Volunteering in local communities

Volunteering can enrich local communities. It can benefit the companies that encourage volunteers, too—providing impressive benefits. such as:

• Increased employee morale
• Stronger work teams
• Greater pride in the company’s community efforts

At AstraZeneca, encouraging our employees to volunteer has created a success we are all proud of:

• In the last two years, about 75% of our headquarters employees have volunteered at least once for a nonprofit organization endorsed by the company.
• Today, our employee-volunteers—the AstraZeneca Ambassadors—support more than 100 local nonprofit groups.
• Collectively, these volunteers have contributed to AstraZeneca’s good reputation in the community, one Ambassador at a time.

The AstraZeneca Ambassadors Program

The AstraZeneca Ambassadors Program encourages employees and retirees in our headquarters area to volunteer for company-endorsed projects, events, and organizations. In this way, they represent the company as goodwill ambassadors in the communities surrounding our headquarters in Wilmington.

Key components of the Ambassadors Program include:

• Professional development training. CCA provides professional development for volunteers twice a year. Training topics may include:
• Serving on nonprofit organization boards
• Leading teams in community service projects
• Company-wide recognition. CCA publicly recognizes the work of volunteers year-round through:
• The AstraZeneca intranet
• A special on-site event each year

Ambassadors volunteer for a variety of organizations, in a variety of roles, throughout the region:

• Nonprofit organization boards. Many of our Ambassadors play lead roles in local boards devoted to:
• Health
• Senior citizens
• Education
• Community services
• The arts
• Team-based service projects. The company regularly recruits entire departments and employee networks to volunteer together as a team for efforts that may focus on:
• A single nonprofit organization
• A specific community event
• The ElderBuddy program. AstraZeneca’s signature volunteer program matches employees one on one with local seniors who need companionship.
• The Adopt-a-Family and Adopt-a-Student programs. Each year the CCA sponsors these drives to benefit low-income families and students. Through these programs, hundreds of our Ambassadors collect:
• Gifts
• Gift certificates
• Backpacks

Some of our Ambassadors have even taken the additional step of organizing or joining into ongoing groups to serve some specific volunteer purposes:

• The Ambassadors Circle. This group of top-line volunteer coordinators undertakes several useful activities:
• They lead specific volunteer programs.
• They work to develop their own leadership skills.
• They recruit other volunteers.
• Retired Ambassadors. Our retired Ambassadors are a group of approximately 150 local AstraZeneca retirees who:
• Volunteer for a company-sponsored nonprofit organization in our headquarters area.
• Meet several times a year at CCA headquarters for business updates and current information on volunteer opportunities.
• The Retired Ambassadors Speakers Bureau. This group of retired volunteers represents AstraZeneca to key constituencies in the Wilmington area, addressing topics such as the affordability of medicines and access to them.

Volunteering outside our headquarters region

Our volunteer efforts are also supported by employees at our US R&D and supply sites, and by field-based employees across the country. Their activities usually focus on health care–related volunteer projects and programs. The goodwill they bring to their efforts—like the goodwill they create for the company—is appreciated as deeply as the efforts of our US employees.

Collectively, every employee who volunteers to represent AstraZeneca in his or her community has helped build the enviable reputation we enjoy today throughout the US and all over the world.

Learn how AstraZeneca backs up its volunteers’ efforts by making charitable contributions to community and nonprofit organizations.