WINNIPEG MARKETING AGENCY DONATES TEN PERCENT OF ALL WORKING HOURS TO CHARITY Integrated digital marketing and design agency Vine Multimedia is delighted to announce that effective February 2015, all company employees will volunteer ten percent of their working schedule to community development efforts. The commitment, which encourages other businesses to follow suit, prompts Vine Multimedia’s experienced professionals to apply their skills for the benefit of non-profits, charities, and other worthy endeavours. Employees will still be compensated by Vine Multimedia for their time. The public can track Vine Multimedia’s initiative through regular reports on the number of hours its
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Multimedia’s Facebook and Twitter profiles. Joseph Ranseth, founder of Vine Multimedia, explained the motivation behind the announcement: "As advocates of social media and the technology supporting it, we understand how digital communication is changing social interaction around the world. “Businesses in 2015 must look at their communications strategies differently, with more authenticity and transparency, if they are to successfully engage with their audience. In doing so, these companies must consider their impact on the planet and how the ramifications of unsustainable practice will be perceived through social networking. “Combining our knowledge of digital communication with a desire to show accountability for the world around us, we hope Vine Multimedia’s commitment to social entrepreneurship will inspire other companies to take similar action, while having a positive, tangible impact on the community.” Social enterprise and the offering of surplus value to the surrounding community have been growing priorities among businesses in recent years. The global economic downturn of 2008 significantly decreased the traditional funding that non-profit sectors received through philanthropic and government grants. In 2008, the assets of giving foundations in the United States fell by an estimated 21.9 percent, forcing their donations to drop 8 to 13 percent in 2009;
a worldwide trend.1 The decreasing assets of foundations and individual donors challenged non-profits to financially sustain themselves using new methods. Social enterprise responded to the needs of this rapidly growing sector, providing much needed stability and sustainability for non-profit organizations. In return, businesses with charitable mission statements benefit from an enhanced client portfolio that creates new business and