Vodafone announces new employee fundraising initiative to help local charities

Employee donations will be matched by Vodafone and Vodafone Foundation and will support charities – selected by our local Foundations – who are helping the most in need

• As a result of the Coronavirus crisis, local charities are facing funding challenges, which is limiting their ability to help the vulnerable in our societies
• Consequently, Vodafone is launching a new employee fundraising initiative specifically designed to help a number of local charities, which have been selected by our various Foundations
• Vodafone’s CEO Nick Read and CFO Margherita Della Valle will kick-start the fundraising by donating 25% of their salaries from April to June
• The total amount raised by Vodafone’s employees will then be matched by the Vodafone Group and Vodafone Foundation
• Separately, Vodafone’s Foundation has already contributed €5.4 million in cash and in-kind donations
• Also, Vodafone Group and its operating companies have already provided services in-kind and made donations, as well as introducing a number of initiatives designed to support our customers during this challenging time. These include commercial offerings in many countries to help the most vulnerable, measures to improve access to health information and free online medical consultations, and enabling free eLearning for schoolchildren from the top global online education providers.

The COVID-19 lockdowns to combat the spread of the virus are causing significant upheaval around the globe and the resultant economic turbulence is having a detrimental effect on many people’s lives. This is causing many more people than usual to turn to local charities for help. Unfortunately, this greater demand on their services is coming at a time when local charities’ finances are also being placed under considerable strain, as their usual sources of funding are being constrained by the lockdowns.

This is why the new Vodafone fund is aimed specifically at helping a number of these local charities across our markets, who will be providing much needed assistance to the most vulnerable during these difficult times.

Nick Read, Vodafone’s CEO, said “Our employees and Foundations are already supporting a number of local charities in their communities, who now more than ever need assistance in their mission. That’s why I’m pleased to launch this employee-led fundraising initiative, with financial support from Group and the Foundation. I hope it will generate much-needed additional funding for the charities, which are under real pressure right now to provide the vital support for those most in need, as societies cope with the effects of COVID-19.”

Vodafone Group and the Vodafone Foundation will match whatever is the total amount raised by Vodafone and Vodacom’s employees. Nick Read and CFO Margherita Della Valle have kicked-off the initiative by donating 25% of their salaries for the three months of April, May and June. They will be joined by the other members of Vodafone’s Executive Committee, who will also be contributing to the fund.

The funding campaign will run from April until the end of June 2020 and the initial selection of local charities includes:

• National Emergencies Trust in the UK (Vodafone Group employees);
• British Red Cross and SafeLives in the UK;
• Off Road Kids Stiftung in Germany;
• Food Banco de Alimentos de Madrid in Spain;
• Italian Red Cross in Italy;
• Chão dos Meninos in Portugal;
• Hungarian Interchurch Aid and Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta in Hungary;
• Association for Community Relations in Romania;
• the Red Cross and Infoxchange in Australia;
• the Egyptian Food Bank in Egypt;
• ALONE and ISPCC in Ireland;
• Girls Excellence Movement in Ghana;
• Femme en Déstresse A. S. B. L. in Luxembourg;
• SHOFCO in Kenya;
• Don Bosco NGO in DR Congo;
• Feeding America and the United Way Covid 19 Fund in the United States.

Since the effects of COVID-19 have been felt in our markets, Vodafone and Vodacom have launched a number of measures to help our customers and the societies in which we operate. These include initiatives in healthcare, education and free services for the most vulnerable and for health workers. For more information on our COVID-19 activities please visit www.vodafone.com/covid19 or the websites of many of our operating companies.

For further information:

Vodafone Group

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