Emirates NBD champions private sector CSR volunteering in the UAE

2 Min | 04 July 2017

Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region and a pioneer in private sector CSR volunteering in the UAE, has announced that its award-winning Exchanger programme has completed thirteen thousand seven hours of volunteering so far this year, thus coming close to completing its fifteen-thousand-hour target for 2017.

Completes over 90% of 2017 volunteering target to date
Bank’s award-winning Exchanger programme completes 13,700 hours till date this year
Programme extended to business partners, friends and family of staff
Exchanger programme grown 245% since inception year

Dubai, UAE 4 July, 2017: Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region and a pioneer in private sector CSR volunteering in the UAE, has announced that its award-winning Exchanger programme has completed thirteen thousand seven hours of volunteering so far this year, thus coming close to completing its fifteen-thousand-hour target for 2017.

The Exchanger programme which has grown 245% since its inception in 2015 enables UAE-based Emirates NBD staff to exchange their time for social good. Performance numbers and impact of the Exchanger programme are audited by a third party assessor, Sustainable Square, a global CSR and Sustainability agency.

The bank has recently expanded the Exchangers programme to its business partners, namely suppliers and vendors as well as relatives and friends of staff, in an effort to further volunteering among the UAE community.

During the holy month of Ramadan, the Exchanger programme organised more than 120 activities for its volunteers to choose from, including Eid shopping trips and art classes with young students including those with disabilities, special Iftars with the elderly and several more.

The Exchanger programme is aligned to the UAE’s Year of Giving initiative that states volunteering as one of its three key pillars and the Community Development Authority (CDA)’s Dubai Volunteering Program which manages volunteering services in the UAE. Volunteering is also a key focus of the bank’s recent premier partnership with Expo 2020.

“As a homegrown institution committed to serving the UAE community, Emirates NBD was among the first private sector institutions to create a volunteering platform for employees,” stated Shayne Nelson, Group Chief Executive Officer. “The commitment and passion we have seen from our Exchangers is outstanding, and we are proud to have exceeded 90 percent of our target hours for this year. The Exchanger programme has become an integral element of the bank’s corporate culture and we hope to continue to encourage more partners in the private sector to join our efforts.”

Launched in 2015, the bank’s internal volunteering platform offers employees and partners the opportunity to serve the community for a variety of different causes including empowering people with disabilities, promoting financial literacy, women’s empowerment, health and wellness, environment, and community development. To encourage more employees to join the group of over 2300 registered Exchangers in 2017, the bank allocates one extra paid Volunteer Annual Leave day for each staff member and hosts an internal awards ceremony to recognise the most committed volunteers.

Emirates NBD’s Exchanger programme has recently been recognised for its contribution towards community welfare, recently winning the ‘Employee Programme 2016’ award at The Gulf Sustainability and CSR Awards under the auspices of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives foundation.

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