20.11.2012 00:00
Charity: which bank is the most generous?
CAF Russia conducted a study of the charitable activities of the largest Russian banks. The largest expenses were at Sberbank (1.8 billion rubles), VTB (1.5 billion rubles) and Uralsib (1 billion rubles).
The ranking is based on data from the Central Bank for 2011. However, you need to keep in mind that not all banks may be included in the charitable expenses item (for example, foreign ones can finance programs from the headquarters fund).
In total, over the past year, 47 of the 50 largest banks (there was no data for three) spent 6.8 billion rubles on charity. At the same time, their total profit amounted to 581.2 billion rubles, that is, the industry average percentage of charitable spending is 1.17%.
In absolute terms, the leaders are Sberbank (RUB 1.8 billion), VTB (RUB 1.5 billion) and Uralsib (RUB 1 billion). They are followed by Gazprombank (RUB 0.68 billion) and Alfa-Bank (RUB 0.46 billion). The main group of banks spends from 50 to 10 million, and the bottom of the table is banks that spent less than 1 million rubles on charity.
The most generous banks, which donate more than 20% of their profits to charity, were Uralsib (almost 27%) and Khanty-Mansiysk Bank (23.6%).
It is already possible to predict with confidence that in 2012, spending on charity will increase. Over the three quarters of 2012, the studied banks spent 5.86 billion rubles, which exceeds the same figure last year by 21.3%.
Expenses of Russian banks on charity and other similar expenses, 2011
Beneficiaries
The most popular beneficiaries are children; most banks have such programs. Basically, this is support for orphans and treatment of children. Treatment and payment for operations are provided by Sberbank, Raiffeisenbank, Alfa-Bank (although they do not consider the Life Line program to be their corporate one), and Zenit.
Help for orphans is provided by: Uralsib, Transcreditbank, Gazprombank, Raiffeisenbank, Nordea Bank, Rosbank, Promsvyazbank, Nomos-Bank, St. Petersburg and Vostochny Express banks. Supporting children and families is one of the priorities for OTP-Bank.
Children's healthcare institutions are supported by VTB, Uralsib, Unicredit Bank, Promsvyazbank. VTB is engaged in equipping hospitals with modern equipment, the same practice exists at Uralsib Bank. It is interesting that representatives of both of these banks emphasize: strategically, they view this type of assistance as fundamentally different from payment for direct treatment of children, which they, for certain reasons, try to avoid. Promsvyazbank finances mobile ambulance teams for the Children's Hospice in St. Petersburg.
Most banks have charitable programs related to education (Uralsib, VTB, Alfa-Bank, Sberbank, Gazprombank, Bank of Moscow, MDM Bank, Home Credit Bank). There are quite a lot of scholarship programs for students (Sberbank, VTB, VTB 24, Alfa-Bank, Deutsche Bank, Vozrozhdenie, MDM Bank). SME Bank and Citibank support education for entrepreneurs and financial literacy programs. Home Credit Bank and OTP Bank also have financial literacy programs.
Traditionally, cultural institutions are supported - museums, theaters (VTB, VTB 24, Alfa-Bank, Promsvyazbank, MDM Bank). Contemporary art is supported by Western banks - Deutsche Bank and Raiffeisenbank, and Russian banks - Nomos-Bank, Transcreditbank and Rosbank.
Assistance to low-income and socially vulnerable groups and segments of the population is provided by Gazprombank, Bank of Moscow, VTB 24, Unicredit Bank, Rosbank, Ak Bars Bank (it should be noted that many banks consider veterans and children to be such). Raiffeisenbank helps disabled people of all ages. Nomos Bank also helps people with disabilities. Assistance to veterans is provided by Sberbank, Gazprombank, Alfa-Bank, VTB, VTB 24, Unicredit Bank, Bank of Moscow, Nomos-Bank.
Gazprombank, Bank of Moscow, VTB, Promsvyazbank and Rosselkhozbank support the ROC.
Sports are financially supported by Gazprombank, Raiffeisenbank, Bank of Moscow, Promsvyazbank and VTB.
Uralsib specifically supports a healthy lifestyle, emphasizing the difference between this area of charity and the support of sports itself, which this bank does not do.
A fairly common topic is ecology and care for nature, assistance in cases of disasters. Some banks are members of the corporate club of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Alfa-Bank, Promsvyazbank, Rosbank. Nordea Bank has environmental projects. Assistance in case of natural disasters is allocated as a systematic direction from Deutsche Bank and Unicredit Bank. At the same time, many banks provide emergency assistance in case of disasters. For example, during forest fires, funds came from the Bank of Moscow, Rosselkhozbank and Rusfinance Bank. The victims on the Bulgaria ship were helped by Ak Bars Bank and Zenit Bank.
Despite the commonality of approaches of banks to the selection of beneficiaries, some banks also have their own specific characteristics and preferences. For example, Bank St. Petersburg is the only one that helps homeless animals, supporting the “Help to Homeless Dogs” fund, and participates in raising funds for the construction of a new animal shelter.
Charity partners of banks
Most of the banks included in the study cooperate with NPOs in one form or another. The degree of this cooperation varies significantly. For example, Sberbank is a permanent partner of the Gift of Life foundation, Transcreditbank is the Spread Your Wings Charitable Foundation. Gazprombank cooperates with the Children's Villages - SOS Foundation, and its Tomsk branch has been partnering with the Tomsk branch of the Red Cross for 16 years.
Deutsche Bank practices long-term cooperation with two NPOs (Big brothers&Big sisters and Kidsave), and within the framework of the corporate volunteering program, one-time events involving interaction with various NPOs, including, for example, Mary’s Children.
The main partner of Raiffeisenbank is the Russian Relief Fund; cooperation is also carried out with the Downside Up Charitable Foundation, the Perspektiva ROOI, the Moscow Sports Association of Disabled People, and the Republic of Kazakhstan Children's Villages - SOS. Nordea Bank cooperates with the Romashka Charitable Foundation and SBOR. Bank "Zenith" - with the charitable organization "Operation Smile". Bank Vozrozhdenie - with the Gift of Life fund. VTB has not deliberately chosen one permanent partner and periodically interacts with different non-profit organizations.
