About us

Corporate Social Responsibility at Citi

Globally, Citi supports the economic empowerment and financial inclusion of low-to moderate-income people in communities where Citi operates. We work collaboratively with a range of partners to design and test financial inclusion innovations with potential to achieve scale. We also seek to support leadership and knowledge building activities. We put the strength of our business, resources, products and people to work to help improve communities. We describe this as a "More-than-Philanthropy approach", which includes support for collaborative problem solving, program development and skill-based volunteering.

One key way in which we engage with the community is through the Citi Foundation. The Citi Foundation is committed to enhancing economic opportunities for individuals and families, particularly those in need, in the communities where we work so that they can improve their standard of living. Citi Foundation focuses its strategic giving on the following key areas:

Financial Capability and Asset Building - Increases in the number of low-to-moderate income adults and/or youth who adopt positive financial behaviors and accumulate and preserve financial assets.
Microfinance - Increases in the supply of financial products that improve and accelerate the financial inclusion of low-to-moderate income individuals.
Enterprise Development - Increases in the number of micro or small enterprises that provide new income generation and/or employment opportunities for low-to-moderate income individuals.

For further information, please visit http://www.citifoundation.com.

Citibank Romania in the Community

"At Citibank Romania we are leveraging a tradition of innovation and success of nearly 200 years and we work hard to support the economic empowerment of people, families and communities in which we work. We are confident that our efforts in the community have a positive impact on all its members, as a result of our continued investment in goods, abilities and hope for a better future. Corporate social responsibility is an extension of who we are and what we do", Tibor Pandi, General Manager of Citibank Romania, said.

On a long term, Citibank Romania partners with two non-profit organizations, to which we offer support, both through grants and volunteering activities:

Junior Achievement Romania is a non-profit organization, which was founded in 1993, as part of Junior Achievement WorldwideR USA and Junior Achievement - Young Enterprise Europe. Junior Achievement is the biggest and most dynamic international organization focused on economic and entrepreneurial education. JA's "learning by doing" programs are attended annually by more than 8 million students across the world and take place locally in partnership with educational institutions and the business community.

Citibank Romania partnered with Junior Achievement Romania in 2000 and at the moment, Citi Foundation through Citibank Romania offers grants for two projects: "My Money Business" and "Banks in Action".

"My Money Business" is a financial training program aiming to teach students how to administrate money and how to act in life. The program offers to young people the possibility to learn how to avoid financial failures, how to save and invest money, but also how to spend wisely. The program enables participants to have a full image on the way money are used, spent, saved, invested, insured, borrowed and perceived in today's society. The program is addressed to students aged 11 to 15.

"Banks in Action" is a financial and banking education program that teaches students about the banking system and services, the way banks work and about all the instruments used in their activity. The program is addressed to students aged 16 to 19.

In the school year 2010 - 2011, 244 teachers and over 7,000 students aged 11 to 19 have participated in the financial education programs "My Money Business" and "Banks in Action", implemented in schools and supported by Citi Foundation, through Citibank Romania. Hence, youngsters benefit from the support and expertise of volunteer consultants from the business community participating in school activities and sharing their professional experience with the students enrolled in Junior Achievement programs.

In October 2010, volunteer consultants from Citibank explained to students from six high schools in Bucharest about the financial and banking mechanisms, about marketing strategies, analyzing banking products and services and discussing about interest rates on the market.

2011 is the sixth consecutive year when volunteer consultants from Citibank contribute to students' financial education through in school and online training sessions.

Job Shadow Day is a work experience opportunity in which students learn about a job by walking through the work day as a shadow to a professional. Students witness firsthand the work environment and increase their career awareness, which helps them understand better the link between classroom learning and work requirements. Organized by Junior Achievement, Job Shadow Day is an activity in which our employees got involved in both 2010 and 2011, offering to students the possibility to discover directly the world of banking.

Further information about Junior Achievement Romania is available at http://www.jaromania.org/

United Way Romania. At present, Citibank Romania collaborates with United Way Romania in a support program addressed to young and single mothers coming from disadvantaged families. Through one-to-one financial counseling and group session on financial education, women have the possibility to create and use a budget, understand better the correlation between monthly basic living costs, their financial resources and efficient ways of allocating money, manage their incentives and income and whenever possible to create a saving, as well as know more about banking products.

