Through corporate matching and capital funding initiatives, Admiral has amplified its employees’ ability to do some good in their community.

The Halifax locale of UK-based insurer, Admiral Insurance, has bolstered its reputation as one of Canada’s Great Places to Work with its Charity Champion and Community Chest programs. These initiatives were created under the principle that working at Admiral is more than just a job. 

Charity Champion

The Charity Champion program is designed to help Admiral employees support causes they’re passionate about. Each month, one or several employees apply to spearhead a fundraising campaign for the cause of their choosing. 

These Charity Champions are encouraged to get creative and organize their fundraising activities in the office when possible. Employees have hosted bake sales, barbecues and picnics among some other, less conventional ideas.

“We had a dip off where our staff made dips and tickets were sold for votes. The votes were submitted on the best (with the winner receiving a prize).”

• Adrienne Walsh, Customer Loyalty SCR

At the end of each month, the funds are added up and Admiral matches the total (up to $1,000), doubling the impact of the campaign. 

Some employees decide to support national organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Children’s Wish Foundation or Special Olympics and Rope for Hope. 

 

“We selected ‘Walk so Kids Can Talk’ because I was shocked to see how many kids have actually reached out to the counsellors, their numbers are astounding. As a mom, I worry for those kids that may not otherwise have someone to talk to and I would want the resource to be available for my own child if she ever felt she needed it.”

• Adrienne Walsh, Customer Loyalty (Kids Help Phone)

Others opt for local causes including Laing House, Halifax Black Film Festival Youth Diversity Program, Rainbow Refugees Association of Nova Scotia and Phoenix House.

“We kicked everything off in the first week of December with our toy drive. We put the call out to Admiral Halifax to donate whatever they could in terms of new toys. We brought down 229 toys to Phoenix House right before Christmas.” 

• Meghan Anderson, New Business Senior Care Representative (Phoenix House)

The New Business Seniors raised $6,266.85 for Phoenix house with their campaign – a record for the Charity Champion program! 

The program raised a total of $33,178 for local and national causes in 2019 – $12,000 of which was contributed by Admiral through corporate matching. The remaining $21,178 came from the generous staff at Admiral through donated working hours and charitable giving.

Community Chest

Community Chest is a capital funding program wherein Admiral provides financial support for local groups and organizations with which an employee, or their immediate household, is involved. 

Employees submit an application for funding to be reviewed and, given it meets certain criteria, accepted by management. Applications are rarely denied.

Admiral recognizes the importance of diversifying the groups it supports to reflect the diversity of its staff. Through this program, employees have secured funding for local baseball teams, scholarship funds and kids camps among others.

“I applied for the Community Chest for my daughter’s Curling Team. They have been curling for 6 years and this year we asked if Admiral would consider being a sponsor. To my delight Admiral was happy to help.”

• Melanie Goodland, Hybrid Customer Loyalty agent

In 2019, Admiral contributed $13,545 to worthy local groups through the Community Chest program. For employees, the program is about so much more than the money. 

“This is such an important program. Without it, we would have struggled to keep (my daughter) Saoirse in dance. I’ve been able to keep her in a program that she loves and keeps her active and I haven’t needed to worry about paying for it. I couldn’t be more grateful for the program and it’s help!”

• Adrienne Walsh, Customer Loyalty SCR 

But Admiral doesn’t do it for the recognition – all contributions are private unless the employee chooses to share their story. 

By supporting causes its employees care about, Admiral demonstrates its commitment to the wellbeing of its employees. There’s no shortcut to employee satisfaction. That’s why Admiral puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to its most valued resource – its people. 

If you want to learn more about what makes Admiral an award winning employer, visit https://joinadmiral.ca/.