None of the banks have a separate division dedicated to charity. Some banks have a separate employee (Alfa-Bank, Raiffeisenbank) and a manager responsible for charity in general, who, as a rule, combines work on charitable projects with other functions. Most often, this is an employee involved in public relations or GR projects. At VTB Bank, for example, charitable projects are supervised by the secretary of the charity committee in the sponsorship and special projects department, as well as the head of the sponsorship and special projects department (part of the functionality), volunteer programs are coordinated by the HR department. At Uralsib Bank, the deputy head of the external communications department is responsible for charitable projects.
Corporate funds. Some banks operate charitable foundations formed by shareholders. Alfa-Bank, Uralsib, Raiffeisenbank have them. Orient Express Bank initiated the creation of the Vostochny charitable foundation. The Bank of Moscow is one of the founders of the charitable foundation of the Central Federal District “Support for children and families in difficult life situations” (established on the initiative of the plenipotentiary representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Central Federal District). Bank employees, as a rule, also participate in the activities of such funds - in the form of both private donations and volunteering. UniCredit Bank cooperates with the corporate fund of the UniCredit Group, UniCredit Foundation. Citibank also has a corporate fund based in New York.
The role of shareholders and management continues to play a significant role in corporate philanthropy, the “personal factor”. For example, the features of corporate charity of Uralsib Bank and the very high percentage of donations from the profit share are definitely related to Nikolai Tsvetkov’s personal value system and worldview. Many of Alfa-Bank's strategic initiatives are also related to the personal values of its leaders. In addition to strategic and basic principles, the personal factor also influences the cooperation of banks with partners and performers: personal acquaintance of the heads of various divisions of banks with the heads of non-profit organizations contributes to more active cooperation, and non-profit organizations that are not represented by the top management of banks, as a rule, do not enjoy trust .
Most of the banks included in the study cooperate with non-profit organizations in one form or another. The degree of this cooperation varies significantly. Among the banks' partners are mainly large non-profit organizations, both international and domestic. Some banks work with a particular NPO for a long time, while others build short-term or even one-time partnerships. For example, Sberbank is a permanent partner of the Gift of Life foundation. Gazprombank cooperates with the Children's Villages - SOS foundation, and its Tomsk branch has been partnering with the Tomsk branch of the Red Cross for 19 years. Deutsche Bank practices long-term cooperation with two NPOs (Big Brothers & Big Sisters and Kidsave), and as part of the corporate volunteering program, one-time events are held that involve interaction with various NPOs, including, for example, Mary’s Children. The main partner of Raiffeisenbank is the Russian Relief Fund; the bank also cooperates with the Downside Up Charitable Foundation, Perspektiva, the Moscow Sports Association of Disabled People, and the Children's Villages - SOS RK. VTB has not deliberately chosen one permanent partner, but periodically interacts with different non-profit organizations.
Partnerships between banks are rare, but they do happen. Citibank and UniCredit Bank have a joint volunteer program. In addition to Alfa-Bank, Promsvyazbank also participates in the Life Line program. Uralsib Bank plans to pay special attention to the exchange of experience and attracting other banks to cooperate in charity.
Understanding the effectiveness of charity and methods for assessing it Few banks specifically evaluate the effectiveness of their charitable activities. Uralsib Bank and Citibank have a well-organized assessment system. Alfa-Bank has built an assessment of the results of the Life Line fund, but this approach is not applied to corporate programs. UniCredit Bank evaluates programs based on two main parameters: the degree to which the stated goals of the projects are achieved and the effect on society, as well as the number of volunteers and their degree of satisfaction (if there is an element of corporate volunteering in the programs).
OTP-Bank conducts a quantitative and qualitative assessment of its programs, based on reporting, and also takes into account the percentage key performance indicators (KPI) of market managers. Representatives of the bank take part in a working partnership group to assess the social effectiveness of child support. In the future, it is planned to introduce “Dialogues with Stakeholders”, as well as improve KPIs, develop and implement a mechanism for assessing results, efficiency and social impact with the participation of independent evaluators and auditors.
banks call the low culture of Russian social life in general and the low culture of charity in particular; misunderstanding of the mechanisms and meaning of charity, as well as distrust of philanthropists (Alfa-Bank, Raiffeisenbank, Uralsib Bank). A representative of Deutsche Bank drew attention to the low culture of CSR projects in the vast majority of organizations. “Even where this is systematically carried out, the object of assistance is children, and the means of assistance are money. And that’s all,” he noted.
A representative of Uralsib also noted the lack of maturity of the non-profit sector. A similar problem is the difficulty of finding adequate partners from among non-profit organizations (Citibank). Some banks note problems with reporting from non-profit organizations (Rosbank, OTP Bank).
In addition, obstacles created by tax authorities are cited as a problem and obstacle to many initiatives, often making donations meaningless (a VTB representative spoke about this, in particular).
A representative of OTP-Bank drew attention to the internal organizational difficulties. In particular, the following were highlighted: a large workload on one charity and GR coordinator, as well as branch market managers; “getting bogged down in technical details”, resulting in insufficient time and effort to develop a strategy; lengthy approval procedure.
Information openness
Information transparency of social and charitable activities of banks is heterogeneous. Some companies publish social reports (Alfa-Bank, VTB, Uralsib, Citibank, MDM-Bank), some do not (Russian Standard Bank, Bank St. Petersburg, Rosselkhozbank, Promsvyazbank, Svyaz-Bank, Ural Bank reconstruction and development, Absolut Bank, etc.).
Some banks contain information about charitable activities in their annual reports in the “Society” or “Social Responsibility” section (Sberbank, Gazprombank, UniCredit Bank, Raiffeisenbank, Petrocommerce Bank, B&N Bank, Banca Intesa, Transcapitalbank).
