Since 2000, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed over $260 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered more than 4.2 million hours of service to local communities in support of our philosophy to give where we live. In 2011, we contributed a total of $46 million in financial and in-kind assistance.
$260 M and 4.2 M volunteer hours
Total community investment
Based on corporate social responsibility best practice and guidance from our auditors and other stakeholders, we are once again working with the London Benchmarking Group (LBG) to evaluate, categorize and validate our community investment data. LBG’s assessment has categorized our community investment in the following four groups:
Philanthropic investment: One-off or intermittent donations in response to charity appeals or in support of employee charitable activities.
Social investment: Longer-term, strategic involvement in community partnerships that address a specific range of social issues that are important to the company or to company stakeholders. These programs are often aligned with long-term corporate interests.
Commercial initiatives: Activities in the community that directly support a business objective, or promote or protect the commercial interest of the corporation. Examples include cause-related marketing, sponsorship of charitable events related to a business or marketing strategy and initiatives designed to spark recruitment.
Value of employee giving: Contributions to a community project that can be directly linked to the company’s employees and the company’s involvement in the project. For example: contributions of the TELUS team through the Team TELUS Charitable Giving program.
TELUS community investment
| $ millions | 2011 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|
| Philanthropic investment | $7.83 | $7.08 |
| Social investment | $22.93 | $22.06 |
| Commercial initiatives | $11.89 | $5.97 |
| Value of employee giving1 | $3.54 | $3.48 |
| TOTAL |
 $46.192 |
$38.59 |
| 1 | TELUS-matched dollars are included in the philanthropic investment category. |
| 2 | The increase over 2010 is primarily due to better accounting and measurement practices through the use of London Benchmarking Group Methodology. The new number reflects the inclusion of previously overlooked partnerships, sponsorships and other expenses. |
TELUS community investment by type
Imagine Canada
We have been designated an Imagine Canada Caring Company since 1995. As one of the 103 Canadian companies with this designation, we give more than one per cent of our pre-tax profits to charitable organizations each year. In 2011, TELUS surpassed this goal and contributed 2.9 per cent of our pre-tax profits to charitable organizations.
