Rabobank and volunteering
while the third prize went to Pharmafilter for a waste water treatment system for hospitals.
The incentive award for young entrepreneurs was presented to Katrien Ploegmakers for her
deep pressure vest for children who have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Share4More
Current and retired Rabobank employees can opt to make a monthly donation to the
employee fund, Share4More. The Executive Board of Rabobank doubles all donations made.
The fund uses the donations to help improve the position of women, children and disabled
people in developing countries. Every year, the fund supports many small-scale projects
aimed at bringing about improvements in healthcare, education and welfare, and reducing
child mortality. In 2010, Share4More received 180 applications, of which 98 were successful.
Donations were up in 2010 compared to previous years owing to the earthquake in Haïti and
the floods in Pakistan. At year-end 2010, Share4More had a total of 4,161 donors, including
1,376 new donors who registered during the year. Share4More wants to increase the number
of its donors to 10,000 over the coming years.
Another form of cooperative dividend concerns the various kinds of support provided to
voluntary activities that lead to social improvements. Many local Rabobanks sponsor or give
donations to associations and foundations, and, on top of this, employees serve on boards,
facilities are made available, knowledge is shared, and parties are brought together. In 2010,
employees of local Rabobanks spent 75,800 (58,700) hours volunteering, employees of
Rabobank International employees spent 26,500 (21,000) hours on such activities, while
employees of other group entities spent 6,100 (6,600) hours on voluntary work. Rabobank
works with a number of parties that encourage and support volunteering. In addition, an
increasing number of management trainees and directors of local Rabobanks have decided to
devote some of their time and expertise to Rabobank Foundation projects in the Netherlands
and elsewhere.
Community sponsoring
Rabobank's sponsorship policy is aimed at building sustainable partnerships that promote a
vibrant, caring society, focusing on culture and sport, in particular cycling, field hockey and
equestrian sport.The long-standing ties between local Rabobanks and many local sports clubs
have provided the clubs with a solid foundation. In 2010, Rabobank Group spent EUR 60 million
on community sponsorship, with 1% of the sport sponsorship budget being made available
for disability sports. Rabobank supported the Van Gogh Museum.
Social ambitions of clients
Interest in contributing to social initiatives is growing among high net-worth individuals.
Rabobank provides the following services to help such clients:
- The Rabo Charity Desk - In 2010, charity managers helped 91 clients achieve their social
ambitions. These included 85 clients who were provided with a charity plan. Some hundreds
of projects have been launched using donations or legacies (including future legacies) from
clients, with the Rabo Charity Desk acting as an intermediary;
- Rabobank Foundation Client Fund - Through this fund, Rabobank clients can either make
donations or set up a fund in their own name to support Rabobank Foundation's projects.
At year-end 2010, some EUR 2.6 million had been committed to the fund by its four clients.
Of this sum, more than EUR 2.3 million was granted to 23 Rabobank Foundation projects.
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Commitment to society