Many banks refuse to openly discuss their charitable and social activities. This is evidenced by the rare presence of their representatives at professional conferences and other events dedicated to CSR issues, as well as the closedness of interviews with representatives of public and research organizations. The most closed in terms of information were the National Clearing Center, Svyaz-Bank, Absolut Bank and KIT Finance Bank. On the corporate website of NCC there is absolutely no mention of charitable activities and social programs (according to the Central Bank, in 2011 this bank spent 0 rubles on charity), Svyaz-Bank has occasional information about sponsorship in the “News” section, Absolut Bank - only a banner that it has become a partner of the international business journalism competition "PRESSZVANIE" (this is especially surprising, given that more than 90% of the banks' shares are owned by the KBC Group, which pays great attention to issues of social responsibility, and Absolut Group LLC - permanent participant in the “Leaders of Corporate Philanthropy” ranking). On the KIT Finance Bank website, references to sponsorship and charity are presented only in news format.
Art therapy program
For several years in a row, UniCredit Bank has been participating in an art therapy program for children with disabilities. In 2017, the program included children undergoing treatment at the Burn Center at the Children's City Clinical Hospital named after. G.P. Speransky, in the State Budgetary Institution “Psycho-neurological hospital for children with central nervous system damage and mental disorders” in Moscow, in hospitals in St. Petersburg, as well as wards of the fund for supporting social and cultural programs “Wings are given to everyone” in Tula and Vladimir, the charitable foundation “Sunflower” and Center for Curative Pedagogy in Moscow.
The program allows you to create communication and creativity groups for socialization, assistance in adaptation and integration into society of children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. For children in hospitals, performances of various genres are organized, and work with psychologists is organized. The positive emotions that sick children receive during art therapy classes help them more easily overcome the difficulties of treatment, distract them from the hospital environment, and contribute to a speedy recovery.
Bright day
Every year, UniCredit Bank hosts the “Bright Day” charity event jointly with the Sunflower Foundation (“Charity Fund for Children with Immunity Impairments”). Traditionally, this action is aimed at drawing attention to the problem of diagnosis and treatment of primary immunodeficiencies in Russia. To achieve this goal, on “Bright Day”, employees of UniCredit Bank offices come to work in bright clothes and take part in colorful shows. In addition, at the Bank's head office on Prechistenskaya Embankment, during the campaign period, a box is installed to collect donations for treatment for children cared for by the Sunflower Foundation.
Help for people with disabilities
From year to year, UniCredit Bank helps hospitals purchase expensive medical equipment, and also assists in the implementation of various rehabilitation programs. The Bank supports long-term programs of charitable foundations that provide assistance to people with disabilities on an ongoing basis - the “Life as a Miracle”, “Old Age in Joy”, “Downside AP”, “Life Line”, “Good Cause” Foundations, the Family Settlement Assistance Foundation “Find a Family”, “Vera” Hospice Assistance Foundation, “Sunflower” Foundation for Helping Children with Immunity Disorders, Konstantin Khabensky’s Charitable Foundation. Piggy banks have been installed in the Bank's branches in Moscow and St. Petersburg to collect donations from the Russian Committee "Children's Villages - SOS", which creates comfortable conditions for rehabilitation, a happy childhood and adequate preparation for adulthood for children who have lost their families.
Charity fairs
For several years now, the Bank has been holding holiday charity fairs in its offices in Moscow. Large charitable foundations participate in them and present souvenirs. All proceeds from sales are sent to help sick children under the foundation's care. In 2017, three charity fairs were held, as a result of which the collected donations were sent to support the charitable foundations “Life as a Miracle”, “Sunflower”, “In the Name of Life” and the Center for Curative Pedagogy.
Charity program “Personal contribution of your heart”
The special intra-corporate charity program “Personal Contribution of Your Heart” makes it possible to make individual donations. It has existed at the Bank since 2004 and is designed to help everyone who finds themselves in difficult conditions. In 2017, as part of the program, bank employees raised funds to help the children of Bank employees Natalya Tsakirova, Tatyana Pogodina and Kirill Mishaev, as well as for charitable projects of the Sofia Foundation to provide audiobooks to sedentary, lonely elderly people in the Kaluga region and the ANO Social Center Development" on social adaptation of young people with disabilities and mental disorders.
“You Can Help” competition for the best idea for a charity project among Bank employees
The 4 best projects submitted to the annual competition will be financed from the budget of UniCredit Bank for a total amount of 2,000,000 rubles. The competition jury in 2017 included external experts in the field of charity: heads of the Sunflower, Downside Up and Old Age in Joy charitable foundations, as well as members of the Charity Council of UniCredit Bank. The competition received 33 applications, 7 projects participated in the eco-nomination.
Cooperation with ROOI "Perspective"
The regional public organization of people with disabilities “Perspective” was created in 1997. Today, “Perspective” is one of the leading organizations defending the rights of people with disabilities in Russia. The Perspectives employment department fruitfully cooperates with major companies and helps young professionals with disabilities find their place in the world of big business. How the business will meet them depends equally on both management and future colleagues.
UniCredit Bank has been successfully cooperating with the Regional Public Institution “Perspektiva” for several years, and during this time a number of projects have been implemented to select candidates with disabilities and the process of their adaptation in the workplace.
The Bank is also actively working to create an accessible environment in our offices so that both employees and clients with disabilities feel comfortable.
To help talented youth and professional support for tomorrow's specialists, Alfa-Bank has developed the Alfa-Chance scholarship program, which brings together about three hundred students from the best Russian universities, helping them realize their intellectual abilities to the fullest. For more than 19 years, gifted students from different parts of the country have received the largest personal scholarship in Russia and a unique opportunity to meet leading Russian businessmen during their student years. The Student Scholarship Program was established in 1995. As of the end of 2014, the following groups of scholarship holders are annually selected by commissions to participate in the program: 20 first-year students from Moscow, 16 from St. Petersburg and 10 each from Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Kazan, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Samara, Tyumen, Ulyanovsk and Ufa. Thus, the bank simultaneously supervises two groups from each university per year, and the total number of program participants is 285 students throughout the country at a time.
