Doenkracht Donderdag
Across the Netherlands, a total of 518 a.s.r. employees were socially active on Thursday April 18 2024, during Doenkracht Donderdag. Doenkracht Donderdag is an initiative of a.s.r.’s social programme Doenkracht, where employees join forces with local partners to have a positive impact on society.
It was the first time that a.s.r. organised this collective volunteer day, inspired by Aegon NL, where Volunteer Friday was a well-known concept. During Doenkracht Donderdag, as many employees as possible roll up their sleeves at various social organisations, primarily in and around the five cities where a.s.r. has an office. Doenkracht Manager Marijke Troost: 'These organisations can really use the help of volunteers. Whether it is cleaning tasks, repair work, or social activities like walking and playing games with residents of a nursing home. Even though the activity only lasts a few hours, the saying 'many hands make light work' certainly applies here.'
Day camp
One of the social organisations that received help on Doenkracht Donderdag is Sherpa. To give clients a holiday feeling, the care institution for people with disabilities wanted to set up a day camp. Timo Kroeze, coordinator at Sherpa: 'Here they can play games, have coffee, and go on a scavenger hunt. Setting this up just takes a lot of time, and there are fewer and fewer hours available for these kinds of extras in healthcare. That's why we were very happy with the help during Doenkracht Donderdag. A group of a.s.r. employees came to set up a large tent, do some gardening, and assemble picnic tables. There was also someone from a.s.r. who connected with our clients through a professional clown act. It is incredibly valuable that thanks to a.s.r. we can organise these kinds of extra activities.'
Win-win situation
At a.s.r., many colleagues already participate each year in a social team activity (Maatschappelijke Team Activiteit - MTA) with their own team, on a date that suits them. Marijke: 'Doenkracht Donderdag allows employees to work together with colleagues they don't meet on a daily basis. You choose the volunteer work that appeals to you the most. As a result, there is collaboration across locations. Working together with colleagues in this way and contributing to a social cause leads to proud and engaged employees.'
According to Marijke, it is a win-win situation: 'With the participation of all those 518 employees, we can perform over 2,200 hours of social work in one day for Sherpa and 57 other social organisations. At the same time, employees get the chance to get to know each other and the area around their office better.'
Annual event
Due to its great success, it has been decided to make Doenkracht Donderdag an annual event. Timo is happy about this: 'I am already looking forward to the next edition of Doenkracht Donderdag. Fortunately, thanks to the amiable co-operation with a.s.r. throughout the year, we don't have to wait a year to treat our clients. It is wonderful how often we receive a.s.r. teams here who give our clients a great day as part of a MTA. I hope we can continue to do this for many years to come.'
