Donations

Sampo Group supports a range of charitable and civil society organisations both locally and internationally.

Sampo Group wants to make donations to and take part in humanitarian efforts to support the communities the company and its employees are part of. At the same time, donations can, for example, offer reputational benefits for Sampo Group, help attract and retain employees, and provide possibilities to engage with current or prospective customers.

Approach

Sampo Group has a group-level community engagement framework. The framework has three themes, which guide the company’s donations and other humanitarian efforts. With donations and other humanitarian efforts, Sampo Group also wants to support the selected UN Sustainable Development Goals.  

Every year, the Sampo Group companies decide which initiatives they wish to support and what types of humanitarian efforts they want to engage in. The collaborations can range from one-off activities (e.g., donations, disaster relief) to long-term projects (e.g., multiyear partnerships). In addition, Sampo Group offers employee engagement initiatives, such as matched donations and employee volunteering.  

Monitoring and evaluation of donations and other humanitarian efforts is done on a subsidiary level. Each activity and partnership is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, with criteria depending on the nature and scope of the cooperation. 

Goals and ambitions

Sampo Group’s primary aim is to make donations and take part in humanitarian efforts that aim to make a change in society. Sampo Group is committed to further improving the work year on year, for example, by developing reporting and measurements, creating new initiatives, and increasing employee participation. 

Donations

EUR 2023 2022 2021
Sampo Group, total 270,773 734,372 420,715

In 2021 and 2022, donations were greater due to enhanced COVID-19 support and donations to Ukraine. Mandatum is included in 2021 and 2022 figures.

Company-level information

Approach

If’s sustainability work is built on three commitments: Commitment to customers, Commitment to employees, and Commitment to society. The commitment to society guides If’s donations and community activities on an overall level. In addition, If links its donations and community activities to the themes of the Sampo Group community engagement framework in Sampo Group’s reporting and to the SDGs in Sampo Group’s and If’s sustainability reporting. 

Employee volunteering

At If, employees can do volunteer work during working hours in support of a cause of their own choosing. Working hours can be donated in support of social and humanitarian causes such as the Red Cross, Caritas, Food Bank, and local organisations within mental health, integration, and elderly care, for instance. The initiatives are employee driven and locally coordinated between HR and leaders in each applicable country. 

If has several collaborations and sponsorships in place, and certain activities are arranged annually by the company, while others are initiated and driven by the employees themselves. If employees actively contribute to charities by choosing to donate their Christmas gift or birthday gift, where applicable, to a preferred charity selected by the company each year.  

Monitoring and evaluation

If monitors monetary donations and community activities on a country level. Typical KPIs used on a local level are, for instance, financial contribution, number of employees participating, time spent, and number of items or amount of funds collected. The Brand, Marketing and Communications, HR, and Sustainability teams, as well as the Business Management Group, oversee donations and community activities within If, depending on the type of activity and/or the country in question. 

Approach

The objective of Topdanmark’s donations and community activities is to support the community of which the company and its employees are a part. The company donates to a range of charitable and civil society organisations. Topdanmark links its donations and community activities to the themes of the Sampo Group community engagement framework. In addition, Topdanmark aims to support the UN SDGs with its activities.  

Monitoring and evaluation

Topdanmark monitors the company’s financial and in-kind donations. Financial donations are monitored annually. When it comes to in-kind donations, Topdanmark monitors the number of products donated. Topdanmark also monitors voluntary hours, paid working hours used by employees, and administrative costs in particular long-term partnerships. 

Sustainability, HR, Communication, and Marketing teams monitor and evaluate donations and community activities. The main body in charge of strategic decision-making is the Sustainability Forum, composed of managers from levels 1 and 2.

 

Approach

Hastings’ approach to its donations and humanitarian efforts is guided by the company’s 4Cs framework (colleagues, customers, company, and communities). With happy employees, satisfied customers, and a profitable business, Hastings is able to take the company’s 4Cs framework full circle and take an active role in serving its communities. The 4Cs culture is underpinned by the values of ‘being a good neighbour’ and ‘doing the right thing’, encouraging employees to take positive action to support local communities and protect the environment. In addition, Hastings links the company’s donations and community activities to the UN SDGs and the themes of the Sampo Group community engagement framework.  

The main objective of Hastings’ donations and community activities is to support charities, community groups, and schools within a 20-mile radius of a Hastings office, or to support an organisation close to where the company’s employees live. Hastings offers a wide range of support to charities and communities, and the company continues to receive requests for a variety of support and donations every year. Requests are considered on the basis of ensuring that the donations benefit local communities and that the support given aligns with company ethics. 

Employee volunteering

Hastings has a programme for employee volunteering called Colleague community days. Every year, employees are given at least one paid working day to offer their services in the community. This can be done as a team event or individually. 

Hastings measures the effectiveness of the employee volunteering programme by the number of employees who have completed a community day, the number of hours spent on a community day, and the potential financial support of those days – cost to the business / community hours in amount donated in working hours, the number of charities supported, and the type of volunteering (e.g., practical, physical, or professional experience). 

Monitoring and evaluation

Hastings monitors the value of donations, in-kind donations (under professional-based community days and educational programmes), and time contributed by employees. Charity and community grant requests received by Hastings are usually specific requirements (e.g., a wheelchair for a child), and therefore Hastings can evaluate the impact from the application. 

When Hastings provides educational programmes to schools, the company receives feedback from teachers, people that have been directly impacted (e.g., students), and students who are children of Hastings’ employees. From a business perspective, this helps to bridge the gap between education and the workplace, and it encourages the local community of young people to consider future employment at Hastings. 

The CSR Manager oversees the company’s donations and community activities, with monthly updates provided to the Hastings Board of Directors. 

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