- to help classical music
In 2014, with the support of MDM Bank, classical music concerts of the Mariinsky Theater Symphony Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev were held as part of the Moscow Easter Festival, as well as concerts by Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists chamber ensemble. Performances took place in more than 10 cities of Russia - Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, etc. Thanks to the support of MDM Bank, thousands of listeners in various cities of the country were able to enjoy the work of famous artists and gain access to the highest cultural achievements of Russia.
- to help orphans
In 2014, the bank continued to implement a long-term program of assistance to the Kolpino Center for Orphans No. 27. This program began in 2006, when the bank joined the institution's board of trustees. The bank not only supports the material and technical base of the center, but also helps children receive additional professional education, takes care of their treatment and recreation. In 2014, the bank's support allowed the center's students to attend the Olympics in Sochi. The bank constantly encourages talented teachers of the center.
- give a holiday in the New Year
Every year Transcapitalbank holds a traditional New Year’s campaign “Give Warmth to Children.” In 2014, as part of the campaign, the bank purchased gifts for pupils of various orphanages in all cities of its presence. Bank employees, for their part, also supported the project and collected a wide variety of gifts for the children, including games, books, toys, art kits and sports equipment. These gifts helped make the New Year's holiday special for more than a thousand children. In different cities, the bank helped organize New Year's performances and matinees for sponsored children's institutions.
HCF Bank - to help students
For five years, Home Credit Bank has been implementing the Blue Bird assistance program for students from families with limited financial conditions. Its participants are young people who have a dream of becoming good specialists, real professionals in their field, while they grew up in families with very modest incomes. Throughout the entire period of study, program participants receive a monthly stipend, and also participate in trainings and travel to summer and winter camps in Russia and abroad. Thanks to the financial support of the bank, it is a little easier for the children to study at the university, because the scholarship allows them to think more about their studies, and not about how to earn a living and feed themselves. The program is open to 11th grade graduates who graduated from school with “good” or “excellent” marks, received a high Unified State Exam score, participants and winners of school Olympiads and competitions. Throughout the entire period of study at the university, students must demonstrate good and excellent academic results. Today “Blue Bird” takes care of 82 students.
and the “Anti-pig” campaign
Volunteers from Nizhny Novgorod VTB24 took an active part in clearing garbage from the Shchelokovsky Khutor nature reserve. In addition to workers, the bank provided gifts to the smallest “anti-pigs”. The goal of the action, which has been held for the second year, is to clean Nizhny Novgorod of garbage and show by example that the ecology of our city depends only on its residents. This time, a group of volunteers cleaned up the Shchelokovsky Farm nature reserve. During the event, more than 150 bags of garbage were collected, the shore and surrounding areas of the first lake were completely cleared. “Anti-pig” ended with an eco-picnic, where all the children who took part in the event received their gifts from VTB24.
Pervobank - to help science, culture and sports
One of the areas of Pervobank's charitable activities is supporting socially significant events in the field of science, culture and sports. Among such events is the youth forum of the Volga Federal District “iVolga”. In 2014, Pervobank acted as a strategic partner of the forum for the second time. In addition, in 2014, with the support of Pervobank, the III DEAFILE International Fashion Festival for children with hearing impairments and the “Sport for Good” charity run in support of children with Down syndrome were held in Samara. Also, with the support of Pervobank, the VII International Classical Music Festival “Classics over the Volga” was held in Tolyatti in June 2014. This festival is a vibrant musical event that has been bringing together connoisseurs of classical music for several years. Another event that the bank has been supporting for several years is the International Ballroom Dancing Tournament “Dynamo Cup”. In 2014, more than 800 dance couples took part in the tournament
RosinterBank - to help financial literacy
One of the bank’s significant projects was the holding of a specialized economic session in a children’s camp in Istra in July 2014, which brought together 300 gifted high school students from Moscow. The event was organized jointly with the children's health and educational center "Team". During the entire shift, the guys lived by the rules of the Megapolis game. They plunged headlong into the atmosphere of the modern business world, built their city, their economic system, created their own businesses, and all this under the guidance of experienced lawyers, economists and teachers. In addition, each program participant had a unique opportunity to attend various lectures and meetings with banking professionals. Bank employees held master classes for the children on marketing, public relations, working with personnel, and talked about crisis management.
and "Virtual School"
Over the years, “Virtual Schools” have been opened in 27 educational institutions in Russian cities and abroad. One of the most striking events within the project was the grand opening of the “Virtual School” in Vladikavkaz in November 2014. As part of the “Virtual School” project, educational institutions are equipped with mobile computer classes and modern interactive classrooms. The technical equipment of the “Virtual School” makes it possible to create bright, interesting lessons using drawings, graphs and diagrams. Teachers can also test students in real time, accumulate and share information with colleagues.
to help the elderly
The bank provides support to lonely elderly people. Raiffeisenbank, with the support of the Samara Province charity foundation, once a year holds an open competition throughout Russia to find the best educational projects for older people. Thus, in 2014, Raiffeisenbank supported 26 similar projects in Russia. The total number of elderly people participating in the projects is 5,810 people. Here are some of the projects. Project “School for Middle-aged Entrepreneurs”, Krasnokamsk, Perm region. The project was aimed at teaching older people the basics of entrepreneurship. Project “Silver Cinema”, St. Petersburg. As part of the project, older people were offered a series of educational services that helped reduce their social isolation, contributed to the acquisition of new skills, exchange of experience, and development of creative abilities. Project “Towards each other”, Barnaul. The project included a number of thematic lectures for older people on the problems of conflict-free communication with teenage children under their care.
- to help those in need
In 2014, bank employees took patronage over the pupils of the Rodnichok Children's Home in Kalyazin and the Orphanage in Kashin, Tver Region. The idea of participating in these volunteer projects was born within the bank. The bank takes part in the social project “Box of Courage”, organized by the “Gift of Life” foundation. The project is being implemented in clinics where children with cancer and other serious diseases are treated. Bank employees donate toys to clinics, which clinic doctors give to young patients after complex, often lengthy procedures, rewarding them for their bravery. In 2014, the bank team decided to transfer the funds planned for the purchase of New Year's gifts and the organization of a New Year's corporate party to those who need them most - children who, due to various life situations, have lost the most precious thing - loved ones or health.
