Tech sector to launch charitable foundation
The capital region’s largest industry is making a little more noise.
Victoria’s high-tech sector announced at its annual awards show that it will launch a charitable foundation, partly to demonstrate the impact the sector has on the broader community.
“We’ve been looking at this for more than 10 years now,” said Dan Gunn, chief executive of the Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Council.
“Most of our members are doing a great deal for the community, but because very few of them sell products here, they are not doing it for marketing reasons and it can be somewhat invisible.”
The VIATEC Foundation, which is to be launched in partnership with the Victoria Foundation, is designed to focus the social conscience of the industry.
“We felt it was important to capture a lot more of what is already happening — the donations, time, volunteers and support being provided by our members so we can look at it annually, report on it and encourage increased participation by the rest of our members,” Gunn said.
“And if we can focus them on some key areas, we think we may be able to create some unique programs,” he said, noting that will make the sector more visible and that participants can accomplish more as a collective.
VIATEC’s 900 members have shown they can make a significant difference when they pull together. Over the last 13 years, they have raised just over $2 million for the Mustard Seed Food Bank.
“VIATEC will be quite interesting. They are such a force in the community that if they group together to do something wonderful for this community, you know it will have an impact,” said Sandra Richardson, chief executive of the Victoria Foundation.
“They are very entrepreneurial and deal with a different demographic, and they look at the larger challenge. It’s not just about giving this year and then moving on.”
Gunn said that eventually, the VIATEC Foundation could operate on its own. But for the first year, as it goes through a Canada Revenue Agency application process, it will be run under the auspices of the Victoria Foundation.
“It makes sense because they have the infrastructure and administration in place. But this is a foundation for our members and by our members,” Gunn said. A board will be established to direct the foundation’s focus and its philanthropy toward VIATEC-determined priorities.