What They Said
"Volunteers are at the core of our work. Beyond the donation of their physical labor, we have seen IICF volunteers become ambassadors for the hunger cause by championing our efforts in their own personal and professional networks. The Food Bank is so thankful to all the individuals and companies that make up the IICF for helping to extend our community awareness and reach."
– Michael Flood, CEO, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
"IICF volunteers help keep our community's kids safe, working with Kidpower to bring safety training into the classroom. Thanks to IICF volunteer efforts and the financial support of the insurance industry, Kidpower has protected thousands of young people from bullying, violence and abuse and prepared them to take charge of their emotional and physical safety - especially those who are most vulnerable due to special needs."
– Irene van der Zande, Executive Director/Co-Founder, Kidpower
Because of You
Industry Volunteers Fight Community Hunger
The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation's largest program, Volunteer Week inspires and mobilizes thousands of industry professionals to tangibly give back to their local communities through volunteer service. Volunteer Week supports hundreds of community nonprofits ranging in focus from education and youth programs to the environment, with over 500 volunteer projects offered. Accounting for approximately 30% of all IICF volunteer activities, food programs lead the way in volunteer participation.
According to Feeding America, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, 37 million Americans are in need of food assistance. During Volunteer Week, industry professionals helped to address our nation's hunger epidemic by donating time and energy to Feeding America's network of local community food banks. As one of the largest food banks in the nation, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank provides a local voice to the national hunger crisis.
Los Angeles County, one of the nation's largest metropolitan areas, has felt the stain of the economic slowdown. Michael Flood, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank CEO has seen a direct correlation between the local economic reality and the increased need for food assistance in Los Angeles County. "Over the past three years, we have seen the demand for food assistance increase by 73%," commented Flood. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank annually serves more than 1 million unique individuals, many of which rely on its programs multiple times throughout the year.
In addition to increased demand, the Los Angeles Food Bank has also seen a shift in the individuals seeking assistance. Flood continued, "Los Angeles' sustained 12% unemployment rate has driven many individuals to seek food assistance for the first time in their lives, having been solidly middle class pre-recession. Many individuals who have previously provided the Food Bank with donations or volunteer service are now benefiting for our programs themselves," remarked Flood. In 2010, 1 in 10 residents of Los Angeles County were provided food assistance.
As a fourteen year Volunteer Week agency participant, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has seen the long term impact of dedicated insurance industry volunteers. "Volunteers are at the core of our work. Beyond the donation of their physical labor, we have seen IICF volunteers become ambassadors for the hunger cause by championing our efforts in their own personal and professional networks," commented Flood. "The Food Bank is so thankful to all the individuals and companies that make up the IICF for helping to extend our community awareness and reach."
 IICF Western Division Board Member Connie Talyor-McCray and volunteers from her CNA, Los Angeles office sort and package food donations at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
First exposed to the Los Angeles Food Bank through Volunteer Week 2010, IIABA, Los Angeles built upon their volunteerism for Volunteer Week 2011. "We were so impacted by the great community need during our 2010 volunteer experience, we felt compelled to do more," commented Jon Axel, IIABA, Los Angeles President. "In addition to having 20 people from our various member organizations donate their time, we were also very proud to add the financial support of a $5,000 directed IICF grant to our 2011 volunteering efforts. Our Board truly understands that supporting the Los Angeles Food Bank's efforts not only enriches our own lives but supports the communities we live and work in every day. " As a result of the IIABA, Los Angeles grant, the Food Bank will be able to provide an additional 20,000 meals to the community.
 IIABA, Los Angeles volunteers present a $5,000 IICF directed grant to Los Angeles Regional Food Bank CEO Michael Flood as a part of their Volunteer Week efforts.
Similarly inspired to expand upon a Volunteer Week experience, Endurance's White Plains, NY office organized an office-wide holiday food drive for the Lower Fairfield County Food Bank in Stamford, CT. Endurance Team Leader, Sokah Au-Ferris commented, "I asked myself what more my colleagues at Endurance and I could do to share our bounty with our neighbors. I know that all of us who participated that day felt something similar. The level of need touched us deeply." Setting the goal of collecting 1 ton of food, Endurance has already collected 327 pounds of food.
Volunteer Week officially takes place over eight consecutive days in October. However, Volunteer Week's impact is much deeper than a single weeklong event. As demonstrated by the great response of IICF volunteers to our nation's hunger crisis, Volunteer Week is a motivational experience, often spurring even greater action.
Foundation Feature
McKinsey & Company Collaborates with IICF on Research and Publishes Comprehensive Report on P&C Charitable Giving
It has long been a goal of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation to quantify the industry's charitable efforts through fact-based reporting. Through a series of discussions, the IICF found McKinsey & Company shared a similar interest in providing a fact-based, analytical study on the significant issue of philanthropy by the insurance industry. The recent McKinsey report, "Charitable Giving in the Property–Casualty Insurance Industry", represents a great achievement in the analysis, measurement and understanding of the insurance industry's philanthropic impact.
