The biggest corporate volunteering event ‘Naše Mesto’ or Our Town this year takes place over Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 11-13. On the first day of the volunteer event is the second time volunteers from companies, advertising and communication agencies join in the event to help free of charge non-governmental organisations within the PRO BONO marathon. On Friday and Saturday there will be thousands of volunteers helping out in their cities. Managers, city employees, employees working in manufacturing, IT people, and officials of the respective participating cities and towns will assist with the hundreds of different activities to beautify public spaces, parks, playgrounds, schools and nursery areas. Together they will clean rivers, restore castle ruins and will also give their time to helping the elderly and also physically handicapped people.

Connect also your business to the corporate volunteering event ‘Our Town’, which is the biggest not just in Slovakia but also in the whole of Central Europe.

What can ‘Our Town’ bring you?

• your company will be perceived in the surroundings as a good neighbour, who is responsible to the community
• your business effectively invests in the local community – your volunteers help exactly where that help is needed
• when working in non-standard situations people develop the ability to communicate, create, manage, deal with crisis situations and to co-operate effectively in a team
• your employees will have the active support of seeing the joy of others and volunteering will bring them a feeling of satisfaction and a sense of fulfilment
• employees are often proud of an employer who gives them opportunities to participate in volunteer activities
• the company mobilizes local resources and has the opportunity to be a part of positive change within society

Your company can enter by simply completing the registration form on this page. By completing the aforementioned forms, firms undertake to pay a fee as stipulated. Engage Group members do not pay a fee for the first 30 subscribed volunteers. During the payment of fees, it is needed to factor in 20% VAT on all invoicing.

Why do you have to pay participation fees?

The fee is used to ensure the event:

• the selection of NGOs and volunteer activities
• grants for non-profits to purchase equipment for volunteers: paint, paint brushes, tools, seedlings, and so on
• workshops for NGOs to work with volunteers
• workshops for corporate co-ordinators to show them how to get volunteers and how ‘Our Town’ should run
• covering cost of posters, banners, certificates, and other communication materials
• on-line system for logging volunteers and activity selection
• uniform t-shirts for participating volunteers
• documentary photography
• management, logistics and monitoring of events
• communication with city authorities in host towns and cities

Engage Group members do not pay a fee for the first 30 subscribed volunteers. During the payment of fees, it is needed to factor in 20% VAT on all invoicing.

Organisational background

The event organised by the Pontis Foundation and the group of companies Engage. The Pontis Foundation is responsible for the whole organisation of the event (see points A-M of the application). Pontis will publish in early May at www.nasemesto.sk a detailed breakdown of activities to which corporate volunteers may sign-up to.

Communication events

The Pontis Foundation secures the promotion of events, press releases and media communication – both national and regional. Participating companies can use in their communication materials the ‘Naše Mesto’ logo. On the web and in media communication Naše Mesto as an event for corporate volunteering, which is organised by the Pontis Foundation and the Engage group of companies.