, while his division had its own award available.
“There are many institutions that value community involvement like my firm does, I encourage everyone to reach out to their management teams to learn what programs have been developed.”
Jane Allison’s company, Dovetail Community, works to connect corporations to the community through communication, community enhancement and corporate social responsibility strategies.
“Establishing a corporate charitable matching program is one of the things I talk about when generating ideas about engagement.”
“It’s important to figure out what’s important to your employees,” she said. If you’re supporting them, they feel engaged and the company is also engaging in the community through its employees.”
Steve learned that the Scotiabank Employee Volunteer Excellence Program could donate as much as $3,000 if three employees each volunteered more than 50 hours during the year. As last year’s survivor spokesperson, Steve had no problem tallying up those hours.
Scotiabank retiree Sandy Murphy, a member of McMillan’s Madcaps and a long-time BRIGHT volunteer, learned through Steve that both she and event chair Nancy McMillan, also a Scotiabank retiree, were eligible for funding from the volunteer program.
“Up to three employees can apply for $1,000 each for the same organization. In 2020, Scotiabank offered a bonus of $200 per applicant, so BRIGHT Run received a total of $3,600.”
Back to Steve, who found the second opportunity through his firm – the Scotiabank Team Community Program – challenging, but ultimately do-able.
“It was a big task, but I successfully encouraged more than 30 employees to register for the BRIGHT Run and do some fundraising,” he said. “After meeting this milestone, every dollar up to $15,000 was matched by my company!”
As well, a charitable foundation, set up by senior leaders in his division, donated funds by awarding Steve for his community involvement in BRIGHT Run through the ScotiaMcLeod Share the Wealth Program.
Jane acknowledges not every company has an employee charitable matching program, but she encourages employees to make suggestions about developing one.
“For something such as the BRIGHT Run, it’s a good fit,” she said. “Particularly because it’s so local and all the money donated goes directly to research.”
You may be working for a company that already has a program, so ask about the possibilities. And rather than re-invent the wheel, we suggest you check out websites such this one, compiled by the Oakville and Milton Humane Society.
As Steve says: “Be inspired to support your local community and encourage your employer to become excellent corporate sponsors of charitable causes.”
