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Across North America and around the world, we support a broad
range of community initiatives, through donations, community
sponsorships and employee volunteer activities, under a plan
we call the RBC Community Blueprint™. In 2009, we contributed
more than $105 million to community causes worldwide through
donations of more than $52.6 million, and an additional $52.5
million in sponsorship of community events and national organizations.
2010 Performance Highlights
RBC donates $100,000
to assist Pakistan flood victims
RBC
Foundation joins campaign to expand Gattuso Rapid Diagnostic
Centre
RBC announces
$600,000 donation to children’s mental health “first aid”
program
RBC
kicks off JUNO week with a $15,000 donation to MusiCounts
to support music education
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2009 Performance Highlights |
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Donated $52.6 million to community
causes worldwide, primarily in the areas of education,
the environment, health, social services, arts and culture,
and civic causes
Under the RBC Blue Water Project, committed over $4.6
million to fresh water initiatives in 2009, bringing
our total support to more than $21 million, pledged
to 223 organizations worldwide working in the areas
of watershed protection and access to clean drinking
water
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Provided $52.5 million in sponsorship
of community events and national organizations, primarily
in the areas of amateur sport, arts and culture, and
Olympics-related programs
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Employees and pensioners worldwide
contributed countless hours in volunteer activities
and funds to not-for-profit groups through payroll deductions,
direct giving and special events
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| Vital Statistics |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
Investments
in community causes
(total of donations and sponsorships)
|
$105.1
million
|
$99.0
million
|
$82.8
million
|
| Donations |
$52.6
million
|
$51.5
million
|
$47.7
million
|
| Community
and national sponsorships |
$52.5
million
|
$47.5
million
|
$35.1
million
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Issues
- Impact of economic crisis on charitable sector:
Many charities are facing serious reductions in their funding
bases at the same time as demand for their services has
skyrocketed. In 2009, grant requests to RBC Foundation®
increased by 20%. To respond, we adjusted our donations
guidelines for a number of large urban organizations that
provide emergency services such as food banks. Rather than
directing our funding to designated programs, we gave these
organizations the flexibility to use our donations where
they needed them most, including general operating expenses
and salaries, areas which are not typically funded by corporations.
- Impact of economic crisis on corporate donors:
As the global economy continues to rebuild, companies will
have to balance today's pressing social and environmental
needs with their own financial realities. In 2009, we maintained
our level of charitable giving worldwide, and we commit
to focus our giving on areas that will have the greatest
impact, whether it be to general operations or specific
programs.
- Strategic versus transformational philanthropy: There
is a global trend among corporations towards "strategic
philanthropy": the tight alignment of donations with
the specific areas of business the company is pursuing.
As one of North America's leading financial institutions,
we have chosen to pursue a path of "transformational
philanthropy" instead, where we provide support for
difficult or emerging social and environmental issues, while
focusing our donations within the education, healthcare
and arts communities to key issues, and continuing to provide
a broad base of support across all charitable sectors.
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