Employee Involvement
We know that good corporate citizenship helps us to attract and retain good employees. We also recognize that our people can develop useful skills outside the workplace. And we believe that encouraging engagement in our local communities reinforces employees’ engagement in our company. With increasing numbers of employees participating in our Agile Work program, community service often serves as a valuable catalyst for developing stronger teams and connecting them to the community. For all these reasons, we encourage employees to get involved as volunteers and supporters of nonprofit organizations.
Matching of Employee Contributions
We encourage employees to make charitable donations, and we support their efforts by matching their contributions to eligible charities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Asia Pacific region. We conduct annual giving campaigns and allow employees to contribute through payroll deduction. We match their contributions to eligible charities 100 percent.
PB’s Got Talent for Giving draws 54 videos, $1.7 million in employee pledges
Challenging employees to get creative about their charitable giving, our most recent annual Employee Giving Campaign drew a vigorous response. Participants from six countries submitted 54 videos, with the grand prize winner earning a $5,000 grant to their favorite charity and the five runners-up each earning $1,000 grants for their organizations. At the end of the drive, pledges had exceeded the last five years’ giving levels and had beaten the previous year’s total by 12 percent.
Each year, we provide grants to nonprofit organizations where our employees volunteer through our individual recognition grant program (with grants ranging from $125 for 25 hours of service to $500 for 100 hours). We also cover the costs of supplies and materials needed for employee volunteer efforts through our competitive team project grant program.
In keeping with our philanthropic focus, we offer employees structured volunteering opportunities linked to literacy and education initiatives. At the same time, we see volunteer service as an opportunity for employees to develop their skills, and we provide employees with guidelines that map volunteer opportunities to specific skills and core competencies that employees are interested in developing.
We encourage employees to serve on local committees and nonprofit boards and provide them with tools to find opportunities in their communities. We also work with grantee organizations and other charities whose missions support our philanthropic goals to identify volunteer leadership opportunities. Our Corporate Philanthropy and Strategic Talent Management teams work together to match employees’ passions and development goals with the opportunities available. We also recognize outstanding volunteer initiatives through our company’s highest employee honor, the Pitney Bowes Impact Award.
Employee volunteers transform classrooms in Sri Lanka
Combining a team-building exercise with community service, more than 70 Pitney Bowes employees at a Sri Lanka sales meeting pitched in to help a local school with a fresh paint job that included individual murals for each classroom. The 200-plus hours of volunteerism at Negombo’s Ng/Kudapaduwa Sinhala Mix School made for a memorable Sales Leadership Conference while delighting residents and school officials. It also set a valuable example of integrating corporate responsibility and leadership training.
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U.K. facilities move yields furniture and equipment for 14 schools and charities
Office and classroom furniture, kitchen equipment and potted plants were just some of the items made redundant when Pitney Bowes moved operations in Harlow and Hatfield to new quarters earlier this year. A team of 10 employee volunteers then worked to find appropriate recipients for this substantial stockpile. When they were done, nine schools and five other organizations had gained a variety of equipment. In one case, well over 100 items were brought together to create a new exam area at Leventhorpe School in Sawbridgeworth.
Three events bring 35 employee volunteers to 100 students at Gopal Dham
Pitney Bowes Software India continued to provide at-risk children with literacy support and engaging activities through a series of events held in partnership with the nonprofit Sewa Bharti as part of their Gopal Dham project. Gopal Dham is a family-oriented home that accommodates a diverse group of impoverished children ranging from orphans to victims of terrorism.
Portugal and Spain
Each year since 2006, PB Portugal has supported several community nonprofits dedicated to helping mothers and children in need. Each of the organizations serves a particular set of needs, from nutrition to services for abandoned children, pregnant women and young cancer victims. For 2012, PB Portugal focused its efforts on Banco Alimentar, which supports free distribution of food that would otherwise go to waste.
Meanwhile, Pitney Bowes offices throughout Spain have banded together in Proyecto Colabora (Project Collaboration) to support poor and homeless families. Collections of food, clothing, toys, books and other items are delivered regularly to Spanish social organizations including Caritas, Arrels, Crae and Hogar Don Orione. Colleagues in Seville are shown bringing food for distribution by the local church in the nearby village of Dos Hermanas.
Disaster relief
The Pitney Bowes Relief Fund , a U.S. 501(c)(3) charity, was established in 1992 to provide for colleagues and others whose lives are disrupted by natural disasters or personal misfortune. Financed by employee contributions and a match from the foundation match, the Relief Fund gives recipients access to food, shelter, clothing and medical care in catastrophic situations. Pitney Bowes covers the Relief Fund’s administrative costs, ensuring that all donations directly benefit those who need assistance. The Salvation Army manages the Relief Fund’s grants and refers employees to community-based resources where appropriate. Since its inception, the Relief Fund has distributed more than $2.9 million in assistance. In 2012, the Relief Fund assisted 25 Pitney Bowes employees affected by Hurricane Sandy, the November 2012 nor’easter and the Newtown, CT, shootings.
In addition, the Pitney Bowes Foundation launches special matching appeals following natural disasters that impact Pitney Bowes employees, customers and communities outside the U.S.
Hurricane Sandy, the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history, spread devastation across 24 states during its passage up the Atlantic seaboard in October 2012, with New York, New Jersey and Connecticut among the hardest-hit areas. Through the long hours of the storm, the Pitney Bowes Management Services team at Bank of America worked to minimize its impact on the bank’s day-to-day operations while expediting the delivery of relief supplies to those in need. Advance planning, coordination with city and state evacuation and transportation authorities, and the unstinting efforts of more than two dozen employees helped to avoid service interruptions, speed recovery and ensure the safety and well-being of all concerned.
> Vlog of Adina Ba and local champions for 2012 Share the Message: READ!
> Pushing the Envelope
> The Ultimate Summer Experience: Community Involvement
> Celebrating PBs' First Global Volunteer Month with a Focus on Literacy
> Libraries and Our Communities
> Doing What We Can for Our Military and Still Keep Perspective
> Pitney Bowes Launches Global Volunteer Month
> Family Literacy Night at Stepping Stones Museum