Toronto, ON ⁠–⁠ On Sept. 20, team members at Segal GCSE dedicated their workday to give back to the communities we serve, contributing to several local charities and non‑profit organizations, including Durham Outlook, GlobalMedic, Hullmar Park Tree Planting, Parkview Neighbourhood Garden, Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation and Regeneration Brampton. As part of our commitment to giving back, our professionals described this as an amazing, rewarding and humbling experience.

GIVING Beyond Today was a rare opportunity for members of our team who don’t normally cross paths to build new relationships while volunteering together. Whether packaging rice or planting trees, those involved were unanimous in their enthusiasm, with many pledging to sign up for similar activities on a monthly basis in their spare time.

How it began

Segal GCSE has always been active in supporting and sponsoring charitable initiatives, but traditionally taken more of a behind‑the‑scenes role. It’s now time for us to be more open about these objectives, making our priorities clear to those building our firm’s future. After initial discussions between HR and the marketing team, the partner group got involved, eventually accepting a bold proposal for a paid day for staff to dedicate their time and effort to volunteer work. Everyone was in agreement about the merit of this idea and its potential to reignite the firm’s mission and values, while showing support for members of our team who are committed to volunteer initiatives.

Selecting organizations

While Segal GCSE is based in Toronto, we wanted to support organizations throughout the region where our team is based, from Cambridge to Peterborough to downtown Toronto and all the way to Barrie. It was important for our professionals to feel they were supporting not only the communities where they work, but also where they live. In the end, six primary organizations ⁠–⁠ in Oshawa, Oakville, Brampton and Toronto ⁠–⁠ were selected. The goal was to allow staff to support whatever cause is dear to them, giving back to the community in a way that is personally fulfilling. In the end, the charities and non‑profits we worked with were immensely grateful and made it clear our commitment had a meaningful impact.

Next time

We are committed to repeating this initiative next year. This paid day of volunteer work is now considered one of the firm’s signature benefits, an incentive our partner group provides to support our team’s wishes. For next year’s edition, we plan to set our sights even higher ⁠–⁠ ideally, we would like to plan the event so all 200+ team members participate ⁠–⁠ and we may focus on a single charity or non-profit to simplify the logistical challenges and allow us to make an even more significant impact. In the process of selecting future initiatives, we will continue encouraging staff to suggest organizations that are dear to them. Going forward, GIVING Beyond Today is one more reliable way we can help those who need our support, while bringing the members of our firm closer  together.

Committed to a better tomorrow

For more information please contact:

Lavanya Sarathchandran
Marketing and communications manager
Phone: 416.798.6929
LSarathchandran@segalgcse.com