# CAF launches annual awards for corporate community investment

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/08/06/caf-launches-annual-awards-corporate-community-investment/
- Published: 2006-08-06T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has launched its 3rd Annual Companies and Communities
Awards, designed to recognise and reward companies’ successful Corporate Community
Investment (CCI) programmes, and to encourage organisations to boost their commitment
to effective giving.
The CAF Companies and Communities Awards demonstrate best practice
giving and innovation amongst companies making “a tangible and positive difference
to the social, environmental and economic marketplace in which they operate”, according
to CAF.

CAF’s Charity Trends 2006 recently reported that UK companies made cash and in-kind
gifts valued at £1.1 billion to charities and communities in 2004/05. This represents
a 15% increase on the previous year, and is the largest annual rise for some years.

There are two categories in the Awards:

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**Effective Giving Award** – recognising companies that use their resources ‘effectively’
to develop and implement a Community Investment Programme that delivers results 
and are shaping the future of community investment. Entries should demonstrate strong
leadership and impact. This category looks at a company’s entire community programme.

**Innovation Award** – recognising companies who demonstrate that they have implemented
an innovative community investment project. Applicants must be “at the cutting edge
of community investment”. Judges will be looking for “radical and inspiring initiatives”.

Russell Prior, Executive Director of Company Services at CAF, said: “These awards
are designed to inspire companies of all sizes, including SMEs, to invest in their
communities. As corporate community investment increases, the lessons that we can
learn from the Award winners will become greater and greater”.

CAF’s services to companies include providing advice on improving their community
investment.

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