When COVID-19 hit back in March, Michael Moyna felt overwhelmed by the staggering economic effects the pandemic was having on his local community. So Moyna, territory manager, western region, for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a global healthcare company, took action.
He sought approval for a charitable gift matching campaign to help those close to home, and in other regions across Canada. The goal of the campaign was to support local charities in four regions – West, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic, through Canadian employee donations that GSK then enhanced with a two-to-one donation match.
“It was easier for me to focus on others in my community than on the global problem,” says Moyna. “At the same time, GSK was responding rapidly to the pandemic, demonstrating its desire to provide support globally and nationally. I hoped to stretch that desire beyond these large philanthropic projects so I approached our director of communications and community engagement about a regional charitable gift matching campaign that would give employees a voice in the organization’s COVID-19 response. After all, charitable giving is a very personal experience.”
Given its comprehensive vaccines portfolio and expertise, GSK is supporting national and global efforts to tackle the virus. Currently, GSK is collaborating with companies around the world in the development of promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates. As part of its collaboration with Sanofi, GSK and Sanofi have signed agreements with the Government of Canada to supply up to 72 million doses of adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine.
Globally, the company has also responded with new volunteering processes for employees with medical expertise to provide support to frontline health workers and for salesforce personnel to help with delivery of personal protective equipment and testing items. Specialists, such as procurement leaders, are working with national governments on developing supply chains.
“What GSK does is help people,” says Moyna. “So when COVID-19 forced us into lockdown, and we were told we could help people by staying home, it was a shock for us. By our very nature, staying at home seemed counterintuitive to helping, and you didn’t need to look far to see that people needed help. The charitable matching campaign was born from that desire to offer help where it was needed most and be part of a positive solution in our own individual communities.”
The initiative was designed to give everyone an opportunity to have a voice, regardless of where they worked in GSK, Moyna explains. Employees could nominate a charity in their region of Canada and write about it as part of their submission, often from personal experience. Then employees voted for their choice from among the nominated charities. The final step was for employees to make a donation and share the information with GSK for the two-to-one matching system.
Nicole Stuart, human resources country head, says it was very important for GSK to engage with employees in its community giving effort, and to listen to what was important to them.
What stands out for Stuart is how employees have continued to give back to the community during a crisis, even when they’re dealing with their own personal impact. Further examples include the company’s support of Save the Children, which includes an annual bike-riding fundraiser, “Ride for Kids”, that employees were able to re-create virtually and in their neighbourhoods, as well as an event where employees and their children assemble backpacks filled with toiletries and comfort items for Indigenous children in crisis.
“The backpack event was reshaped and approved to be done in employees’ homes instead at the office,” says Stuart. “The initiative and innovation shown by our employees to remain engaged and supportive of their communities have been amazing. It’s truly inspiring.”
