Giving back through BanKO’s Project GIVES
The practice of corporate social responsibility ( CSR) in the Philippines has become an integral part of many companies’ corporate culture, with more organizations broadening their participation towards social development and nation-building efforts.
A 2012 survey conducted by Newsbreak for the League of Corporate Foundations shows that employee volunteerism has become more prevalent, and that CSR activities are evolving from philanthropy to “integrated” or sustainable CSR, with long-term effects on beneficiaries.
The same survey further reveals that more than half of the corporations involve their employees in their CSR initiatives, and consider employee satisfaction as a benchmark of their CSR program’s success.
BPI Globe BanKO, the country’s first and only mobile bank that works toward empowering the unbanked sector of the population, now enables corporations and their employees to take part in so- cial development by promoting financial inclusion through a CSR program called Project GIVES (Greater Inclusion through Volunteer Efforts).
BPI Globe BanKO president and CEO John Rubio explains, “Project GIVES is an easy to implement, high- impact CSR program. It provides companies and their employee volunteers with the materials and assistance to conduct financial literacy sessions in their community of choice. BanKO will train the volunteers to run the session for the chosen community. Multiple sessions with 30 to 40 participants are recommended to effectively run the program and penetrate the community.”
During the program activation, employee volunteers will conduct a twohour goal- based and classroom- type financial literacy session using BanKO’s materials ( exercise sheets, flipchart/ visual aid, training video, and banners) and hands-on exercises, thereby educating the community members on financial management. Employees will use a customized module that has already been proven to aid the unbanked in financial planning.
Community members will receive certificates of attendance and also get the opportunity to secure a better future by applying for a BanKO PondoKO Plus Savings account (bundled with free personal accident insurance for one year) after attending the session. A dedicated team from BanKO will assist in the setup of the sessions and facilitate the account opening process.
After the sessions, the companies can also measure the impact of the program by tracking the community members’ progress through quarterly reports submitted by BanKO within a one-year period. BanKO will also provide the companies with a press release in major publications for added media mileage.
“We believe that Project GIVES will set the participating companies apart because financial literacy is not a common advocacy,” Rubio says. “It is basically teaching the beneficiaries in the community ‘ how to fish’ by educating them on how to manage their finances and equipping them with the tools to do so. Employee volunteers would also feel personally fulfilled, as the knowledge that they impart through the sessions will make a difference in the lives of the community members that they interact with.
“We feel that companies will find more value in sustainable CSR than the usual one- time or one- day charity or fundraising events and outreach activities,” he continues. “With the help of companies who will participate in Project GIVES, we can make an immediate social impact in more communities.”
For more information on Project GIVES, visit www.banko.com.ph or email info@banko.com.ph.