CommunityFrom volunteering at local organizations to donating to causes they care about; Winnipeg Foundation staff have unique ways of supporting community
The Winnipeg Foundation’s Employee Charitable Contribution Committee (ECCC) encourages a culture of generosity by providing different ways to give back and get involved in the community.
One of ECCC’s goals is to encourage staff to participate in The Foundation’s employer matching program, which offers a 50 per cent “stretch” of contributions made, for a total stretch of up to $600 per year, per employee. Within the program, staff set up Donor-Advised Funds with either a one-time gift, monthly gifts or an annual gift which is stretched by The Foundation.
On the last Friday of every month (except July and August), staff are encouraged to participate in Jeans Day. Each Jeans Day supports a staff member’s charity of choice, selected by a monthly random draw. In 2021, staff contributions were matched by The Foundation for a total Jeans Day support of $3,280.
Despite the pandemic, Foundation staff participated in several physically-distanced activities. In September 2021, Foundation staff planted more than 100 trees in the Point Douglas area with Point Douglas Residents’ Association and students and staff from Norquay School. In October 2021, staff planted an additional 100 trees in Albina Park (Tyndall Park).
When the snow began to fall, Foundation staff dug into their personal book collections and contributed more than 2,000 books, along with a significant contribution from one of our donors, to support Elmwood Community Resource Centre (ECRC) and Chalmers Community Centre. ECRC used the donated books as a special addition to holiday packages put together for local families, while Chalmers gave the books to people living in the neighbourhood.
To end 2021 on a high note, ECCC created a Holiday Fund Drive encouraging staff to use their ECCC funds to support charitable organizations throughout the holiday season. Foundation staff answered the call and donated more than $11,000 to the community, an event that embodies ‘our culture of generosity’.
For more information on The Winnipeg Foundation’s Employee Charitable Contribution Committee, visit: Our Culture of Generosity
This story is featured in the Spring 2022 issue of our Working Together magazine. Download or view the full issue on our Publications page.