The ceremony took place on October 5 in Sofia. The competition gives recognition to companies that are sustainable and that transparently support important societal initiatives. Its objective is not only to award businesses but to create standards for responsible corporate philanthropy.
Prizes are awarded according to the volume of financial contributions made in 2010. In addition, a nine-member jury, including the ABF Executive Director, has ranked the companies by the quality of their philanthropy programs. The members of the Bulgarian Donors Forum selected the best partnerships in the field of philanthropy. In 2010, there were 49 nominations in 7 categories.
And the winners are:
“The Largest Volume of Financial Donations”:
1. Aurubis Bulgaria (BGN 528,000)
2. M-Tel (BGN 468,200)
“The Largest Volume of Non-financial Donations” (material, goods, etc.).
1. bTV (4,054,485.98 in advertising time)
2. Astra Zeneca (2,921,385.78 in goods and materials).
“The Greatest Contribution through Volunteer Work of Employees”:
1. VIVACOM (BGN 67,993)
2. M-Tel (BGN 14,700).
“The Most Generous Donor” (the volume of donations, calculated as percent of the company’s profit before tax): Raiffeisenbank (0.6% of profits before tax).
“The Best Charity Program”: Postbank for “High Start with Postbank”
“The Most Transparent Charity Program”: M-Tel for M-Tel Grant.
“The Most Successful Partnership” (between companies, NGOs and public institutions in the implementation of charitable projects and activities in support of the public): Bulgarian Charities Aid Foundation and the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria for their program “Days of Corporate Volunteering “.
“Charity Project of the Year”: UniCredit Bank Foundation and UniCredit Bulbank for their philanthropic work in Bulgaria, which benefits various social groups in the country.
Along with the awards for companies, the Bulgarian Donors Forum, through a special prize, recognizes an individual, who has contributed to the development of private philanthropy in the country. This year’s award went to Dr. Milen Vrabevski – founder and CEO of “Comac Medical” – the largest private research organization in Southeastern Europe. Dr. Vrabevski is the first major donor to the “I Want a Baby” Foundation and supports the establishment of an “in vitro” fund in Bulgaria.
During the ceremony, the awards were presented by the Ministers Traycho Traykov (Economy, Energy and Toursim), Totio Mladenov (Labor and Social Policy), Tomislav Donchev (European Funds), Liliana Pavlova (Regional Development), and HE James Warlick – U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria, HE Karel van Kesteren – Ambassador of Netherlands to Bulgaria and HE Tove Skarstein, Ambassador of Norway.
