Vodafone Group Social Investment Policy
At the heart of our business
Vodafone's commitment to the community flows from our core values and principles. To us, social investment is not an add-on to business activities; it is at the heart of how we engage with the communities where our customers, employees, investors and suppliers live.
Global in scope, local in focus
Vodafone seeks to respond to issues of global significance and to engage with local communities wherever we do business. Within the Vodafone Group, some subsidiaries have established foundations. In other countries, community activities are funded directly from corporate budgets. All Vodafone subsidiaries are required to have a formal programme of social investment delivered through the most appropriate structure.
The cornerstone of our commitment to global social investment is the Vodafone Group Foundation. The Foundation, funded by annual contributions from the Vodafone Group, at a level determined by the Vodafone Group Plc Board of Directors, supports the community involvement activities of subsidiaries in addition to funding selected global initiatives directly. It also provides expertise and disseminates best practice in social investment across the Vodafone Group. Any additional funding to local foundations is at a level determined by the relevant Operating Company Board of Directors.
Consistent, clear and accountable
We want potential community partners to know what they can expect from Vodafone companies around the world. The Vodafone Group Foundation, following a decision by its trustees and local foundations and community programmes operated by Vodafone subsidiaries, will adhere to this policy and associates will be encouraged to apply it to their social investment activities.
The Vodafone Group Foundation, following a decision by its trustees, local Foundations and community involvement programmes, will publish clear guidelines in the relevant languages, setting out the types of activities they might (and might not) fund, application procedures and timescales for responding to requests. At the end of each fiscal year, they will produce a report to the Group Foundation on social investments made, including the names of recipients, the value of contributions and the types of projects supported.
More than just financial contributions
Our social investment will be targeted at creative research and programmes that can help to provide replicable solutions to some of the most pressing problems in the world around us. We will use the full range of resources available to us, including the skills of our people, our technology and our services, to ensure that our social investments have the greatest possible impact.
Based on our areas of expertise
Vodafone will seek to complement the work of governments and other bodies in the various societies in which we do business. Our contributions will be most effective when they concentrate on areas directly related to the impacts of our business on society. Our social investment will focus primarily on:
Reaching the excluded. We believe the benefits of developments in mobile telecommunications should be shared as widely as possible. We want to help remove the barriers that prevent people from participating fully in society and will support programmes that seek to improve access to mobile technology by:
- Developing skills. We want people of all ages to have the opportunity to acquire the skills that will allow them to use new technologies.
- Including those with special needs. We want to support adaptations of technology to meet the needs of those with physical and mental disabilities.
- Reaching out. We want to extend the benefits of mobile technology to communities worldwide, in countries where we operate and in those that have not yet shared in our technological developments.
We will also support programmes that attempt to increase accessibility or that make creative use of our technology in the areas of arts and culture, community health, education and employability.
Promoting sustainable business practice and environmental protection. We want to help protect the natural environment, globally and in the communities where we operate. We also want to support programmes that use our technology to help solve environmental problems.
Supporting the personal involvement of our employees in their local communities. We believe that our employees are our strongest link with local communities. We want to support their voluntary efforts to improve those communities.
Within this framework, local foundations and community programmes will retain the flexibility to identify and respond to the most local pressing needs and interests.
Dedicated to continuous improvement
We are committed to accurate measurement and reporting of the value of social investment, the benefits it generates for communities and the company and its longer-term effectiveness in meeting community needs. We will consult with our stakeholders and community partners on how we can improve our social investment performance. Vodafone will encourage suppliers to develop appropriate programmes of social investment. We will regularly rethink and adapt our approach as we aspire to be at the leading edge of corporate social investment.
"Vodafone" refers to Vodafone Group Plc and its subsidiaries