Our responsibility to engage with the community has materialized through CSR campaigns run directly by Autonom or indirectly through the Autonom Foundation. Our employees are also constantly involved in educational, social and sports projects.
Explaining the impact
Material aspect
Economic impact
Social impact
Environmental impact
Community involvement
By getting involved in social projects both internally and externally we contribute to the economic well-being of the communities we serve and create long-term partnerships that are beneficial to all parties involved.
We offer support in various forms, including financial support for actions that support education projects, business-entrepreneurship, environmental awareness, sports, arts or even direct support to local communities.
We collaborate and support NGOs with whom we share common values, developing projects together or providing them with mobility services, thus expanding the scope of positive social impact.
We support or initiate CSR projects in our communities related to environmental awareness, but also to the development of green infrastructure and energy to contribute in this way to the reduction of negative environmental impacts.
Managing the impact
Autonom has a group-wide tradition in areas such as sponsorship, donations, social responsibility and sustainability. Involvement in our communities and their development has always been in our and our team’s DNA. Being a responsible company means reinvesting in the society of which we are a part, responding to the needs of communities, acting on multiple fronts and supporting those initiatives that contribute to the development of a values-based ecosystem.
The directions of community involvement that we continued to support in 2022 directly through Autonom or indirectly through the Autonom Foundation were education, sport, culture, environment and entrepreneurship education.
Education
Putting education and communities at the heart of what we do has always been in our DNA and that of the Autonom team and is one of the core values on which our organisational culture is based. Education is the sure path to change and evolution, and investing in it is the area that yields the greatest long-term return and is the way we impact the future of our society.
“Evolve Daily” is the motto that guides our actions and from here, we have sought to contribute to building character and developing adults with values and principles, by supporting projects dedicated to the development of children and the education system.
Culture
We also want to be a partner in the cultural field because art is an important element that contributes to public awareness, but also helps communities to stay close. Through a passion for music, theatre, film or other art forms, people come together, learn and spend quality time together. That’s why we’ve supported cultural events like the George Enescu International Competition, SoNoRo and festivals like Sunscreen Festival, Flight Festival and KinoSaga.
Sport
Because we are always on the move and running is one of our favourite sports in Autonom we have chosen to promote sport as a lifestyle and from 2022 we have chosen to be a long-distance running partner for the Bucharest Half Marathon, Bucharest Marathon and Transmarathon. Sport brings people together and empowers them to connect, learn and overcome barriers.
We have also supported events for the cycling community, such as events organised by Riders Club and CSA Steaua Cycling Team.
Environment
Through the environmental projects we are involved in, we want to support and complement efforts to build cleaner and healthier communities. Thus, we have chosen to participate in the planting activities organized by NGOs Act for Tomorrow and Viitor Plus.
Volunteering in Autonom
Community involvement is one of the duties of our employees and we encourage them to identify and get involved in initiatives that support various needs identified in their communities. These are carried out both individually and within the company, during working hours as well as on their own time. In 2022 over 300 colleagues chose to volunteer and dedicate over 800 hours to the programs.
In fact, last year was a natural continuation of our established way of being involved in the community, supporting a large number of organisations that had new projects underway or proposed that we could and wanted to support.
Effectiveness of actions taken
Direct investment and results in the community
We continued to support projects (culture, environment, sport, education) worth 1,243,076 lei and supported 52 organisations.
The largest contribution was to the Autonom Foundation, totalling 500,000 lei, to support education projects in which Autonom employees are directly involved as volunteers.
The total value of the amounts allocated in services, in the form of sponsorships of mobility services was the equivalent of 377,532 lei, amounting to 2,328 rental days, supporting 52 organizations and honouring 143 requests.
More than 300 colleagues chose to volunteer again this year, dedicating 808 hours to programmes run in educational projects in their communities.
Some of the projects of 2022
Help Platform
The beginning of the year surprised everyone with the outbreak of the geopolitical conflict in Ukraine and to help we immediately intervened by activating the Help platform, the project developed and used during the pandemic to provide transport assistance. Through it, we received over 100 requests nationwide, not limited to transport needs. Subsequently, we transformed from a mobility solutions provider to a connector, demonstrating our commitment to doing whatever it takes to support the community when they need us. What’s more, we’ve also come to the aid of journalists, supporting them to get into the war zone so they can give the world updates on the war from the front line.
Sports events
Bucharest Half Marathon
Under the motto „Run together for education!” over 140 colleagues took part in the event in spring. Of these over 100 signed up to run, and another 40 joined in to support all the runners on behalf of the Autonom Foundation.
Transmarathon
Also in September, a community of people ran on the most beautiful road in Romania, Transfagarasan, with a lot of energy and a desire for good deeds. 17 of them supported education and the Autonom Foundation, the newest social cause lined up at the start, together with Hope and Home for Children and Padurea Copiilor, and 10 colleagues supported them on the route. Other supported events we mention here are: Galați Ultramarathon, Hope Run, Transfier.
