- Company-wide, 10th annual Employee Giving Campaign
to benefit the United Way among a wide range of organizations
- Almost $190 million donated
cumulatively during decade-long employee-driven campaign, including
$22 million and counting in 2020
TORONTO and CHICAGO,
Dec. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - In a
year that's seen tremendous social and economic challenges, BMO
employees across North America
have come together to fuel positive change where they live and work
through the 10th annual Employee Giving Campaign. In
addition to the $66 million in
corporate donations BMO has made in 2020, since late November,
close to 90 per cent of employees have already donated more than
$22 million to the United Way and
organizations focused on education, health, food security, animals,
legal aid, and LGBTQ2+ causes. With major gifts still being
collected, the donations are geared to address the disproportionate
impacts in health and economic outcomes exacerbated by the
pandemic, as well as the chronic imbalances that impede prosperity
and well-being – especially for Black, Indigenous, and People of
Colour (BIPOC) communities.
"As a Purpose-driven company, we are grateful for the
opportunity to respond to the unprecedented need in our
communities, intensified by COVID-19," said Joanna Rotenberg, Group Head, BMO Wealth
Management and 2020 Major Individual Giving Cabinet Chair for the
United Way of Greater Toronto.
"The disparity between those who are thriving and those who are
struggling as a result of systemic barriers is more apparent than
ever, and finding ways to curb the impacts of the pandemic on
health, gender and racial equality, and economic prosperity has
galvanized our employees to give back now."
With an ongoing commitment to foster a more just society with
zero barriers to inclusion, BMO's employees have embraced a focus
on vulnerable communities where existing challenges are more
severe. Contributions are also helping to fuel an inclusive
recovery that addresses structural inequities for BIPOC communities
that BMO has been confronting in its longstanding partnership with
the United Way and other organizations.
Throughout the last 10 years of the employee-driven campaign,
BMO has raised almost $190 million as
part of its culture of giving back, and was recently
recognized as one of Canada's
Most Admired Corporate Cultures by Waterstone Human Capital.
Additional details regarding this year's final donation tally
will be revealed at a later date. For more information on BMO's
corporate social responsibility, please visit:
https://our-impact.bmo.com/.
BMO's Partnership with United Way
BMO is a long-time
partner of United Way in its Building Strong
Neighbourhoods initiatives to overcome challenges to
inclusive economic opportunity. BMO is a founding partner of the
Inclusive Local Economic Opportunity initiative, a ground-breaking
effort spearheaded by BMO and United Way Greater Toronto that
brings together business and community leaders to work together in
reducing economic disparity. The bank has extended this model
to Chicago. BMO previously donated $10 Million to
United Way in each community to support the efforts. Additionally,
in 2019, BMO employees donated more than $22 million to
United Way and other charities through the annual BMO Employee
Giving Campaign.
About BMO Financial Group
Serving customers for
200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial
services provider - the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North
America. With total assets of $949 billion as
of October 31, 2020, and a team of diverse and highly engaged
employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial
banking, wealth management and investment banking products and
services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business
through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking,
BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.
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SOURCE BMO Financial Group