"The relationship between McKinsey & Company and the IICF has provided a significant resource for the insurance industry. Never before has a comprehensive picture of philanthropy in the property and casualty industry been available," commented Jim Woods, Partner, Dewey & LeBoeuf, LLP and IICF Founder. "This report is a valuable learning tool, providing information into the philanthropic contributions of the insurance industry. With this tool, we can better measure, evaluate and refine our philanthropic activities to make an even larger impact in our communities," continued Woods.
The McKinsey report provides some valuable insight into industry philanthropic practices. Report highlights include:
- Of the $500 million donated to charity by the industry, 80% was in the form of direct cash contributions and 20% in the form of employee donations of cash or volunteer hours.
- The industry's giving is in line with other industries. The industry's cash contributions as a percent of pre-tax profits are 89 basis points, compared to 78 basis points across all industries.
- Geography is a key factor in allocating charitable dollars, with 95% of companies considering employees' residency, the location of company headquarters and/or customer markets.
- When evaluating the benefits of charitable giving, most property-casualty companies cited broad business goals, including enhanced reputation (80%), improved employee retention (55%) and improved customer relations (55%).
- Only 12% of property-casualty companies surveyed consider the ability to leverage corporate capabilities a key determinant in shaping giving strategy. "Surprisingly," says the report, "while most property-casualty companies believe that disaster relief and preparedness rank among the most important issues for the industry to address, in practice these causes receive less than 5 % of total industry contributions."
- Despite the property-casualty industry's strong commitment to philanthropy, McKinsey's research found that 60% of executives believe the industry can increase the social and business impact of its charitable giving and 90% feel there is an opportunity to raise public awareness of the industry's charitable giving.
Contributing approximately $500 million domestically in 2010, the insurance industry is a significant contributor to the philanthropic activity of the United States. Yet, as the McKinsey report suggests, the industry is capable of achieving more impactful charitable giving. As innovative leaders, the industry can broker new solutions to the challenges facing our communities. The industry has an opportunity to implement philanthropic best practices, such as strong CEO leadership, focused giving, organizational commitment and philanthropic performance management.
The McKinsey report additionally highlights the benefits of collaboration. The insurance industry possesses unique skills and experience, but fully leveraging and maximizing the impact of that expertise requires a greater level of collaboration. Out of this very belief, the IICF was originally formed and exists today to increase industry collaboration for the benefit of society at large.
"The results of the McKinsey survey are compelling to me because they highlight how much the insurance industry does for its communities, how little recognition it gets for its extraordinary efforts and how important industry collaboration could be to righting that wrong. At the center of that equation is the Foundation, whose mission it is to unite the industry in philanthropic causes and do more together than we can do apart," stated Adam McDonough, Lockton CEO, San Francisco, and IICF Western Division Board Member.
As the McKinsey report highlights, good philanthropy does not happen by accident. The insurance industry does achieve exceptional results through its charitable giving, but as a people-centered industry it always strives to increase its charitable reach. The IICF hopes the McKinsey report will be the beginning of the ongoing measurement and documentation of the industry's philanthropic contributions. It can also serve as an industry-wide call to action to enhance the impact of charitable giving efforts.
Leaders in Philanthropy
A New Generation of Leaders Begin to Make Their Mark in Philanthropy
For the Midwest Division, "Blazing the Trail," is not just the theme of their upcoming benefit dinner, but rather a guiding philosophy. Although only six months in its formation, the Midwest Division has taken a leadership role within the IICF, establishing the Foundation's first Associate Board of Directors. The newly-formed Associate Board will provide the Foundation with a platform to share its efforts with a new generation of professionals. With much anticipation, the Associate Board was officially launched October 18, 2011 with the induction of its twenty-five member board.
"Very early in our division's formation, we discussed the importance of engaging industry professionals spanning all organizational levels. The insurance industry exhibits an overwhelmingly strong culture of community outreach. The Associate Board will provide an opportunity to new and emerging professionals to join in our industry's philanthropic tradition," commented Deborah Broderick, Executive Vice President & Operating Officer, Wells Fargo Insurance Services and Midwest Division Board Member.
The Associate Board will serve the Foundation in connection with the larger Midwest Division Board to raise awareness and funds to help further the IICF's mission of providing community grants and volunteer service. The Associate Board will also provide a leadership and networking opportunity for its membership. "The Associate Board will meet a previously unrecognized need in the Midwest, providing additional leadership experience for emerging industry professionals within a philanthropic framework," continued Broderick.
 Members of the Associate Board join in the 2011 Volunteer Week cleaning Montrose Beach in Chicago, Illinois. IICF volunteers cleared 2,987 pounds of litter from Chicago beaches.
