Do the Companies You do Business with Care About Your Community?

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 9:41 PM UTC

MESA, Ariz., Jan. 13, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- People want to be associated with organizations that do more than sell products. People also want to do business with organizations that care.¹ Royal Neighbors of America, one of the oldest women-led life insurers in the U.S., recently posted that its 2015 community programs generated $9.1 million in social good. Social Good is the term that Royal Neighbors uses to describe the volunteer efforts of its 180,000 members and the organization's philanthropic activities.
Activities that contributed to the Social Good metric include:

Total volunteer hours from Royal Neighbors members: 113,945 hours, equivalent to $2,628,600²
Grassroots volunteer program financial support: $718,000
Empowerment scholarships, awards and contributions: $339,000

Corporate social responsibility, the traditional term for business-based philanthropy, was coined in the 1960s and generally refers to using resources from a business or organization and investing in programs that promote "public good." The current trend is for companies to participate in recycling programs, reducing harmful environmental impact, contributing money to social causes, and engaging employees in community projects.
Royal Neighbors was founded in 1895 on the dual mission of both providing financial protection through life insurance and "neighbor-helping-neighbor" community service. Social responsibility is one of the organization's core principles. Historic examples include supporting the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote, providing aid after the San Francisco earthquake and fire in 1906, and purchasing $13 million in War Bonds during World War II for which the organization received a U.S. Treasury Silver Medal.
Present day activities include the Difference Maker Fund, a new program that offers members $200 seed money to support a community project that aligns with Royal Neighbors' mission. The focus is to improve the community and cover at least one of the following purposes:

Support a charitable cause that specifically helps women and/or girls
Support women who organize and complete community service projects
Financial literacy opportunities for women, girls, or other community groups

"Our Difference Maker Fund is new, but it springs from Royal Neighbors' core belief that neighbors-helping-neighbors is crucial to building stronger communities," said Jodii Zimmerman, a senior executive with Royal Neighbors. "By offering this program we can support our members' desire to improve their communities and provide new opportunities for people to volunteer about causes they feel passionate about."
Additional information about the Difference Maker Fund is online at http://www.royalneighbors.org/community-connections/difference-maker-fund.
Caption: Royal Neighbors employees Jodii Zimmerman, Michael Torrenti and Lauren Shaw pitch in for Make a Difference Day.
[1] Social responsibility no longer optional for businesses, Chad Brooks, Fox Business Small Business Center, May 22, 2013 page 1. http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/marketing-sales/2013/05/24/social-responsibility-no-longer-optional-for-businesses/ PDF on file.
[2] Data Source: Independent Sector annual update on value of volunteer hours. https://www.independentsector.org/ PDF on file
Form: WIRE2016-1; Rev. 1-2016

Photos accompanying this release are available at:
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=38468
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=38469