Ten socially involved companies were presented with the “Benefactor of the Year 2016” title at the Gala that took place at the Westin Hotel in Warsaw on June 8, 2016. The Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in Poland has organized the Competition for the 19th time. The Polish-American Freedom Foundation is its founder.
The “Benefactor of the Year” Competition is the largest such initiative in Poland that promotes philanthropy and social involvement of companies. The competition popularizes various examples of entrepreneurs’ charity activities and awards those who help solve local problems as well as contribute in a significant way to introducing permanent changes to their communities.
Over 155 applications were submitted to the 19th edition of the Competition. In three categories, the winners were selected by the Competition Committee. The winners include:
• In the “Local Involvement” category, ex aequo: Tikkurila Polska SA and Zefir – Tomasz Szeszycki.
• In the “Civic Involvement Strategy” category – a large company sub-category: Polski Koncern Naftowy „Orlen” S.A.; a small/medium company sub-category: Votum S.A.
• In the “Corporate Foundation-Civic Project” category: Fundacja Kronenberga at Citi Handlowy (Kronenberg Foundation at City Handlowy).
The winners of remaining three categories were selected in the Internet voting from among the finalists selected by the Competition Committee:
• In the “Civic Project” category, a small company sub-category: Ogólnopolskie Centrum Medyczne, a medium company sub-category – Kalter Sp. z o.o., a large company sub-category – Mendelez Europe Services Oddział w Polsce (Mendelez Europe Services, Polish Branch);
• In the “Employees’ Volunteering” category: Totalizator Sportowy Sp. z o.o.;
• In the “New Technologies in Civic Involvement” category: Grupa Allegro Sp. z o.o.
The Competition Committee is composed of: Henryka Bochniarz – President of “Lewiatan” Polish Confederation of Private Employers (PKPP), Anna Potocka-Domin – Vice-President of Business Centre Club, Jerzy Koźmiński – President of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation, Joanna Luberadzka-Gruca, Member of the “Forum Darczyńców” Board, Fundacja Przyjaciółka, Mirella Panek-Owsińska, President of the Forum Odpowiedzialnego Biznesu (Responsible Business Forum), Jerzy Karwelis – media market expert, Kazimierz Krupa – journalist specialized in economy, Andrzej Malinowski – President of Pracodawcy RP (Employers of Poland), Professor Bolesław Rok, Centrum Etyki Biznesu i Innowacji Społecznych (Business Ethics and Social Innovation Center) at Koźmiński University and Kamil Wyszkowski – Director General of Global Compact Poland.
The Competition is organized by the Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in Poland. The Polish-American Freedom Foundation has been supporting the competition since 2002. In the 19th edition, as in the past, the Foundation was the competition founder and the “Local Involvement” category patron. The competition legal supervisor was EY Poland.
The Competition is supported by: Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Lewiatan Confederation, Business Centre Club, Employers of Poland, United Nations Global Compact Poland, the Polish Public Relations Consultancies Association, FreshMail. The media patrons of this year’s edition are: CSRinfo.org, Responsible Business Forum, odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl, kampaniespoleczne.pl, ngo.pl, CR Navigator, Marketing przy Kawie, Odpowiedzialny Biznes – Kompendium CSR.
Additionally, the winners received an honorary invitation to join the world sustainable business leaders under the Global Compact UN General Secretary Initiative.
The presenters at the Gala were Anna Popek and Paweł Oksanowicz.
More information about this year’s edition of the competition can be found in the report available at www.dobroczyncaroku.pl and www.facebook.com/DobroczyncaRoku
