When Jetaasi Verma first moved to Canada in 2016, she didn’t know where to start with networking and finding a new career. That’s how she found herself at the YWCA close to her home in Hamilton, Ontario.

“As soon as I walked in, everyone said, ‘Welcome to Canada!’” says Jetaasi, who works in data strategy at RBC in Toronto, Ontario. “I made so many connections, I even learned to swim there as an adult! After a few years when I’d started working at RBC, I realized I wanted to give back to the community and the YWCA.”

It's one of the many ways that RBC “walks the walk” when it comes to community involvement. In 2023, RBC donated more than $169 million through cash donations and community investments, while the annual Employee Giving Campaign (a company-wide effort to support thousands of charities through personal contributions) saw over $23 million in donations.

As a global company with a broad number of volunteering opportunities shared on RBC’s internal platforms, employees say it’s easy to find a local cause to support.

“Twelve years ago, our son was diagnosed with cancer,” shares Kristen B. who works in Business Risk with RBC Wealth Management in Minneapolis. “He’s now 13 and cancer free. At the time, my husband and I had a vision to make backpacks for pediatric patients that were oncology patients in Minnesota. That vision has transformed into a massive nonprofit in Minnesota that is heavily supported by RBC employees who want to get involved in giving back to the community.”

Gaileyn Sawyer is a Mortgage Specialist at RBC in Nassau, Bahamas and has been volunteering with the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) for two years, helping to protect and conserve the wildlife and environment close to home.

“I wanted to find extracurriculars that spoke to my passions, and I’ve always been fascinated with BNT,” says Gaileyn. “Both of my parents – especially my father – always had an appreciation for nature and the simple things in life.”

Making connections in communities and beyond

But perhaps the most valuable benefit of volunteering can’t be measured – the opportunity for RBCers to make connections in their community and beyond.

For Gisèle Anno, some of those connections started with an empty field. She’s spent time volunteering with Grow Jersey, which recently planted a community garden that includes fruits, vegetables and pollination-friendly flowers in a field that was no longer being used.

“The fruits and vegetables are going to be used for the community, so people who may not have enough food can do a bit of gardening if they like, and ultimately, save on their grocery bill,” says Gisèle, an Assistant Manager, Compliance with RBC in Jersey, UK. “On a weekly basis, the organization has ‘Watering Wednesday’ and asks people to help water the plants. It’s all done by hand, so it’s really hard work, but it’s really rewarding as well.”

“Through this initiative, I’ve met some really lovely people. After we’ve been in the field, there’s always time for a cup of tea and cake. We get to have a chat with people and it’s a really nice sense of community.”