We approach "giving back" differently – Ecclesiastical president

We approach “giving back” differently – Ecclesiastical president | Insurance Business Canada

Non-Profits & Charities

We approach “giving back” differently – Ecclesiastical president

The insurer recently announced its Impact Grant awardees

Non-Profits & Charities

By
David Saric

As an insurance carrier owned by Benefact Group, which itself is owned by Benefact Trust — a charitable trust based in the UK — Ecclesiastical Insurance is well positioned to ensure that its business ethos is firmly tied to community outreach.

“We take a very long-term view and are not beholden to a shareholder who may be looking for immediate returns,” said David Huebel (pictured), Ecclesiastical president.

Instead, the profits that are raised from the carrier’s insurance solutions help sustain a circle of giving by going back to Benefact Trust in order to be redistributed into a number of community-based programs, including Ecclesiastical’s Community Impact Grants.

The carrier writes coverage for organizations that are community focused, including charities, non-profits, educational institutions and faith-based institutions.

“It’s not just the charities; we give back to a lot of those entities who may have a more difficult time getting insurance,” Huebel said.

Elsewhere, Huebel noted that “giving back” is approached differently at Ecclesiastical.

“Most companies wouldn’t say one of your performance objectives is to make sure you’re doing volunteer events with your team,” he said.

In an interview with Insurance Business, Huebel spoke about the recipients of Ecclesiastical’s 2023 Community Impact Grants and what the company’s philanthropic calendar looks like for this year.

Looking to the needs of various communities

Ecclesiastical recently announced the recipients of the 2023 edition of its Community Impact Grants, through which profits from the company’s various business endeavours help provide essential funding to registered charities throughout the country.

Out of 400 applicants, the list was eventually whittled down to 19 awardees, with each of the organizations servicing the following three areas of concern:

Environmental conservation with a human-centric approach,
Food security, hunger, and poverty-related access and availability of food, and
Vulnerable youth and families.

The donations are made to charities that are helping to solve pertinent and timely issues that Canadians are facing.

“The last year or two have showed significant need for more action around the environment and climate but also food insecurity, especially with the rising cost of everything, and mental health assistance,” Huebel said.

However, the president noted how the philanthropic targets of the Community Grant are not static and can shift to address the varying concerns of the communities the funding helps.

Additionally, the grant is also designated to offer aid to organizations that are smaller and more regional in nature.

“We want to ensure that our grant is supporting a unique program where we can make a difference with our donation,” Huebel said.

“With a larger charity that is well funded by government and are getting a lot of donations, our grant won’t make much of a difference. From time to time, we will support organizations like that, but this year, we wanted to support more particular programs instead.”

Some of the awardees include:

YWCA NWT, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Compost Education Centre, Victoria, British Columbia
Elephant Thoughts Educational Outreach, Durham, Ontario
Thrive Youth Development Canada, Toronto, Ontario
The Flower Cart, New Minas, Nova Scotia
Boys and Girls Club of Summerside Inc., Summerside, Prince Edward Island

A full agenda for 2024

With the new year in full swing, Huebel noted how Ecclesiastical has a robust agenda of philanthropic causes to pursue.

“Our contract with our current corporate sponsor, Food Banks Canada, is about to expire, so we are looking for a new partner charity,” he said.

In contrast to the Community Impact Grant awardees, Ecclesiastical’s sponsorship will be a national charity.

The company also has a payroll charity donation option, where a portion of each paycheque can be donated to a designated list of organizations.

“Our employees have been asking to expand the number of charities that are included on that list, so we’re hoping to do that and increase the amount of donations into local causes,” Huebel said.

“We’re trying to do more around employee engagement and awareness in anyway we can.”

Furthermore, with the insurance industry experiencing a talent shortage, Huebel hopes that Ecclesiastical’s philanthropic ethos will also resonate with professional talent.

“We want to continue to highlight to potential employees how giving back is a large part of what we do, especially to young professionals who are looking to engage with work that has meaningful impact,” Huebel said.