Bucharest Marathon
In October we managed to get together in large numbers to participate in a new running event, in which we had over 70 colleagues and volunteers involved. With this occasion, we launched the Good Deeds Subscription , to build a framework of constant involvement to support educational projects and influence the development of children and educational initiatives. The subscription is really the story of how we can influence the future of children through small but constant efforts.
Cycling
Supporter of the CSA Steaua cycling team
We were the road partner on the road to performance in the competitive season of 2002 alongside a team with a strong desire to perform, CSA Steaua Cycling Team. „Haiduci și domnițe”, one of the events for the cycling community organised by the Riders Club, which took place at the Dacian Farm in October and in which we had colleagues involved as participants and volunteers.
Cultural events
Enescu Competition
September is the month of music and the Enescu Competition, an important event for us and one we have been supporting since 2019. This year’s event marks 64 years since the first edition and gives hope.. through music.
SoNoRo, Flight Festival and Sunscreen
Full Belly Project (Proiect Burtica Plină)
The idea of the project came from a discussion with a teacher at a secondary school in Bucharest and the identification of the needs of families with reduced possibilities. Thus, our colleagues, by collecting food, personal hygiene products, school supplies and clothing, managed to cover the monthly needs of 6 families, meaning 32 people for the whole year. In December, the action was extended to over 100 beneficiaries, single elderly people and children from disadvantaged families, with the participation of over 100 colleagues who dedicated over 50 hours of voluntary work.
For 2023, we have proposed that the Full Belly project will become an “Extra Foundation” project, carried out by the colleagues’ own forces, a Foundation project, entitled “Equal Opportunities to Education” and which will have the same duration of one year.
Planting actions
Choosing a responsible lifestyle comes with awareness of our actions and the long-term impact they have. The impact reflects on the well-being of today’s generations as well as future generations. And as change starts with each one of us, and good habits must be cultivated, in 2022 we gladly joined three of the planting actions organized by the NGOs Act for Tomorrow and Viitor Plus, in the counties of Prahova (Brazi) and Dolj (Breasta), respectively, with the aim of increasing the forested areas in Romania. The desire to contribute to the common good brought together more than 90 colleagues from several cities, and during a total of 17 hours, we enjoyed interacting with other volunteers, as well as being an opportunity for environmental education for all of us.
Good House Charity Cup
We swapped our running gear for football gear and competed for good deeds at the first edition of the charity cup organised by the Good House Association.
Autonom Foundation
In November 2022, the Autonom Foundation celebrated its 10th anniversary of being with the communities it belongs to and is constantly involved in projects with a direct impact on children’s education. The Foundation was born out of a sense of responsibility to the community and a desire to provide an environment in which Autonom employees can become vectors of change in the education of the communities around them. Over the past 10 years, the Autonom Foundation has been involved in more than 840 impactful education projects.
Last year, 202 educational projects were carried out, involving over 300 self-employed volunteers, and benefiting over 4,500 children in more than 88 localities.
Indirect impact, through the Autonom Foundation:
The total value of the amounts allocated to projects through the Foundation was 633,653.86 lei.
NGOs were again the main community partners, but we also continued to offer support to public institutions such as educational institutions.
More than 300 colleagues chose to volunteer again this year, dedicating 808 hours to programmes run in educational projects in their communities.
Autonom
2021
2022
Number of organisations benefiting from direct contributions
34
202
Total value of contributions, Lei
3,125,457
1,243,076
Donated products, services, Lei equivalent
342,503
377,532
Total number of volunteer hours
512
808
The construction of two sensory pathways, in the “Casa Soarelui” Therapy Centre and the Therapy Centre in Targoviste, of the Help Autism Association, meant the direct involvement of 8 colleagues, one of whom defined the experience as “A chance in the life of normal people who stepped, for a few hours, in the yard of special people”. The aim of the project was to create two sensory pathways for all the children visiting the two centres, elements that contribute to their adaptation process.
The Sales team built a deer and boar feeder. 12 colleagues, with the support of the Autonom Foundation, and together with the Romanian Scouts coordinated by Sorin Dulgheriu, completed in October the construction of a roof and two feeders for deer and wild boar in a wooded area in Cristian, Brasov county. The 10 self-sufficient youngsters learned how to build a shelter, light fires with what they had on hand and respect the forest for how much it has to offer.
Project with the Humanitarian Organization CONCORDIA
Our colleagues visited Odobești, in one of the CONCORDIA Humanitarian Organisation’s day centres, with the aim of spending time with the children from the local community who learn there, engaging them in discussions and free activities, based on the books and educational materials provided. We also read and discussed with the little ones The World Upside Down, the first story from the book written by Adriana Stefan, “Povești pe nerăsuflate”.
Such projects, which take place constantly in all parts of the country, are a very good opportunity to find out the real needs in a community, to understand the challenges faced by organisations and teachers and to provide development support to small beneficiaries.
For more details on the Autonom Foundation’s projects, please visit the Foundation’s Report for 2022.
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