Paf, a Nordic gaming firm, has adopted an innovative approach to corporate giving with its Employee 100,000 Good Cause Initiative. Employees were given the option of donating €100,000 ($109,260), which they could allocate towards a variety of charity causes and initiatives.

Paf's CEO, Christer Fahlstedt, stressed the importance of allowing employees to actively engage in decision-making, saying, "We wanted to give employees a direct opportunity to influence where a sum of money should go." It is an effort that falls outside of Paf's typical objective yet is very related to our core aim. 

"It is critical that everyone at Paf understands that our fundamental objective is unique and worth striving for. At the same time, we all had the opportunity to close the year on a positive note."

The initiative unfolded in two steps. First, staff were asked to submit activities they thought were worthy. Employees then voted for the suggested causes. Employee votes controlled both which causes received funding and how much was provided to each.

The distribution of the €100,000 shows a wide range of causes that resonated with the Paf staff. The top three comprised cancer-related programmes for children, humanitarian relief for Ukraine, and animal welfare support. Notable recipients included Barncancerfonden, a Swedish group dedicated to the eradication of childhood cancer, and Operation Aid, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to assisting Ukrainians impacted by the war.

These festive payments were part of Paf's larger continuing charitable initiatives, with the firm donating more than €400 million since 1966.