In 2015 we launched a new selection procedure to choose social initiatives for investment purposes called "The Social Challenge". This entailed a participatory process in identifying and selecting social projects developed by non-profit organizations operating within the provinces of Milan and Varese, to which we donate Euro 10,000 every year.
Only projects that are planned to be rolled out in the provinces of Milan and Varese (where respectively the airports of Milan Linate and Malpensa are located) and which relate to social, environmental or cultural topics can qualify. At the heart of the process there are 2,800 SEA employees who are invited annually to:
- identify non-profit organizations with operational headquarters in the Milan and Varese provinces;
- acquire - or define along with these entities - a social, environmental or cultural project;
- present the project to SEA, through which it undergoes an initial selection process by an Evaluation Committee;
- having passed the selection process successfully, the employee must then promote the project to their colleagues to garnish their support. They then vote for their chosen project by a digital referendum on the Seanet Intranet platform.
Non-profit organizations headquartered in the provinces of Milan or Varese are also invited to submit social projects to SEA's corporate community, which if selected, also undergo the same evaluation and voting process as the projects proposed by the employees themselves.
In 2017, the Evaluation Committee was comprised of 2 SEA representatives and 4 experts from the non-profit arena. In 2016, we launched a Special Reward - bringing our total contribution to Euro 70,000 - allocated to the best SEA employee-promoted project for an association where the employee was also a volunteer.
We thus decided to reward employees who had not simply "taken ownership" of an Association project, but who had supported the project of "their own" association.
The Social Challenge: figures on the 3 initiatives
Source: SEA