Over the years, Citibank Romania has been supporting United Way's initiatives with the help of employee volunteers, who are constantly involved in the selection and monitoring of the funded projects, as well as through individual donations. Our company's efforts were recognized annually, at the United Way Gala, and 2011 is the fourth consecutive year when Citibank Romania is being presented the "Bronze Partner" award, for an annual corporate and employee contribution over 10,000 euro.

Further information about United Way Romania is available at http://www.unitedway.ro

Habitat for Humanity. Citibank Romania supports Habitat for Humanity in building and rehabilitating decent houses for disadvantaged people, with the help of its employee volunteers.

Citibank Romania was one of Habitat for Humanity's partners in the disaster response program "I Rebuild Hope", after the major floods in July 2010. Closed on May 30, 2011, the project was supported by several responsible companies who made possible some extraordinary results:

Approximately USD 550,000 were raised by the time of the report;
Construction materials worth another 290.000 USD;
30 new houses completed;
50 renovations completed;
Dorohoi's town hall was technically assisted in the relocation, adaptation of the technical project in the field, land plotting;
34 teams of volunteers were hosted at Dorohoi - a total of 497 volunteers working 3245 hours for 54 days;
The first Habitat Resource Center started in Margineni, Bacau County and assisted 80 families in rebuilding houses affected by the flood, with the support of 60 local volunteers working 500 hours;
The second Habitat Resource Center was launched in Dorohoi, focused on material distribution in the area. 240 families from Dorohoi and two close villages were assisted with wood for roof, aerated thermal blocks, cement and polystyrene;
The dedication event was organized on 31st of May for celebrating the transfer of the houses to the beneficiary families.

Further information about the common efforts that made this project possible is available on http://www.habitat.ro.

Mihai Eminescu Trust

During the period 2009 - 2011 Citibank Romania and Mihai Eminescu Trust tackled the environmental challenges and poverty through the development of small-scale, sustainable businesses in low-income rural communities in Transylvania, as part of the project "Supporting Rural Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Livelihoods in Transylvania".

Financed by Citi Foundation with a USD 100,000 grant, the project was finalized with outstanding success and significant improvements in the lives of more than 200 locals are already visible.

Further details about the projects and its results are available at http://www.mestesugari-transilvania.ro/.

Employee Engagement

Citibank Romania encourages its employees to dedicate time, talent and resources to non-profit organizations they appreciate and which have a positive impact on the communities where we work.

In Romania, our employees get involved in community activities such as building houses together with Habitat for Humanity, selecting and monitoring United Way's community projects, teaching financial education classes in high schools, as well as other personal volunteering initiatives.

Tibor Pandi, General Manager of Citibank Romania, explaining to students from the National College Ion Luca Caragiale about the global economy

Global Community Day

At Citi, we understand that while we primary serve the financial needs of the communities where we work, we have to keep in mind the other needs of the people around us. In this context, Global Community Day symbolizes our common effort to differentiate through sustainable business practices and volunteering spirit.

First organized in 2006, Citi's Global Community Day represents a global effort consisting in several social responsibility projects organized in hundreds of locations around the world. Citi employees are committed to being a global force for good in their communities. Many Citi employees volunteer year-round, but Global Community Day provides an annual opportunity to have company employees, along with their families and friends, come together as a global volunteer team. Local volunteer groups are working on a variety of projects addressing specific community needs including literacy, housing, environmental protection, nutrition, health care and disaster relief.

Global Community Day 2010 at Citibank - a waste collection activity in Snagov forest, together with Mai Mult Verde

Global Community Day 2009 at Citibank - building a house in Izvoarele, Giurgiu country, together with Habitat for Humanity

Global Community Day 2008 at Citibank - A fun day with children from SOS Children's Village, in partnership with United Way

Contact Us

We encourage you to send us grant proposals, questions and suggestions regarding our community work by email at customer.service.romania@citi.com or at Citibank Europe plc, Dublin - Romania branch, 145 Calea Victoriei, 1st District, Bucharest, 011742, to the attention of Mrs. Cristina Staiculescu, Public Affairs Officer.