Standard Bank’s employee community involvement (ECI) programme showcases how strategic employee engagement can multiply corporate social impact. With more than 14 000 employees willing to put their time and resources towards worthy causes, the programme empowers staff to contribute meaningfully to measurable community outcomes.
Corporate social investment (CSI) has evolved beyond cheque-writing to embracing more participatory giving models. This includes employee-driven models that tap into staff’s passion, skills and time to amplify social impact. Standard Bank recognised that its employees wanted to make a difference and that enabling them to do so could amplify the impact of social development programmes. Employees told the CSI team that they often did not know where to start to make a difference, were unsure of which causes to choose to support and, when they did know, worried that what they could provide wouldn’t be enough.
With some innovation, resource sharing and financial matching, Standard Bank launched its digital volunteering platform in July 2020 to help staff contribute to relief during a difficult time for the country. Since then, the programme has reported more than 10 000 volunteering connections, over R3 million in matched donations and more than 3 800 volunteering hours.
The programme’s success rests on a comprehensive range of volunteering options to suit employees’ skills, time and passions. Corporate social investment ECI manager Nkateko Mabale says the programme is designed to enable participation throughout the year. For example, the company’s themed ECI calendar is filled with opportunities for staff to participate in social impact projects:
- Back-to-school drives at the beginning of the year provide much-needed resources such as stationery and school bags to partner schools.
- Service month in May encourages staff to dedicate their time and skills to community projects of their choice. Mandela Day in July.
- Literacy Month campaigns in September encourage staff to include their families in company-directed fun days that support education and literacy.
The response from employees and the causes exceeded expectations, leading the team to think of ways to recognise this often-unsung dedication and commitment. In 2024, Standard Bank introduced the annual CSI Employee Volunteering Awards to its events calendar. Judged across five categories, winning teams or individuals secure R100 000 per category for their chosen nonprofit organisation. The awards celebrate employees who reflect the bank’s commitment to community impact and inspire others to engage in the ECI programme. They also demonstrate the bank’s appreciation for employees who contribute beyond their professional roles. “We care about our communities. We do want to do good and our ECI programme showcases that,” enthuses Mabale.
Digital platform makes volunteering accessible to everyone
Standard Bank’s digital infrastructure partnership with ForGood provides the foundation of the ECI programme. By connecting employees with vetted nonprofit organisations across South Africa, it bridges the gap between good intentions and practical action. It also helps staff connect with causes they care about, making them more likely to engage when they can align their values and interests.
For those who favour professional giving over more hands-on charitable activities, the platform includes the opportunity for skills-based volunteering. Mabale cites an example of a Standard Bank legal team that dedicated its time and expertise to help a nonprofit struggling with contract structure. “The service was very impactful as it saved the organisation from needing to hire an expensive consultant.”
Speaking on what motivates employees to participate in company-driven volunteering, CSI manager Zanele Shabalala states that managerial involvement is a crucial factor in the success of Standard Bank’s ECI programme. “Where management takes the lead is where we get real buy-in from staff,” she says.
The long-term view of giving
Standard Bank’s CSI efforts are focused on long-term impact rather than one-off charitable actions. For example, a Mandela Day vegetable garden building activation at a Cape Town school led to Standard Bank adopting the school through its leadership programme. In partnership with Citizen Leader Lab, which collaborates with business leaders to run leadership development programmes in schools, Standard Bank’s ongoing involvement with the school resulted in the donation of a new computer lab.
Doubling employee volunteering impact
The bank matches individual employee donations to their platform charities of choice Rand4Rand. This doubles the impact of each contribution while addressing a common psychological barrier to giving, namely the idea that one’s individual contribution is too small to make a difference. Employee generosity is validated and the company leverages its resources to support causes that mean something to those working there.
Standard Bank has simplified employee donations through its payroll giving programme. This enables employees to make regular monthly contributions to their organisations of choice, relieving the administrative burden and encouraging consistent, rather than sporadic, giving.
“We’ve seen an increase in our Rand4Rand giving. When employees can’t be hands-on, they prefer to make a donation. This offers an easy way for them to contribute,” says Mabale. She adds that the programme sees its highest influx of donations during bonus time and CSI activations. Shabalala notes that Standard Bank staff have been particularly responsive to donation drives, especially in response to disasters.
Building a sense of purpose
Standard Bank employees are encouraged to capture their volunteering experiences and contribute qualitatively to impact assessment. Their responses reveal how meaningful they find the experience, the extent to which it aligns with their values and the satisfaction they derive from ECI activities. The following responses reflect the sense of collective purpose that employee volunteering can achieve.
“This was my first time volunteering and I will be volunteering again in the future. It is not a lot of time given, but it felt like we were doing something important. It forces you to stop and think about these unfortunate individuals and their trauma, fear and hardship…a sobering reminder of the importance of compassion and community support.”
“Participating in this volunteering initiative has been deeply rewarding. Contributing to the development of toddler sensory boards for ECD centres across Gauteng gave me firsthand insight into how tactile, visual and auditory stimulation can foster cognitive growth and sensory exploration in early childhood. Every glue stick and texture swatch wasn’t just a crafting item. It became a symbol of connection and learning. I feel incredibly fortunate to have played a role in enhancing early learning opportunities and contributing to a nurturing space for children to grow and explore.”
Building capacity and legacy
Mabale says Standard Bank’s ECI programme is closely aligned with driving African growth. Employee volunteering projects support education, skills development, financial inclusion and entrepreneurship, areas where the bank feels it has the expertise to contribute to sustainable outcomes.
She states the bank continually seeks innovative ways to expand its ECI efforts. These include using existing programmes, such as challenging Future Leaders programme participants to collaboratively address the real-world issues partner nonprofits face. In the short term, the programme is determined to engage 25 000 actively participating employees on the volunteering platform.
Standard Bank’s ECI programme remains true to its central objective of building sustainable partnerships that will outlast any single initiative. In Mabale’s words, “leaving lasting change that continues long after the volunteers have gone home”.
Nkateko Mabale
Standard Bank Corporate Social Investment ECI Manager
www.standardbank.co.za/southafrica/personal/about-us/corporate-social-investment
