Giving Highlighted at Annual Philanthropic Roundtable

Leaders from 25 major insurance organizations recently gathered for presentations on charitable giving and volunteerism in the insurance industry and initiatives focused on philanthropy, inclusion and sustainability.

During the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation’s 2024 Philanthropic Roundtable, which took place on February 22, IICF released the 2023 IICF Philanthropic Showcase, an annual retrospective of global charitable contributions, volunteer projects and innovative leadership initiatives of IICF Key Partner Companies.

Representatives from AIG, AXA XL, Burns & Wilcox and H.W. Kaufman Group, CNA, Ernst & Young LLP (EY US), Intact Insurance Specialty Solutions, Marsh, Munich Re US P&C Companies and Verisk presented at the event.

“Each year, IICF is proud to bring together this extraordinary group of insurance industry leaders for the IICF Philanthropic Roundtable, and even more so in 2024 as we celebrate IICF’s 30th anniversary and the industry’s legacy of giving,” said Bill Ross, CEO of IICF. “The year ahead holds tremendous promise and today we saw so many creative and truly impactful ways the insurance industry is giving back to our communities. We hope everyone will join us in the IICF 30th Celebration, which is focused around our fight against childhood hunger, and consider a donation that will help children in need.”

Showcase highlights from a press release are listed below.

• Members of AIG’s environmental liability management team partnered with Chicago-area brokers to help support local foster children through Foster Love. Volunteers assembled kits, including words of encouragement and support resources for STEM learning. AIG colleagues and their families contributed 500 hours of volunteerism and acts of kindness and donated in support of more than 60 charities on GivingTuesday.
• AXA XL joined with Pollinator Partnership last year to launch the ”Backyard Biodiversity” program. It aims to educate colleagues on how to protect and promote pollinators. More than 400 colleagues have engaged with an educational toolkit, and 1,100 colleagues have attended webinars to raise awareness of the critical importance of pollinators and supporting biodiversity.
• In September, Burns & Wilcox and H.W. Kaufman Group employees volunteered a thousand hours at dozens of food banks across North America in support of the associate-driven Harvesting Hope Against Hunger initiative. Associates in Florida offices organized donation events to benefit Dress for Success, contributing 5,000 pieces of professional attire, and others filled and donated more than 2,200 backpacks with school supplies to local elementary students through the nonprofit Variety.
• CNA’s employee resource groups connect their members with their communities, demonstrating allyship through volunteerism and giving. Each ERG has a unique mission and delivers a variety of networking and professional development, recruiting and volunteerism opportunities for employees across the enterprise. Collectively, CNA’s eight ERGs supported nearly 80 nonprofits in 2023.
• EY’s global corporate responsibility program, EY Ripples, aims to positively impact a billion lives by 2030. It focuses on working with impact entrepreneurs, supporting the next generation and environmental sustainability, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In its first five years, EY has developed a base of 22,000 impact entrepreneurs, expanded to 126 participating countries and positively impacted 127 million lives.
• In 2021, Intact Insurance Specialty Solutions established a community engagement program, which now includes 11 offices across the United States. Through the program, local teams can pursue hyperlocal opportunities and provide more significant charitable giving by establishing ongoing partnerships with local nonprofits such as Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club in Chicago, IL, Orangewood Foundation in Anaheim, and United South End Settlements in Boston.
• Marsh is making a lasting impact on education in marginalized communities across the US through volunteer efforts with A Better Chance. The nonprofit organization directly benefits over 2,000 students of color annually by providing career opportunities and increased access to the nation’s top independent and public schools through mentorship, resume and interview assistance and connections to employers committed to fostering diversity and equity.
• Through a unique Munich Re US P&C Companies internal internship program, Dare 2 Dream, specifically created for high school students who reside in communities often underrepresented, these young students develop critical thinking, presentation, networking and personal branding skills. Commemorating the tragedy of September 11^th with acts of service, unity and peace, more than 300 employees and their families packed over 162,000 meals distributed by Feeding America-affiliated food banks.
• Verisk builds global resilience for individuals, communities and businesses. This purpose also propels the company’s efforts to contribute directly to the success of area communities through volunteerism and charitable giving. Programs like Verisk’s 10th Annual Volunteer Week are designed to drive impact by building resilience to help people bounce back, adapt and thrive in the face of uncertainty.

IICF key partner companies, who provide the highest levels of strategic and financial support to the foundation, also joined in the discussion in addition to those presenting, including Amwins, Aon, Chubb, CRC Group, Crum & Forster, Falvey Insurance Group, HUB International, Liberty Mutual, Lloyd’s, Markel, Mayer Brown, NEIL, Swiss Re, The Hartford, USAA and Zurich.

IICF Announcements

• IICF’s 30th Anniversary Celebration: IICF is celebrating thirty years of impact and the insurance industry’s legacy of giving by raising funds for children struggling with hunger. Donors of $30 or more receive a complimentary annual IICF Global Membership.
• Fifth annual IICF Step Up Challenge: Beginning April 22, this 4-week exercise challenge promotes wellness and team building while raising funds for children at risk of hunger:
• IICF Regional Forums: New York (June 4), Chicago (June 6), Los Angeles (June 11), Dallas (June 13) and London (June 19) Forums feature action-oriented programming focused on leadership, sustainability, an inclusive future for the industry and more. Register
• IICF Philanthropic Index: IICF reported more than $1.1 Billion in charitable giving by a select group of 120 insurance businesses in 2022, and 7.5 million volunteer hours served, in its inaugural report highlighting the industry’s charitable and volunteer contributions in our communities.