By aligning our community investment strategy to our skills and experience as a bank, the positive impact of our activity is much more than a financial contribution.
Performance highlights in 2011
- A total of £63.5m was invested in communities around the world
- Two million people in 33 countries were supported through Barclays community investment activities, of which:
– 745,000 benefited from financial capability programmes
– over 43,000 received employability skills training
– over 4,300 benefited from work experience placements - 73,000 colleagues – nearly half our workforce – supported community activity through volunteering, fundraising and regular giving
Strategy and governance
By aligning our community activity with our expertise as a business, we can offer much more than a financial contribution to the communities we serve. We use our resources and knowledge to empower disadvantaged people with the necessary skills they need to achieve economic independence and security, now and in the future.
During 2011, we continued a strategic review of our community strategy. This involved extensive engagement with customers, employees, non-governmental organisations and the business community. As a result, we have further aligned our focus to support young people aged 10-35 to improve their financial, enterprise and life skills.
We are delivering this strategy through community partnerships and employee programmes. In addition, a dedicated fund will launch in 2012 to enable us to create commercially-sustainable solutions and products that support communities.
As a result of implementing the new strategy, a new governance structure has been established since the beginning of 2012. The new Global Community Investment Committee, chaired by Naguib Kheraj, Vice Chairman, has responsibility for the development and consistent execution of the global community investment strategy across Barclays, ensuring alignment with the Citizenship Strategy and enhanced reputational impact.
This committee is supported by five Regional Community Investment Committees in the UK, Europe, Africa, America and Asia, which provide key insights to inform both the strategy and the global programmes. The committees are also responsible for steering the direction of the regional strategy and plans.
| Value of global community investment | £m |
|---|
Total community investment
The amount that we invested in communities increased by 15% in 2011, compared with 2010. The total investment consisted of £58.2m in cash contributions and £5.3m of gifts in kind.
