Volunteer Movement

Vnesheconombank sees promoting the volunteer movement as a priority in building a corporate culture that reflects the active attitude of the Bank’s employees towards life. Increasingly more employees of the Bank and their family members get involved in volunteer campaigns every year, with the number off campaigns ever growing and areas covered by volunteer activities ever expanding. The idea of volunteering is also becoming more and more welcomed by employees of the Group’s entities.

In 2014, Vnesheconombank organised more than 20 volunteer activities that involved over 500 of the Bank’s employees. They included blood donation that has already become a corporate tradition, aid to children from low-income families before the start of the school year, assistance with family adoption for orphanage residents from the Amur, Kemerovo, Samara and Ryazan Regions and the Primorye Territory, support to elderly patients of retirement homes in the Moscow, Pskov, Ryazan and Tula Regions, support to the Russian Orthodox Church, aid to victims of natural disasters and many others. In 2014, the Bank’s volunteers also joined the ‘Books in Parks’ festival held in Moscow, took part in a donation project for ‘BlagoButik’ charitable shop and sold hand-made souvenirs during the ‘Dushevniy Bazar’ charitable festival.

In 2014, in response to the rising involvement of our employees in the volunteer movement, the Bank set up a working group on corporate volunteering. Any employee of the Bank could apply for membership in the working group. The final group of 7 members was determined by drawing lots. The membership of the working group is planned to be renewed on an annual basis. The group is responsible for identifying key development areas of corporate volunteering to promote fair and transparent decision-making.

In 2014, Vnesheconombank continued implementing its volunteering development initiative across the Group. An important outcome of these efforts was the first joint project by Vnesheconombank Group’s employees: a neighbourhood cleanup for a Moscow Region boarding school for health-challenged children. Employees of the Group’s entities also took part in donation activities of Vnesheconombank. A number of the Group’s entities — Globexbank, Prominvestbank, VEB-Leasing and RDIF — also held their own volunteer events.

Areas of Volunteer Activities by Vnesheconombank in 2014 (% of total number of activities)

Areas of volunteer activities by Vnesheconombank in 2014 (% of total number of activities)

Number of Volunteer Activities Run by the Group’s Entities in 2014

Number of volunteer activities run by the Group’s entities in 2014

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Neighbourhood cleanup in a boarding school for health-challenged children

On 25 April, volunteers of Vnesheconombank Group held their first outside event: a visit to a neighbourhood cleanup in a boarding school for health-challenged children sponsored by the Bank in the village of Almazovo (Shchyolkovskiy District, Moscow Region). The cleanup was organised at the request of the boarding school’s management.

Over 60 volunteers took part in the event, including employees from Vnesheconombank, SME Bank, Globexbank, Sviaz-Bank, VEB-Leasing, EXIAR, VEB Capital, FCPF and VEB Innovations Fund. Many volunteers came to the cleanup with their families and friends.

During the event, the Group’s volunteers cleaned and improved the territory around the boarding school. Tools and planting stock were also bought by the volunteers. They also prepared presents for the school’s residents: board games, toys, paints, albums and marker pens, art kits, fruit and sweets.

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Volunteer activities by subsidiaries of the Group

New Year for Kids

On 24 December, Globexbank jointly with Charitable Oncological Foundation ‘Romashka’ held the ‘New Year for Kids’ event. The bank’s employees organised a theatrical show for 28 children under treatment in the kidney transplantation unit of the Russian Children’s Clinical Hospital. After the event, Ded Moroz (Father Frost or Russian Santa Claus) and Snegurochka (Snow Maiden), acted by volunteers, presented each kid with a portable video game console. The bank’s volunteers also donated a wheelchair and a dialysis kit to the transplantation unit.

Donor Days

In 2014, Prominvestbank held two Donor Days that involved 133 employees of the bank. These events held for children suffering from cancer gathered 52.17 litres of blood. Chief Medical Officer of Kiev Regional Blood Centre expressed his gratitude to Prominvestbank’s team for their empathy and involvement in problems of ill children who require donor blood components.

Return to Life

From 17 to 26 November, VEB-Leasing ran a fund raising event for a seriously ill child suffering from chylothorax, a rare and grave condition. The company’s employees collected over RUB 230 thousand that were transferred to the account of the boy’s family. This money helped to a great extent to pay for the rehabilitation course organised for the boy in a specialised clinic in Germany.