Foundations and associations supported by socially responsible firms can submit them to the 26th round of competition for the Benefactor of the Year title. That is the oldest and most prestigious title awarded to companies, entrepreneurs and company foundations and an excellent opportunity to thank in public the donors for their support. The deadline for applications is on February 10. The competition is supported by the Polish-American Freedom Foundation.
The objective of the competition for the Benefactor of the Year 2023 title is to promote social involvement and social responsibility of entrepreneurs, in particular at a local level. It also makes an opportunity for nominating organizations to thank their donors for support as well as promoting firms and NGOs cooperation for implementation of defined by UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The title may go to private and state enterprises as well as foundations set up by firms involved, among other things, in supporting refugees and Ukraine, supporting activities benefitting local communities, health, diversity, environmental protection and involving their employees in volunteering. NGOs may submit their candidates in the following categories:
- Culture and Education
- Local Partnerships
- Environmental and Climate Protection
- Voluntary and Charity Aid
- Openness to Diversity
- Healthy Lifestyle
A new category: Support for Refugees and Ukraine
Due to huge challenges related to the war in Ukraine, this year NGOs may also submit firms for their support for refugees, including those coming from Ukraine. That can be providing funds for integration activities such as legal, educational, psychological aid, supporting organization of refugee’s stay in Poland, purchase of equipment necessary for stay in Poland (e.g. clothing, detergents and cleaning products, home equipment) or organization of collections (both financial and material ones).
The special category
The Competition Committee will also award the firms in the special category – Business and NGOs Good Cooperation, inspired by The Charter of Business and NGOs Good Cooperation Rules. The award will go to the enterprise that implements these rules to the greatest extent. The objective of that category is to collect model examples of partnership and show good practices in that area. To the award in that category the firms can be submitted only by NGOs.
Participation in the competition is free. Competition application forms and Rules and Regulations can be downloaded from dobroczyncaroku.pl. In order to nominate a firm to the Benefactor of the Year title you have to fill in the relevant application form for a given category on generatorspoleczny.pl/dobroczynca-roku (setting up the individual account is required) by February 10, 13:00 hrs.
Each application will be evaluated by experts, and the winners will be chosen by the Competition Committee from a short list of the best candidates. The Competition Committee is composed of representatives of the most important organizations and institutions involved in development of corporate social responsibility in Poland, including: Polish-American Freedom Foundation, UN Global Compact Polska, Polish Donors Forum, Business Centre Club, Employers of Poland, The Responsible Business Forum, and Polish Confederation Lewiatan.
The winners will receive the statuettes on May 31, 2023.
The competition for the Benefactor of the Year title is organized by the Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in Poland. It is supported by the Polish-American Freedom Foundation. The competition’s procedures are monitored by EY.
Media patrons: Raport ESG magazine, odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl, portal ngo.pl, RaportCSR.pl, oesg.pl, marketingnews.pl, niepełnosprawni.pl, NowyMarketing.pl, witrynawiejska.pl.