- to help education
Since 2003, Center-Invest Bank has been implementing charity programs for schoolchildren to attend free exhibitions in the largest museums in the regions where the bank operates. Since 2002, the best students of the largest southern Russian universities have received personal scholarships from Center-Invest Bank and the Education and Science of the Southern Federal District Endowment Fund. The scholarship fund totals 7 million rubles annually. In 2014, more than 2 thousand students, undergraduates and graduate students from 14 universities in the Rostov region, Krasnodar region and Volgograd region took part in the project. In 2014, 365 winners received a scholarship in the amount of 20 thousand rubles each. The awards ceremony and the winners' ball took place in Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar and Volgograd. Center-invest Bank, in partnership with the Southern Federal University, opened the Financial Literacy Center in April 2014, where everyone can receive free advice and financial knowledge. Center-Invest Bank sponsors the “I Am!” program. on the regional channel "Russia-Don", which helps children from orphanages in the Rostov region find a family. During 2011–2014, 147 stories were shown. 114 babies found their parents
- to help sports
This is not the first year that the bank has been the official sponsor of the world's largest organization in the field of amateur sports - the Night Hockey League. It got its name because players can go out on the ice at night after work. The League has 68 regional offices from Kaliningrad to Sakhalin, its main goal is to popularize a healthy lifestyle. The Bank sponsored the III All-Russian Ice Hockey Festival among amateur teams in Sochi. Particular attention to the Festival this year was caused by the gala match with the participation of legends of Russian and world hockey, top officials of the state, prominent political and public figures, and the President of Russia also took to the ice.
Charity Christmas tree with
For six years now, M2M Private Bank has been holding a charity New Year tree in support of the Creation Foundation, raising funds to pay for the treatment of children with various serious illnesses. In 2014, “Elka M2M” brought the Fund 825 thousand rubles. Help was provided to 10 children.
and “Life without barriers”
Interkommerts Bank presents a lending program for people with disabilities “Life without barriers”, which allows disabled people of the first and second groups to purchase individual rehabilitation equipment in the shortest possible time and, most importantly, completely free of charge for them. The program is a partnership and is implemented jointly with leading manufacturers of this type of product. The program works as follows: Interkommerts Bank provides a loan for the purchase of rehabilitation equipment at reduced rates to a person with disabilities, the responsibility for interest compensation on which is assumed by the partner company (equipment manufacturer). In accordance with the Federal Law “On Social Protection of Disabled Persons in the Russian Federation,” the state compensates the borrower for the cost of equipment. Thus, the client of Interkommerts Bank does not incur any costs when purchasing vital equipment.
- to help the Vera hospice
A joint charitable project of the Otkrytie group and the Vera Hospice Relief Fund, for which special bank cards and souvenirs featuring characters from the cartoon “Hedgehog in the Fog” were issued: iPhone cases, passport covers, canvas bags, notebooks, T-shirts and gift editions of the book “Hedgehog in the Fog”. The design of all souvenirs was personally approved by the author of the cartoon, Yuri Norshtein, from whom the Otkritie group bought the rights to depict the characters. Cashback on cards (1% of the amount of purchases on the card) and funds collected from the distribution of souvenirs are sent to the Vera Hospice Fund to help terminally ill people.
A world without tears
VTB Bank’s charitable corporate program “A World Without Tears” is aimed at supporting children’s healthcare institutions. The program has been in effect since 2003 and is long-term and targeted. As part of the program, the bank directly finances the purchase of medical equipment, medicines and consumables for children's hospitals. Since the program’s existence, VTB Bank has provided assistance to children’s hospitals in 35 regions of Russia.
- to help children
In June 2014, the bank held the annual “Happy Children” campaign, within the framework of which charitable assistance was provided to 18 sponsored children's institutions for children under the age of 16. Thanks to the active participation of all bank employees in the campaign, basic necessities were donated to children's institutions - hygiene products, medicines, baby food, as well as sets of educational games for different age categories, gifts for creativity - albums, colored pencils, plasticine, crayons, notebooks, stencils for creating drawings and a huge number of toys. The Help Center “On Kalinka” for children left without parental care (Surgut) received a special gift: special equipment for creating animated films was purchased with funds collected by the bank. New special equipment will help the Center in implementing the “Multitherapy” project, within the framework of which the Center’s students independently create animated films about social problems that they encounter in the family and in society. This technique helps to carry out hidden psychotherapeutic work with the Center’s students.
Charity from Societe Generale Group of Companies
A charity run for employees of the Russian divisions of the international financial group Societe Generale took place in the Main Botanical Garden of Moscow. Representatives of Rosbank, Rusfinance Bank, DeltaCredit Bank, ALD Automotive and Societe Generale Insurance took part in it. More than 300 Group employees came to the event with their families, as well as families of children with Down syndrome.
This is the third charity run organized by the companies of the Societe Generale group. Over the past two years, 1.72 million rubles were transferred to Downside Up, which was used to provide more than 1,200 individual lessons for children with Down syndrome at the Early Help Center. A charity run for Societe Generale Group employees was also held in Samara.
- and “Month of Kindness”
In 2014, Renaissance Credit took part in the large-scale event “Financial Literacy Month in Orphanages,” organized by ARB. Bank employees conducted open lessons on financial literacy in 20 regions of the country, in which almost 800 children from 23 institutions and more than 70 Renaissance Credit Bank specialists of various job levels took part. The open lessons were aimed at developing in orphanage students a basic understanding of money and credit institutions, as well as the skills they need to navigate the modern financial world. For this purpose, Renaissance Credit staff training and development specialists have developed their own programs aimed at different age groups. Also traditionally, at the end of May - beginning of summer, the “Month of Kindness” was held at Renaissance Credit. The list of good deeds performed as part of the campaign was extremely diverse. Employees of Renaissance Credit Bank painted and cleaned the areas of orphanages and kindergartens, visited hospitals, shelters for homeless animals, and landscaped the area.
