The personal involvement and commitment of our people is one of the greatest assets of our Corporate Citizenship programme. We believe that by harnessing the skills we use every day and applying them to the world and communities around us, we can help make positive changes in our communities, locally and across the world. Volunteering activities provide a platform for our people to address issues with which they feel connected. While participating in these, our people also gain insight and perspective on the social challenges around them.
The results of the Global People Survey were encouraging - our people associated with the Citizenship agenda and felt they were part of a firm that is a responsible Corporate Citizen. This was reinforced by our people who volunteered more than 9000 hours to support a range of causes, such as raising funds for palliative care for cancer, teaching English at local schools, participating in marathons to raise funds for charities and career guidance for students. This is driven by the continuing involvement and support of our leadership.
Our initiatives are developed to suit local communities and environments. When our people volunteer for these initiatives, they work together to create better lives for the communities and environments we live and work in.
Our ‘Make a Difference Days’ include activities that are both fun and educational, such as visits to museums and planetariums, eco-friendly workshops and theatre workshops, painting activities and other cultural and entertainment activities. We have a growing number of volunteers who are keen to mentor school and college students through our involvement with Enactus and JA programmes. A number of volunteers have also helped expand KPMG’s Family for Literacy programme.
Through pro bono projects departments have helped build the capacity of our development partners.The Development Sector Practice team reviewed the education and vocational training initiatives for one of our development partners which works in the field of education, and developed a fundraising strategy for them. Another project by the team included developing a national expansion strategy for an organisation which focuses on the girl child and the environment.
The Accounting Advisory Services team reviewed accounting processes for another development partner, which supports children living on construction sites, promoting their safety, health and education. They supplemented this by formulating relevant accounting policies for them.
We believe that volunteering helps individuals learn new skills, enriches their knowledge and experience, and improves our relationship with our partner organisations. Regular community service and involvement helps develop crucial management skills which lead to more aware and well-balanced professionals and helps them better understand the goals of the organisations we work with. We are proud of our strong bonds with each of our partner organisations which play an important role in paving the way for social change.