Community Relations Year in Review 2014 1 Community Relations 2014 Table of Contents: Community Relations Profile Pg. 3 2014 Year in Review Pg. 7 Financial Highlights & Results Pg. 22 2 Community Relations The focus of the SaskGaming Community Relations department is to develop a high profile image through event sponsorship and charitable community investment. SaskGaming makes an effort to be associated with high profile events that promote tourism and community pride. This positive image offsets potential negative public perception of the Crown’s involvement in gaming. When appropriate the corporation leverages the celebrity status of George Reed to increase awareness of Community Relations efforts. SaskGaming places a priority on events and activities in the communities where it operates. Consistent with brand building, the corporation seeks recognition for its properties, Casinos Regina and Moose Jaw. SaskGaming also participates in philanthropic giving whereby a donation is made to a registered charity or non-profit organization with the corporation receiving little to no benefit/or exposure in return. An example of this philanthropic activity includes our Employee Match and Dollars for Do-Gooders Programs where donations are made to charities and organizations that employees support. The Scholarship Program and many of the Aboriginal partnerships also fall under this category. The corporation places a priority on community support that will engage, support and ultimately benefit Aboriginal people of Saskatchewan which is consistent with the province’s commitment for the corporation’s profit to be shared with the First Nations Trust and the Community Initiatives Fund. In addition to providing cash donations, SaskGaming may support organizations, community groups and events by purchasing tickets, corporate tables, participating in golf tournaments or providing promotional items. Mission: SaskGaming’s Community Relations mission is to demonstrate good corporate citizenship and to employ best practices in the gaming industry for corporate social responsibility and community investment. Goals: 1. Achieve annual “Public Opinion of Community Support” target of 50%; 2. Achieve annual “Aboriginal Sponsorship” target of 22%; 3. Achieve sponsorship spending at 1% of net income before payment to the GRF by 2015 Strategies: 1. Learn and leverage best sponsorship practices; 2. Support employee volunteerism by matching dollars raised through the Employee Match and Dollars for Do-Gooders programs; 3. Leverage the celebrity status of George Reed through on-site public appearances, advertising and other activation initiatives; 4. Efficiently allocate resources to achieve goals within annual approved budget, and; 5. Improve evaluation and measurement methods using sophisticated IT tools such as Sponsorium that will result in better corporate decision making. 3 Community Relations SaskGaming has a goal to demonstrate good corporate citizenship and to employ the best practices in the gaming industry for corporate social responsibility and community support. In addition, SaskGaming believes in building public awareness of our sponsorship and community relations activities. Our emphasis is on strategic partnership opportunities that will help build and form the corporation’s reputation. The program provides broad support to all communities with a strong focus on supporting communities in which we operate, along with a focus on activities linked to our four Key Areas of Support: 1. Strengthening Our Community a. Supporting Regina or Moose Jaw based community efforts to raise funds for registered charities or not-for-profit activities that provide food or shelter for disadvantaged people or improve public health and safety. 2. Promoting Community Pride a. Sponsorship of festivals, events and tournaments involved in promoting pride, community participation and tourism. b. Celebration of achievements in sports, culture, the arts, entertainment and diversity. 3. Supporting Saskatchewan’s Growth through Partnership a. Partnership with key stakeholders to sponsor projects, events or conferences that foster Saskatchewan’s business development, tourism and economic growth. b. Partnerships to jointly support projects that benefit charities, not for profit organizations, safety, healthy lifestyles, education and labour development. 4. Aboriginal People a. Sponsorship of events and/or projects that will engage, support and ultimately benefit Aboriginal people and/or organizations within Saskatchewan. Regina vs. Moose Jaw Partnerships - Casinos Regina & Moose Jaw will give preference to supporting communities in which we operate. Keeping consistent with previous years, 80% of our total sponsorships will be allocated to Regina and 20% will be applied to Moose Jaw. 4 Community Relations Types of Community Relations Investments SaskGaming focuses Community Relations support within the following categories: 1. Sponsorship or In-Kind - A cash and/or in-kind fee paid to a property in return for sponsorship benefits. 