- to help children left without parental care
“Don’t stand aside - create a miracle!” - under this motto, a charity event was held at the Ministry of Internal Affairs aimed at helping children without parental care and children with disabilities. The charity program included assistance to pupils of a social rehabilitation center for minors in the village of Babyakovo, Voronezh region and two boarding schools in Grozny. To create a charity fund, the bank held an electronic auction for the sale of toys and organized a fundraiser. The result was impressive - the fund received 2,700,730 rubles.
Business incubator from Citi
The international network of social innovation centers Impact Hub, with the support of Citi, opened a business incubator in Moscow. Its residents are entrepreneurs whose business ideas are based on a non-standard approach to solving social problems in such areas as education, healthcare, environmental protection, and creating conditions for people with disabilities. Impact Hub Moscow is a platform for exchanging experiences with other startups in this field. There is also the opportunity to attend educational programs, receive expert support and assistance in attracting investments. The result of the first year of the program will be the opening of at least 30 new social enterprises, the creation of at least 150 jobs for people with low incomes: the elderly, single mothers, homeless people, people with disabilities, etc. And more than 3 thousand students will undergo training on social entrepreneurship and take part in the Social Impact Awards competition of social business ideas, presenting their business plans.
MTS Bank shares knowledge
MTS Bank supports the trend to increase financial literacy of people of all ages by participating in a series of educational projects. The bank is a traditional partner of the All-Russian Olympiad on the financial market and basic consumer knowledge. In 2014, as part of the IX Olympiad, bank experts checked 90 competition works of schoolchildren and awarded the winners with diplomas and gifts from the bank. The bank’s experts also conducted training master classes, lectures and quizzes in dozens of schools across the country as part of the Sistema JSFC project to support talented youth “Lift to the Future.” MTS Bank experts gave several master classes and invited participants of the International Scientific Conference of Schoolchildren, the Summer Educational School in the Moscow Region and the Moscow International Education Salon on excursions to the bank. Schoolchildren, in particular, were introduced to the work of the treasury using the example of concluding stock exchange transactions in real time.
hippotherapy all year round
The ZENIT banking group has a long-term friendship with the Kazan Zoo and Botanical Garden. It all started back in 2002, when Bank ZENIT allocated funds for the purchase and transportation of a four-month-old Ussuri tigress to Kazan. Later, ZENIT financed the construction of a pony club for young visitors to the zoo, and in 2014, with the help of the bank, an indoor arena was opened, which allows children to engage in hippotherapy (rehabilitation through horse riding) all year round. The Mutual UNDERSTANDING center is organized on the basis of the zoo's stables. Hippotherapy treatment is especially effective when working with disabled children who, due to their physical and psychological circumstances, cannot fully communicate with their peers. During group hippotherapy classes, such children receive additional communication with each other, thanks to which a more rapid development of the psyche and speech occurs. To enhance the therapeutic effect, zootherapy (treatment based on the beneficial effects of horses) is used in parallel with hippotherapy. Classes at the pony club are absolutely free. In order for rehabilitation measures to be as effective as possible, they must be carried out regularly. And now, thanks to the indoor arena, it has become possible to schedule classes regardless of weather conditions.
and “Sport for Good”
In addition to regular assistance to orphans, assistance and support are provided to families with children with Down syndrome. This is the second year that the bank has been a partner of the DownsideUp charity foundation; in 2014, employees took part in two charity runs and a charity bike ride, as well as a mini-football tournament. The transferred funds went to early development programs for children with Down syndrome. In winter, a charity ski race “Sport for Good” took place in Bitsevsky Park. More than 20 employees and members of their families took part in the corporate relay race, individual starts for one, three, five and 10 km, as well as in the family multi-race - a fun competition for children and adults. The charitable contribution for the team's participation went to rehabilitation programs for children
Parrot and career guidance from UBRD
In 2014, as part of the “Children Believe in Miracles” charity program, UBRD began implementing the “Parrot” and “Who Am I?” projects. Or tested on yourself” for children from orphanages. Career guidance program “Who am I?” or “Tested by myself,” implemented in a playful way, helps children decide on a profession, helps improve children’s social adaptation, develops their goal-setting, and teaches teamwork. The “Parrot” project, in the format of a four-day psychological training conducted by teachers of the Ural Institute of Gestalt and Modern Psychology and trainers of the International Erickson University of Coaching, helps children learn to control their emotions, get rid of aggression, develop psychological stability and self-confidence, overcome their fears and “ open up,” and for teachers who also take part in it to cope with professional burnout due to constant stress. More than 1.5 thousand children from orphanages, social centers, and hospitals in 27 cities of Russia took part in the program.
VPB - to help “Aviation for Children”
In the fall of 2014, VPB supported the charity event “Aviation for Children,” which was organized by the local department of guardianship and trusteeship for orphans and children without parental care. A holiday was organized for the guys: they visited the airfield control room, got acquainted with the MI-8 helicopter, the pilots demonstrated aerobatics especially for them, the instructors taught them how to take off and fly the plane - of course, not yet in the sky, but on simulators. And then - the climax! - they were invited to a real flight on small aircraft. The Military-Industrial Bank allocated funds for these flights, as well as for the animation program.
: Let's do more together
In June 2014, SKB Bank began cooperation with the Konstantin Khabensky Charitable Foundation. In the second half of 2014, SKB Bank launched a number of products with integrated charity. Thus, the “Ordinary Miracle” deposit allows you to dedicate part of your income to help the Foundation’s beneficiaries. The plastic “Good Card” issued by SKB Bank combines a bright design, ease of use, profitable cashback, and 0.3% of each card transaction is transferred to charity. In the summer of 2014, SKB Bank launched the “There are no trifles in life!” campaign, within which clients could leave change received at the bank’s cash desks for transfer to the Fund, having received a payment order from the cashier. Clients from all cities where SKB Bank operates are actively participating in the promotion.
and art therapy for children
UniCredit Bank's flagship charity program UniColours, which is aimed at organizing art therapy for children with disabilities, continued. The program involves children undergoing treatment in hospitals in St. Petersburg (Institute of Pediatric Hematology named after R. M. Gorbacheva, Federal State Budgetary Institution "Research Institute of Oncology named after N. N. Petrov", City Clinical Hospital No. 31, Medical Institution "Children's Hospice") and Moscow (Russian Children's Clinical Hospital, Center for Curative Pedagogy), wards - autistic children - of the regional parent organizations "Svet" and "MIR" in Vladimir and Vladikavkaz.
