2020 was full of immense challenges for everyone. It was an unusual year, and it became difficult not to think about how the pandemic would impact our families, business employees, and communities where we operate. The situation also gave us the opportunity to find out how prepared businesses are to manage events like these and make possible what for many seemed impossible, which is exactly what we set out to do at Evertec. We put into practice our Business Continuity and Pandemic Management Plans to continue our operations, always focused on ensuring both the health and safety of our employees as well as the service we provide to our customers. In addition, we were also able to fulfill our commitment to social responsibility, aware that helping those in need became society’s priority.
And that’s how we dealt with the consequences of the pandemic: we made the most of its positive aspects for our business. There was more collaboration between our employees, the relationship with our customers became stronger, and the advantages offered by our digital payment service and business solutions came to the forefront. Moreover, we were able to keep our Social Responsibility Program in practice and demonstrate our employees’ and Evertec’s interest and genuine commitment with our communities.
IT WAS NOT IMPOSSIBLE…
… Supporting Education
Sixth Edition of the Scholarship Program: Per our interest in serving as an engine to drive education by helping to create a more diverse labor force, we held the sixth edition of our Scholarship Program and granted a total of 161 scholarships to university students in Puerto Rico and Latin America for a total investment of $185,000. Science and engineering were the most popular areas.
Moreover, in 2020 and in the interest of increasing the number of women in STEM, we made an alliance with leading women in technology and science and increased applications from women to participate in the Scholarship Program by 50%, resulting in greater diversity and inclusion among awardees in the program on the account of the rate of male to female applications matching 1:1 compared to 3:1 in prior years..
…Protecting the Environment Through the Revolución Naranja Initatives
Evertec Costa Rica once again obtained its Esencial Costa Rica certification: a distinction which guarantees that our operations comply with the competitive standards of the Costa Rica nation branding.
Earth Hour: global initiative held on March 28 in which we joined and participated with 193 employees and their family members who reside in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Panamá, Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. As proof of our commitment to the environment, we received the appreciation of the Earth Hour Global Team.
“Yo Protejo al Ambiente”: a competition of short stories through which we promoted the importance of protecting the environment. Children between the ages of 5 and 12 were able to express not only their ideas on the matter but also integrate technology in some way as part of the narrative of protecting the environment. We received short stories from seven countries where we do business, and the subject that generated the most interest among children was environmental pollution. Through a regional alliance, the Evaluation Committee was composed of persons of letters, writers, professors, artists, and one member of our legal team. The winning short story was “Animales Salvadores.”
… Looking After Our Communities
“Unidos a distancia” volunteer program: Aware of the barriers and restrictions of COVID-19 social distancing, we rethought how we would do our community service and ensure that volunteer work could be done remotely and safely for all. In this way, our annual Volunteer Day turned into the “Unidos a distancia” Volunteer Week, a strategy that allowed us to contribute the best of us: our intellectual capital and the ability to highlight technology through various initiatives held in support of non-profit organizations. The strategy included five support areas: community, technology, education, pets, and the environment. But being able to once again confirm the genuine interest of our employees in helping those in need was more important. Through their actions they showed us that even with the pandemic, they could unite remotely and proclaim their great commitment to the community’s wellbeing. We are very proud of this.
… Facilitating Our ATH Móvil Technology as a Catalyst for the Development of the Third Sector
Supporting the #GivingTuesday initiative: for the second year in a row, we joined the Alliance for the Development of the Puerto Rican Third Sector (“Alianza para el Desarrollo del Tercer Sector”) as representatives of the #GivingTuesdayPR initiative. As part of the initiative, we did a promotional campaign to bring awareness to the public of the important role non-profit organizations have and why they should be supported with donations. For that, we promoted donations be made through ATH Móvil (the service we offer for electronic transfers from person to person) due to it being the preferred method of payment of the movement in Puerto Rico. Moreover, we held a round table with the press and several representatives of important non-profit organizations such as Roberto Soto Acosta, president of the Alliance for the Development of the Puerto Rican Third Sector and global representative of #GivingTuesday Puerto Rico, Ana María López, vice president of development at Foundation for Puerto Rico, and Gilberto Quiñones, associate director at MDA in Puerto Rico. They shared their life experiences and the positive impact that ATH Móvil has had in their organizations, becoming not only a reliable tool to receive donations but also as a service that has transformed the way funds can be raised for NGOs in Puerto Rico.
Results: funds raised through ATH Móvil $395,916.91 vs. $116,803.75 in 2019, triple the amount donated and a 239% increase compared to last year.
It is worth noting that Evertec also donated $50,000 to match the donations of the 45 non-profit organizations that were able to raise the first $1,000 on December 1, when the #GivingTuesdayPR is held globally. The remaining $5,000 were donated to the Alliance for the Development of the Puerto Rican Third Sector in its efforts of promoting the work of non-profit organizations in Puerto Rico.
… Making Corporate Contributions
In 2020, our corporate contributions exceeded $730,000 in sponsorships and donations to non-profit organizations whose mission is to support the development of communities, children, the environment, and the arts throughout the several different countries where we operate.
Through all these initiatives, we continue to show our commitment to the wellbeing of the communities where we do business. Together with our employees, we will continue onward at a steady pace and leave a deep impression on the communities of the different countries where we are located.