Employee volunteerism

At Imperial, volunteer hours count

Our approach
Imperial was one of the first oil and gas companies in Canada to offer grants to non-profit and charitable organizations where its people volunteer. Our volunteer program allows employees, retirees and their spouses who have volunteered a minimum of 20 hours at an eligible organization up to $1,000 in funding to support their organization.

In 2010, 365 employees, retirees and their spouses logged more than 62,700 hours of volunteer time as part of the program and more than $280,000 in grants was issued to 302 organizations. In the last five years, this program has awarded more than $1.3 million to community organizations across the country.

Backing the United Way with dollars and volunteers
Imperial recognizes the positive effects United Way-Centraide has made in communities and is a strong supporter of its campaigns across Canada. Each year, we are a leading corporate participant in Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton in terms of employee contributions and volunteer hours, and in smaller centres our contributions make up a significant share of total dollars raised. In 2010, our company, in partnership with employees and retirees from Imperial and ExxonMobil companies in Canada, contributed $4.2 million to United Way-Centraide campaigns. Imperial’s campaign saw almost 1,000 employees and retirees participate as volunteers in Day of Caring activities, which benefited numerous agencies across Canada.

Included in the overall campaign donation is $170,000 raised from the limited-edition $25 Esso United Way Gift Card program. For every card sold at nearly 600 participating Esso retail sites in Canada, Imperial donated $2 to the United Way.

The overall donation also included funds raised through the auctioning of an Arthur Lismer masterpiece, Dark Pool, Canadian Jungle, Georgian Bay, from Imperial Oil’s corporate art collection. The oil-on-canvas rendering, signed and dated 1938, was purchased for $118,000, with proceeds from the sale going to the United Way of Calgary and Area.

Esso retailers support the community
For Esso-branded retailers and associates, most of whom are independent small business operators, the company runs the Esso Community Program, which provides retailers and associates with matching financial support of up to $1,000 for a local activity in which they are involved.

In 2010, the program, including Imperial contributions, raised more than $220,000 to support over 75 community initiatives across Canada. These ranged from supporting food banks to sponsoring local sporting events and teams to raising funds for hospitals and children’s programs.

For many years, Imperial and Esso retailers have been active supporters of hockey at all levels across Canada. One of Esso’s signature hockey sponsorships is the annual Esso Minor Hockey Week in Calgary. The tournament is registered in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s biggest minor ice hockey tournament, and 2010 marks the 31st year that Esso has been the main sponsor.