The study provides an analysis of the financial statements of 50 banks for 2015 in comparison with data from 2014 and 2011. The volume of spending on charity was considered according to data from the Bank of Russia.
Russian and subsidiaries of foreign banks operating in Russia continue to provide reports to the Central Bank, and this data is open.
However, it must be borne in mind that not all charitable expenses can, in principle, be presented in reports. For example, in banks that have created their own charitable foundations, remuneration of employees of these foundations and compensation for their expenses may not be included in the “Charity” item. And in international banks, financing of programs can be done from the budget of the corporate fund located at the headquarters, which is also not reflected in the reporting of the Central Bank.
But not all expenses in this reporting line are expenses for charity. It often also includes “other similar expenses,” for example, expenses related to the image of the bank, the maintenance of social infrastructure, or intra-group transactions (financial assistance to subsidiaries, etc.).
Despite the recorded increase in charitable spending in bank reports for 2015, the real picture, based on the dynamics of indicators over two years, rather indicates a decrease in the level of spending on charity.
In 2015, 50 banks included in the rating list of the best, according to reports submitted by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, spent a total of 27,338,865,000 rubles on charity. This is more than twice as much as in 2014, when expenses amounted to almost 12.12 trillion rubles, and more than four times more than in 2011. These figures conflict with other performance indicators of Russian banks, and we will discuss the results in detail below.
According to the same reports, the total profit of banks in 2015 decreased. Accordingly, the percentage of charitable spending in relation to profit has more than doubled, the spread in this indicator has become even greater than in 2014.
At the same time, a large number of banks were engaged in charity, despite the fact that in the past they had no profit at all. The economic crisis led to 20 banks ending 2015 with losses (7 banks in 2014). But 19 of them nevertheless maintained charitable spending.
In the top ten in terms of absolute values of charitable spending there are three “billionaires” (amounts of more than a billion rubles), one “half-billionaire” (amount of about half a billion rubles or more) and five “hundred millionaires” (amount of more than 100 million rubles, see Table 1).
Table 1. Top ten in charity spending
| No. | Bank's name | 2015 | year 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profit, thousand rubles | % of profit | Charity expenses, thousand rubles | Profit, thousand rubles | % of profit | |||
| 1 | VTB | 17 283 454 | 48 580 668 | 35,58 | 1 138 877 | 20 007 291 | 5,69 |
| 2 | Sberbank of Russia | 3 496 456 | 236 256 123 | 1,48 | 2 447 124 | 305 703 229 | 0,8 |
| 3 | Bank of Moscow | 2 058 178 | 0 | 4 497 840 | 1 243 215 | 361,79 | |
| 4 | Gazprombank | 1 776 383 | 0 | 1 161 506 | 18 283 177 | 6,35 | |
| 5 | Alfa Bank | 529 280 | 49 591 411 | 1,07 | 678 189 | 48 823 474 | 1,39 |
| 6 | FC Otkritie | 289 423 | 2 282 487 | 12,68 | 321 186 | 14 584 843 | 2,2 |
| 7 | VTB 24 | 283 451 | 461 159 | 61,46 | 249 588 | 31 534 739 | 0,79 |
| 8 | Khanty-Mansiysk Bank Opening" | 183 941 | 0 | 151 282 | 932 514 | 16,22 | |
| 9 | "Peresvet" | 180 394 | 2 479 019 | 7,28 | |||
| 10 | Promsvyazbank | 155 191 | 10 956 121 | 1,42 | 97 489 | 163 941 | 59,47 |
Rosbank (140,108,000 rubles) and Russian Standard (98,814,000 rubles) are slightly behind the top ten, while the main group of banks spends from 50 to 10 million rubles on charity.
Several banks spent less than 1 million rubles on charity - these are MTS Bank (548 thousand rubles), Orient Express Bank (207 thousand rubles) and Rost Bank (201 thousand rubles). And the table is closed by the National Clearing Center, National Bank Trust and Globex Bank, which officially spent 0 rubles on charity (see Appendix 2).
According to the Central Bank, in 2015, VTB Bank spent a record amount on charity - 17,283,454 thousand rubles. During all three years of the study, not a single bank had such a spending pattern, and we turned to VTB for comments.
As it turned out, the Central Bank’s reporting included charitable expenses of the entire VTB Group, and for 2014. The bank’s press service gave the following comment: “The amount for charity reflected in the RAS reporting for 2015 includes all expenses of the VTB Group for 2014. This amount has technically been taken into account in Russian reporting since the first quarter of 2015 - that’s when the actual write-off occurred funds. According to IFRS, these expenses were reflected in 2014, since it was then that contractual obligations for charitable projects arose. Based on the results of 9 months of 2015, VTB Group’s charitable expenses according to IFRS amounted to 2.7 billion rubles.” The press service refused to say how much was spent on charity in 2015 by VTB Bank.
Thus, if we take into account technical write-offs in the VTB Group, the picture of the growth of charitable expenses of banks in 2015 will be completely different.
If we analyze the dynamics of spending on charity among 45 banks participating in the study for 2 years in a row, not taking into account the expenses of VTB Group, the dynamics of charitable spending will be negative: in terms of total indicators, there are fewer of them than last year. Profit has decreased for 25 out of 45 banks, and 5 have had no profit for the second year.
In terms of the percentage ratio of charitable expenses to profits, the top ten looks somewhat different (see Table 2).
