Engaging Employees in Philanthropy by Corporate Foundations

Company employees can play a big role as contributors in Corporate Social Investment activities.

A new trend in Corporate Social Investment is spreading in many companies around the world. Indeed, with the inclusion of sustainability in the overall strategic plans, most corporates have realised that employees are powerful ambassadors in their CSI agenda.

And this is not surprising. Who’s better to implement an organization’s philanthropic endeavors than the people who work there? After all, employees represent their organizations every day at work, in industry and government functions and events, and at social gatherings.

Global Corporate Social Responsibility activities have, over the recent years, gained popularity and Kenya is no exception. Corporate philanthropic engagements have evolved beyond just monetary contribution, and more often include employee engagement.

KenGen Kipevu Power Station visit the home of the elderly at Mombasa at a past CSI event. KenGen’s CSI works to improve the livelihoods of communities around its power plants.

Across the country, several corporations are delivering on their CSI activities partly through their workers voluntary contributions, either financially or in kind. One of the organizations that has done good with this concept is KenGen Foundation.

Read here: Sondu Miriu and Sang’oro Givers and Staff Plant 5,000 Trees

As a Company, KenGen has over the years been committed in CSI activities since its establishment focusing mainly on the communities around its power stations. The Company engaged a higher gear in its CSI activities in 2012 when it set up a Foundation to serve as the vehicle for up scaling more impactful and wider social programs.

Governed by a Board of Trustees and ran by the Managing Trustee, the Foundation focuses its CSI efforts on three key pillars of sustainability namely Education, Environment, Water & Sanitation in support of the newly unveiled Sustainable Development Goals aimed at ending extreme poverty, providing educational and entrepreneurial opportunities, and addressing climate change.

The Foundation established the KenGen Employee Giver Initiative in 2015 as a platform for Company’s staff to be involved and contribute to the company’s CSI activities.

Over 760 members of staff have joined the initiative so far and are referred among their peers as “Givers”. They commit to monthly or one-off financial contribution or other voluntary service utilizing their time and skill.

Read here: Employee Giver Initiative Subscriptions Hits 756, Welcomes New Members

KenGen Givers assist to spearhead and implement the Foundation’s projects at each power station with support from the Human Resource department. Whether in planning and mobilization, or just sharing and communicating the need to get involved, the KenGen Givers have done a lot in delivering successful CSI activities within the Foundation’s three pillars of sustainability.

KenGen Givers with their “mentees” during a past mentorship event. KenGen Givers play a crucial role in motivating the students under the Company’s Education Scholarship Program.

25 of KenGen Givers are committed as mentors for students under the KenGen Education Scholarships program to ensure their good performance and also offer counselling and career guidance.

KenGen Givers planted over 6,000 trees in the year 2016 at various locations including Nairobi National Park and Sangoro Power Station, Kisumu, with the program set to expand to the Rift Valley and Coast regions over the next months.

Read here: Corporate Social Investments Now Part of KenGen’s Risk Assessment

KenGen Givers also champion the annual global #givingtuesday day of corporate charity. The Givers usually take the day off to mobilize and assist the less fortunate in the society as part of the Company’s CSI efgforts.

In a period of only two years, KenGen Givers have become a big contributor in implementing the Company’s philanthropic efforts.

This has put through the fact that wherever they are and whatever they are doing, employees are great ambassadors for the company’s CSI activities.

KenGen Foundation has proved this beyond doubt.

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–Ernest Nyamasyo, Communication Officer