Molson in the Community

A study released in 2005 from the Centre for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College revealed that 85 per cent of companies in the US (based on their survey of Fortune 500 executives) now allow employees to volunteer during the workday.

Like many of the companies in this study, Molson has moved in this direction – giving all employees in Canada the opportunity to volunteer during work hours and offering an employee matching program (where applicable).

The pictures that go with this post are just two great volunteer gigs we’ve been involved with during “work” hours. The first is Camp Horizon in Alberta, an Easter Seals Camp that provides a fun environment for children with physical disabilities. Twenty-one employees from Molson showed up on May 25th and 26th to participate in a clean up of the campgrounds after they were hit with a major storm. In total, over 300 hours were donated.

Another recent initiative took place at L’Auberge du Petit Bonheur in the Laurentians, 90 minutes outside Montreal. Approximately 20 volunteers took part in a restoration effort cleaning up sites and trails at a camp for kids who would otherwise never get a chance to experience Summer camp.

Both examples highlight Molson commitment to providing opportunity to participate in something meaningful that gives back to the community during work hours – a trend that will likely continue well into 2007 and beyond.

Does the success of smaller community newspapers like Metro or 24 Hours mean big trouble for larger dailies like the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star?

A recent article in the June 11th issue of Marketing magazine suggests that readers are leaning more towards their local community papers for information, largely because the information tends to be “hyper-local” (difficult even in the age of the Internet) and increasingly relevant to them and their families.

A Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA) spokesperson (an organization representing 700-plus English language newspapers) adds that small papers tend to hang around the house longer, making them a logical vehicle to communicate relevant community news. In fact, community papers have grown to the point that they now command $1.1 billion in annual advertising revenue, accounting for a bigger share of the ad pie than other ad segments like consumer magazines, radio and outdoor media.

Again, this is not the forum for us to pound on our chest or what have you, but we’ve been employing this grassroots strategy for sometime now. Prime example? Our automated PR tool – an Internet function that allows members of the Molson sales team to create communications materials that specifically target local papers.

You’ll see more of this in coming months – more examples of local Molson stories in your local community papers. The introduction of improved measurement tools offered by companies like ComBase will mean more effective interpretation of this strategy, and for Molson, more effective communication of the exciting projects we have going on in communities across the country.

Research from the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy released early last week shows that corporate philanthropy (aka community investment aka insert acronym or clever moniker here) continued to rise in 2006, up 4.7 per cent for top companies who participated in their survey.

Researchers expected donation amounts and strategies to be shelved after 2005 – a year when many companies anteed-up in support of Katrina, the SEA Tsunami and other natural disasters. Of $10.6 billion in philanthropy data from 113 companies tracked in the research (including 44 Fortune 100 companies) last year, giving continued to spike above 2005 levels.

Last month, we committed to giving away $7.4 million over the next three years to community investment programs deemed important by people crucial to the success of our business – you. Companies are beginning to pay closer attention to their philanthropic initiatives and are getting better at measuring and capturing data on dollars that go out the door.

Not to toot our own horn, but we’re approaching philanthropy much like the companies detailed in this report – setting in place a rigid set of standards that will make donations dollars count and easy to count at the same time.

Will community investment become as important for business as, say, accounting? One thing is certain – both require a new level of transparency and strategy. We’re proud of the fact that in Canada, Molson will be known as a leader in this field.

As part of the community investment launch on Wednesday, Molson donated $20,000 to Le Boulot vers, a local Montreal organization that helps troubled young adults reintegrate society through customized cabinet-making training. As seen in the photo below, Yvan Cournoyer was on hand to celebrate Molson’s commitment to helping the community.

We have been lucky enough to secure an interview with great hockey star, philanthropist and gifted woodworker on Monday, June 4 – see you then!

Photo: Behind, left to right: Geoff Molson, VP Marketing Molson; Alain Faille, dir. Production Boulot Vers; Yvan Cournoyer, Montreal Canadiens Alumni; Monique Depatie, Corporate Donations Molson, along with Molson volunteers and a Boulot Vers cabinet-making trainee.

For more information on this program, check out their web site > Le Boulot vers.