Table 2. Top ten by percentage of profit
| No. | Bank's name | 2015 | 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charity expenses, thousand rubles | Profit, thousand rubles | % of profit | Charity expenses, thousand rubles | Profit, thousand rubles | % of profit | ||
| 1 | Rosbank | 140 108 | 3572 | 3922,4 | 28 734 | 9 658 208 | 0,3 |
| 2 | VTB 24 | 283 451 | 461 159 | 61,46 | 249 588 | 31 534 739 | 0,79 |
| 3 | VTB | 17 283 454 | 48 580 668 | 35,58 | 1 138 877 | 20 007 291 | 5,69 |
| 4 | FC Otkritie | 289 423 | 2 282 487 | 12,68 | 321 186 | 14 584 843 | 2,2 |
| 5 | Peresvet | 180 394 | 2 479 019 | 7,28 | |||
| 6 | Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development | 76 447 | 2 228 104 | 3,43 | 76 370 | 1 898 754 | 4,02 |
| 7 | Novikombank | 73 799 | 2 571 912 | 2,87 | 58 295 | 1 192 636 | 4,89 |
| 8 | Russia, Saint-Petersburg) | 73 572 | 3 196 238 | 2,3 | 122 658 | 10 087 888 | 1,22 |
| 9 | Transcapitalbank | 9447 | 599 501 | 1,58 | 6074 | 2 895 372 | 0,21 |
| 10 | Sberbank of Russia | 3 496 456 | 236 256 123 | 1,48 | 2 447 124 | 305 703 229 | 0,8 |
The absolute leader is Rosbank, which spent 3922.4% of its profits on charity. The bank has experienced a significant decline in profits in the past and, at the same time, an increase in charitable spending. However, as the bank explained, the order of this increase is not so great: “The significantly increased expenses for charity, which were reflected in article 20150312, are associated with a technical adjustment. About 100 million rubles reflected in this expense item represent amounts associated with intragroup transactions, which are offset by income of the same amount presented in another item - as a result, there is no impact on the bank’s results. This reflection is caused by the requirements of the current chart of accounts.”
VTB24 spent 61.46% of its profits on charity. The bank’s press service told us: “Charity expenses in 2015 remained virtually unchanged. It should be noted that this article reflects not only charitable and sponsorship assistance to external organizations, but also support from bank employees (financial assistance for the birth of a child, assistance for the loss of a loved one, assistance for treatment, compensation in case of emergency situations, etc. .). Linking charity expenses to bank profits under RAS is incorrect. When drawing up a business plan for the year, VTB24 is guided by international financial reporting standards. The bank’s financial result for 2015 under IFRS was significantly higher than under RAS.”
Otkritie FC has a fairly large percentage of expenses - 12.68%. We were unable to obtain comments from corporation representatives on this matter. The expenses of four banks range from 2% to 8%: Peresvet Bank (7.28%), Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development (3.43%), Novikombank (2.87%) and Rossiya Bank (2 .3%).
Since 20 of the 50 banks participating in the study had no profit in 2015, it is not possible to calculate the percentage of their charitable spending from profit.
The tendency to maintain charitable spending despite a lack of profit emerged last year. At that moment, seven banks had this situation. Then we interpreted it as follows: for many banks, the charitable budget for the next year is formed based on the budget of the previous year, as well as relying on the reserves of unspent profits from several previous years.
In 2015, the number of banks not making a profit and maintaining charitable expenses increased. Some banks, in the absence of profit, continue to engage in charity work for the second year in a row. Roman Kenigsberg, head of practice, consultant at FBK Grant Thornton, spoke about how this is possible: “The fact that banks have expenses for charity in the absence of profit can be explained by the presence of complex products that provide for deductions depending on turnover. For example, in 2014, the growth in charity indicators was mainly associated with turnover from card products. In addition, charity may include costs associated with the image of the bank, the maintenance of sports teams or social infrastructure. These expenses may be reflected as charitable expenses in connection with the conclusion of a donation agreement. I think each organization that shows charitable expenses without profit may have its own reason. The relative increase in spending may be due, for example, to a low base effect: perhaps spending was too low in the previous period.”
We received another comment from a banking expert who wished to remain anonymous: “The charity that exists in the Russian Federation, especially among banks, is specific. If you want to enter a particular region, achieve this or that project in a given municipal territory, you must make such and such a charitable contribution. This is beautifully called Corporate Social Responsibility, although it has nothing to do with the reality that we know from the West. This is part of GR. This is the only reason why charity does not decrease in volume, despite the lack of profit.”
We have to admit that every year the reporting data of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation requires more and more detailed interpretation. In 2011, only three banks had a percentage of profit of about 20% or more: Uralsib (26.94%), Khanty-Mansiysk Bank Otkritie (23.58%) and Moscow Industrial Bank (18.49%), and experts commented on these figures as very high. In 2014, a figure of 361.79% appeared for the Bank of Moscow and seven banks that had charitable spending without profit. In 2015, the results became even more unusual: 3922.4% of Rosbank’s profit, 17 billion rubles. for charity from VTB, 19 banks that carry out charitable spending without profit.
Thus, the following conclusions can be drawn from the study:
- A detailed analysis of banks’ spending on charity, based on the dynamics of indicators over two years, indicates a decrease in their real level.
- The financial standard for participation has not been formed; the spread of charitable expenses in relation to profits across the sector is very significant.
- Philanthropy leaders do not always dedicate the highest percentage of profits to charitable expenses in absolute monetary terms.
- It is realistic to expect that the amount of money allocated to charity will decrease markedly in the near future, since the money shown in the reports was primarily allocated from profits of previous years, and now there will be less of these reserves.
- The benefits of public, transparent reporting that characterized the banking sector are being lost. The reporting of charitable expenses in their reporting is becoming as confusing as, for example, that of commodity and energy companies, and requires increasingly careful and detailed interpretation. In a situation where it is difficult to get clear comments from banks, we can only guess what part of the expenses indicated in the reports actually relates to charity.
In 2016, the CAF Russia Foundation conducted its third study of the charitable activities of the largest Russian banks. The first review of banking sector philanthropy was published in 2012. Then, the volumes of charity of leading Russian banks, trends in their charitable activities, features of charitable policy, program formats, approaches to selecting partners and assessing the effectiveness of charity, as well as attitudes towards the reputational effect and opportunities for staff mobilization (PR-, GR- and HR-effects) were studied. . In 2015, only the quantitative part of the study was carried out. The 2016 study, like the previous year, monitors the dynamics of bank philanthropy.