Clark Wormer of Hub International, Limited will undertake the role of Associate Board Chair. "I am honored to have the opportunity to become a founding member of the Associate Board for the IICF Midwest Division," commented Wormer. "Our newly formed Associate Board is comprised of a diverse set of twenty-five individuals representing a broad spectrum of the insurance industry. We value our board's great personal and professional diversity, believing it will enable us to develop unique events and opportunities to create awareness of the Foundation's efforts."
Echoing Wormer's enthusiasm is Brian Bassett, Senior Associate, Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry LLP. "This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for all members of the newly elected Associate Board. We are proud to make our mark on the industry's charitable tradition by raising awareness, volunteers and funds to support the vital organizations meeting our community's needs," remarked Bassett, Associate Board Vice Chair.
The Midwest Division is truly "Blazing the Trail," with the launch of the Associate Board. Paving the way for similar Foundation boards in the future, the Midwest Division Associate Board invites a new generation of insurance professionals to carry on the industry's tradition of philanthropy. This new Foundation group will certainly leave their own unique charitable mark upon the industry.
Endurance Commemorates 10th Anniversary with Volunteer Service
Since 1994, the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation has rallied the industry around a united week of volunteer service and giving. IICF Volunteer Week has grown from its early beginning as a San Francisco-based program to become an autumn industry staple, taking place in all three operating divisions. With the continued leadership of board member companies and the support of thousands of industry volunteers, Volunteer Week has provided over 140,000 hours of volunteer service to communities across the nation.
The IICF is proud to have to have the support of over 100 dedicated organizations and over 3,600 volunteers actively engaged with Volunteer Week 2011. Among the organizations taking a lead role in Volunteer Week was Endurance. Aligning its 10 year commemorative anniversary with its "Employee Day of Service" and IICF Volunteer Week, Endurance made its mark on the 2011 effort with participation in over 20 volunteer projects throughout the United States.
To commemorate its 10 year anniversary, Endurance proudly sponsored a global "Employee Day of Service." In recognition of the company's roots which are based in the events of September 11th, Endurance felt it fitting to acknowledge their corporate anniversary with a continuation of the spirit of community activities and volunteer service that emerged out of the tragedy.
Commenting on the organization's milestone, David Cash, Endurance's CEO, attributed much of the company's success to "the culture of integrity, teamwork and exceptional service that reflects the values on which Endurance was founded. To mark this important milestone and to strengthen the culture we have built over the last decade, we thought that it would be fitting to encourage our employees to work together to give back to their local communities." Globally, Endurance employees volunteered time to support a variety of charitable organizations including food banks, cancer research organizations, and facilities for children with disabilities.
In the US, Endurance partnered with the IICF to participate in Volunteer Week. In conjunction with Volunteer Week, Endurance employees participated in approximately 20 events in a dozen offices across the country. Endurance volunteering highlights included projects from Making Memories Foundation, the Alliance for the Great Lakes and the USO.
Endurance's Irvine office participated in an event to help raise money to grant wishes for stage IV breast cancer patients in the Los Angeles area. Working on behalf of the Making Memories Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to providing a moment of joy in the lives of women and men who are losing their battle against breast cancer, Endurance volunteers helped to sell new and used bridal gowns at the Brides Against Breast Cancer fundraising event in Garden Grove, CA.
Endurance employees from the Chicago area joined colleagues from other insurance organizations to clean up trash and debris on Montrose Beach as part of the Alliance for the Great Lakes' initiative to protect and restore the world's largest surface freshwater resource. With several storms hitting the Chicago area during the prior week, the Endurance volunteers worked hard to collect over 200 pounds of debris.
Among a number of New York Metro area events, Endurance employees participated in two days of service building bikes with the USO for children of military families. The first bike-build took place in Mt. Kisco, NY. The event was a huge success, with fifty-nine children's bicycles donated by Endurance being built, decorated and made ready for distribution to children of soldiers from the Hudson Valley. Two military families were on site at the end of the bike-build to receive their bikes. The remaining bikes were distributed to children of Hudson Valley military veterans and deploying Soldiers at Camp Smith, a military training site in Cortlandt Manor, NY. A similar bike build took place in New York City with fifty additional bikes assembled.
Commenting on his participation with the USO bike building project, James D'Onofrio, Executive Vice President and Head of U.S. Reinsurance for Endurance remarked, "The USO Bike Build event was a truly gratifying and inspirational experience for Endurance's employees as they worked together to support our military and their families. I am confident that an annual day of service will become a permanent part of our corporate activities," continued D'Onofrio, a member of the New York-Northeast Division Board of Directors.
Combining its anniversary commemoration with a volunteer service effort, Endurance exemplifies the industry's commitment to community. It is as a result of this very commitment that IICF Volunteer Week is a success. With the continued support of organizations such as Endurance, Volunteer Week will continue to grow to help an even greater number of communities and enrich even more lives.
To read more Volunteer Week stories, see volunteer photos, or share your own experiences, visit our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/doubleicf.
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