2. Philanthropic Gift - A cash and/or in-kind contribution given to a registered charity or non-profit by an individual, company, foundation or organization without any expectation of anything in return (as defined by Canada Revenue Agency). 3. Casino Regina Show Lounge - SaskGaming occasionally offered the use of the Casino Regina Show Lounge to an organization that qualified under the Community Relations Guidelines. 4. Employee Volunteerism - The Dollars for Do-Gooders program allows a maximum donation of $250 per year for a minimum of eight (8) hours of personal time volunteered to be donated on the employee’s behalf to a registered charity or not-for-profit organization. These funds come directly from the Employee Program Fund. Employee Match is a program for individual employees or groups of employees who have requested to raise funds for a registered charity or not-for-profit organization. SaskGaming will match contributions up to a total of $1,000/per person/group to their charity or not-for-profit. These funds also come directly from the Employee Program Fund. 5. Promotional Items - SaskGaming may provide promotional items or non-gaming corporate gift certificates for use as prizes, silent auction or raffle items to a maximum value of $1,000 per event. 6. Scholarships - SaskGaming believes in helping to develop our future leaders through our Student Awards Program. Each year, we award twelve scholarships totaling $29,000 to deserving students, including two scholarships being designated to dependents of SaskGaming employees and two scholarships to Aboriginal employees. SaskGaming does not support the following types of events or activities: • Political groups or events • Religious groups, events and/or projects • Individual pursuits • Amateur sports teams • Out of province events or travel expenses • Annual general meetings • Publications, theatrical or video productions • Graduations or family reunions • Capital Funding Projects 5 Community Relations 2014 Key Highlights: • In 2014, SaskGaming provided $538,544 in donations, sponsorships and in-kind support to 93 organizations, projects and events in the communities where we operate. • 26.5% (or $142,965) went towards supporting Aboriginal people and programs. In addition, $10,500 in scholarships were awarded to Aboriginal people in 2014. • In 2014, SaskGaming donated over $8,744 through our two Employee Programs (Employee Match and Dollars for Do-Gooders). 6 Regina Symphony Orchestra Strings for Change Education & Outreach Initiative Strings for Change was a pilot project which gave grade one elementary students at Arcola Community School the opportunity to take violin lessons with longtime RSO concertmaster Ed Minevich and his assistants Andrea Hedlund and Adrian Casas, in hopes that they will discover a love for music that will last a lifetime. The children also got to attend live Regina Symphony Orchestra performances and meet the musicians. The project culminated in a year-end festival for the children where they performed for their families, friends, and community. Casino Regina was recognized as a Musical Instruments and Equipment Sponsor. This sponsorship contributes to our sponsorship key focus area of Aboriginal People. Saskatchewan Polytechnic Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Day & Student Achievement Plan As a major supporter of projects and programs that engage, support and ultimately benefit Aboriginal people, Casinos Regina & Moose Jaw were proud to sponsor two innovative programs at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. The Aboriginal Student Achievement Plan is a five year, $5.5 million comprehensive recruitment and retention plan focused on supporting Aboriginal students from the time they consider attending Saskatchewan Polytechnic until graduation. Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s annual Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Day, brought together students and faculty for a day of Aboriginal education, arts and culture. This sponsorship contributes to our sponsorship key focus area of Aboriginal People. 7 Casino Regina Mid-Winter Blues Festival Presented by Regina Blues Association Founded in 1993, the Regina Blues Association promotes blues and blues-related music and provides education in the blues genre to both the general public and its membership. Each year, the Regina Blues Association heats things up with their Mid-Winter Blues Festival, a showcase for both local and internationally-recognized performers. As the Title sponsor, Casino Regina hosted two nights of the festival in our Show Lounge.