Contents Foreword Management report Corporate governance
Rabobanks present their activities and projects with photo and
film material as well as accompanying descriptions. The bank's
role in these projects may be purely financial, but also often
entails sharing knowledge, network and facilities such as
meeting spaces or media facilities.
By the end of 2016, over 2,200 projects had been presented
on the Rabo Versterkt platform. This is an increase of 500
compared to 2015. Supported themes include housing,
healthcare, economic vitality, sustainability and F&A. In 2016,
additional focus was given to the promotion of working and
entrepreneurship, providing education on food and finance,
and supporting green initiatives in local neighbourhoods.
The sponsoring of sports, youth and culture also remained
an important part of our social contribution in 2016.
Other entities also contribute to the strengthening of
communities, these include DLL, Rabobank Foundation and Rabo
Development. Their activities on this topic are described below.
DLL
Charitable donations and volunteering
In addition to Rabobank's own work to support vital
communities, DLL aims to make meaningful contributions
to the local community it serves through various fundraising
and donation activities. For example, in 2016, DLL raised
a record-breaking sum of USD 301,740 to be donated to the
Make-A-Wish Foundation in Southeastern Philadelphia. Make-
A-Wish aims to grant the wishes of every child diagnosed
with a life-threatening medical condition. DLL's donation will
allow children in the region to have their wishes granted.
In addition to financial donations, DLL members across 22
countries gave their time and expertise as volunteers and
assisted in community projects as part of the DLL milestone
celebrations. These milestone celebrations marked the
success of DLL as a global provider of asset-based financial
solutions across the globe, in more than 33 countries and eight
industries. DLL wouldn't be in its current position were it not
for its customers and the efforts of DLL members to help them
reach their goals. Therefore, DLL celebrated its success with
all its members around the globe, while including community
involvement in the celebrations.
DLL also launched the societal impact engagement platform
in 2016. DLL's Community Involvement Portal (CI Portal) is
a digital platform for DLL members from all over the world who
are granted 2 days of company time to engage with the local
communities we operate in and to have a positive impact by
sharing our time, expertise, or money. At the time of writing,
the platform had 3,163 active members, with 1,364 members
volunteering and five new fundraising projects being launched.
Consolidated Financial Statements Company Financial Statements Pillar 3
In the Netherlands, DLL organised a special event with, among
others, the municipality of Eindhoven to mark the tenth
matchmaking dinner, where businesses and charities are
coupled based on their non-financial needs. The event saw
the launch of Impact040, a business coalition with the aim
of creating more strategic cooperation on social issues in the
region. Initial participants include the municipality of Eindhoven
and six local companies.
Micro-leasing
In 2016, with a focus on Rwanda and Kenya, the DLL micro
leasing team intensified their advisory work to support local
stakeholders (MFIs, Saccos) in developing micro-leasing as
a financial solution for their end-customers.
Rabobank Foundation
The Rabobank Foundation is the social fund of Rabobank,
offering poor and disadvantaged groups a better outlook
by promoting and investing in self-sufficiency. It has been
active for over 40 years. In 20151, Rabobank Foundation had
more than EUR 24 million invested in projects abroad and in
the Netherlands. In 2016, this amount was EUR 28 million (see
infographic for detailed information.)
Banking for the Netherlands
Banking for the Netherlands is Rabobank's vision on how
the bank can contribute to welfare and prosperity in
the Netherlands. The Rabobank Foundation contributes to
this vision by supporting various social projects focused on
vulnerable groups' participation in society. Via our 49 project
partners in the Netherlands, we helped 450,000 people in
2015. The foundation's activities in the Netherlands include
cooperating with social welfare organisations and social
enterprises to encourage labour participation by people
who are far-removed from the labour market, allowing them
to become financially self-sufficient, and to make sports
accessible for people with disabilities and for children who
are growing up in poverty. As our shared goal is a society in
which everyone is able to work according to their abilities,
the foundation's Social Enterprise programme has a special
focus on social entrepreneurship, encouraging the creation
of opportunities for vulnerable groups on the labour market.
We offer entrepreneurs with a social mission access to finance,
know-how and networks.
1 We incorporated data over 2015 from the Social Impact Report of the
Foundation into this Annual Report. However, when we already have
2016 data available, we have added them. The Social Impact data
coming from project partners is not audited.
89 Our output and impact: supporting the vitality of communities
