Waggener Edstrom Worldwide Donates $1.4 Million to Nonprofits and Enters Video for BCCCC Film Festival

February 21, 2013 /3BL Media/ - Waggener Edstrom Worldwide (WE) is a global, integrated communications agency with more than 850 employees in 19 offices around the world. For nearly 30 years the independently owned firm has developed strategic communications programs for innovative and world-changing clients, working to influence markets, inspire people and improve lives. Annually, WE commits to donating 1 percent of its total fee revenue, via cash contributions, pro-bono work and employee volunteering. In 2012 the agency exceeded this goal, and WE donated $1.4 million to nonprofit organizations.

Employee volunteering has a significant impact on this goal. For example, in 2012 more than 650 employees recorded at least 5,000 volunteer hours via individual and WE-sponsored team volunteering activities. The impact and ripple effect of our volunteering is not easily quantified by numbers. However, as WE Corporate Citizenship Program Director Rhian Rotz said, “when an employee or any citizen volunteers, it indicates the kind of community that people want to live in. This work will be a memory of the heart for many citizens.” WE celebrates the collective giving of time by publishing its annual "We Love Our Volunteers" infographic, a heartfelt testimony of the good that can be done when people join together with the desire to make a difference.

In addition, we submitted an employee-created video for the 2013 Boston College Corporate Citizenship Film Festival. The festival provides companies with an opportunity to demonstrate how they have used video as a communication tool to spread word of their good work in corporate social responsibility. WE’s video tells the story of a Special Olympics Oregon (SOOR) Summer Games event organized to provide employees with the opportunity to volunteer professional and general skills while helping SOOR increase awareness of its programming and engage stakeholders. It was part of the company’s quarterly interns' Fun Week, inspired by the 2012 Olympics and employees’ passion for community giving, health and sports. Public voting is now open on the Center website through March 1. The winner will be announced at the 2013 International Corporate Citizenship Conference, April 21–23, in Boston. Click here to view and cast your vote for the WE video today!

We also want to thank PR News for recognizing WE at its annual CSR Awards luncheon in Washington, D.C., with an esteemed CSR A-List placement for the second-consecutive year. It’s an honor to be part of this A-list, which represents the top 10 agencies that have a proven track record in developing and managing corporate responsibility programs and social good initiatives for clients.

Follow us @WE_Citizen or visit our WE Corporate Citizenship Newsroom for more stories and reports about how we make an around-the-clock difference in the communities where we live and work.