Each year, employees at Julius Baer are allotted days they can use to volunteer. They use those hours to create value beyond wealth, giving back to their surrounding communities. They transport the sick and elderly with the Red Cross, train students searching for apprenticeships for their job applications, clean up natural reserves, and more.

JB Cares, an employee-led philanthropic association, puts together the events, partnering with organisations in Julius Baer locations so participants can have global and local impact. They organise and support fundraising initiatives and design and promote volunteering opportunities for Julius Baer staff. It’s one of many employee-driven communities that power impactful initiatives among the staff. Their aim is to have a direct positive impact in their community by contributing resources and professional competencies to good causes. 

The association lives off the engagement and ideas of employees, and it is not uncommon for Julius Baer employees to bring forward ideas for volunteering partnerships and other initiatives. “JB Cares creates opportunities for staff of the Bank to give back to the communities they’re a part of and to use their skills and time for good causes,” says Patrick, a representative from JB Cares. “Because it’s employee driven, people feel empowered to contribute. We’ve seen really impactful work come out of it because people can bring forward topics that they are passionate about.”

Local volunteering for local impact

This year, slots to volunteer filled up fast, and with them volunteering moments were created that helped employees feel connected to each other and to their surroundings. 

In Hong Kong, they sorted and packed food for a mobile food pantry. In Guernsey, they worked on a three-day restoration project, removing saplings, restoring pathways, and cutting back on overgrown greenery.

In Frankfurt, they worked with Kinderheim Rödelheim, a child protection centre, to treat 30 children aged 0-11 in their care to a day of face paint, rollercoasters, and barbecue at a local amusement park. “The volunteers can give attention to each individual child, and children get to feel special that day. Sometimes we might not be able to offer that in everyday group life, but with volunteers like those at Julius Baer, we’re able to,” a representative from the organisation said. “I think regardless of what your strengths and weaknesses are in your job, you can get involved in an event like this.”

Such volunteering moments leave a lasting impact on those who participate, “I loved seeing the sparkle in children’s eyes. We often take for granted what it means to be happy for a day, but getting to see the kids and their joy at just getting to ride roller coasters with us had a huge impact on me,” said a Julius Baer volunteer. 

In Switzerland, JB Cares also partnered with Stiftung Puureheimet Brotchorb, a self-sufficient bio-dynamic farm outside of Zurich. They create jobs in agriculture, gardening, maintenance, and housekeeping in a rural environment to give people with mental illness, drug addiction, and other challenges a grounding place and a sense of independence. 

“Together, we were able to get a lot done,” The organisational representative said. “We like to create a community feeling where you get to know each other. The whole organisation benefits from new social connections and interactions when volunteers join.” The partnerships between JB Cares and the organisations extend far beyond one initial event. Often, employees return year after year to volunteer with the same organisation, creating lasting relationships with those causes. 

This year, JB Cares partnered with more than 48 partner organisations like Stiftung Puureheimet Brotchorb and Kinderheim Rödelheim. Volunteers cleaned up natural spaces, handed out food, and packaged items at distribution halls. There were opportunities in locations from Singapore to Switzerland, and across oceans and countries, employees experienced volunteering moments that they could share later with their teams, inspiring and empowering those around them to give back. They gave their time and transformed it into something great – a day that embodied Julius Baer’s core values, Care, Passion, and Excellence.