Albertans have been busy on ATBCares.com this year, giving back to local charities to the tune of $5.1 million.

The platform—a partnership with Benevity and the Canadian Online Giving Foundation—is a website that enables Albertans to donate to the charities that are most important to them. ATB matches 15 per cent of all donations made to Alberta-based, non-religious charities (up to a maximum of $20,000 in matching per month).

In April, it became clear that charities were facing a particularly difficult time trying to meet the needs of Albertans during the pandemic. ATB saw an opportunity to step up and support by increasing the site’s donation matching to 50 per cent up to a maximum of $100,000 for the month.

“There has never been a more important time to improve the overall well-being of Albertans,” says ATB’s Chief People Officer, Tara Lockyer. “We saw an opportunity to harness the power, passion, and commitment of our 5,300+ team members to focus on solving societal and economic issues in their own communities. This is what gets us excited—making it possible for our customers and future generations to thrive.”

It took just five days to reach the goal in match funding.

“The response from Albertans, though not surprising, was simply outstanding. To reach our goal in less than a week… well, it just makes me very proud and very humbled to work at ATB and to live in this beautiful province,” said Lockyer.

Albertans poured into the website to support food banks, social services and pet rescue agencies.

“What I appreciate so much about ATB Cares is that donors decide where to direct their funds, providing us with tremendous insight into where Albertans feel the most urgency to support,” said Lockyer. “Interestingly, food banks landed squarely on top, an area that is seeing increased demands and aligns with ATB’s commitment to supporting Alberta’s economic recovery.”

ATB also hosted more targeted fundraising campaigns, including a lump sum donation of $250,000 to United Ways in Alberta and the company’s annual Teddy for a Toonie campaign brought in even more dollars for children’s mental health.

Knowing what was important to Albertans and having a platform to help them give back set the stage for Giving Tuesday on December 1, when ATB once again upped donation matching to $50,000 for the month.

Within a week, Albertans had donated enough to exhaust the initial budget, prompting the team to add an additional $50,000 in matching for the month which was quickly dispersed before the holiday break.

Most supported charities for 2020

See where the dollars went. The following are the most supported charities on ATBCares.com for 2020.

• Medicine Hat and District Food Bank
• Parkland Food Bank Society
• The Last Chance Cat Ranch Society
• Calgary Food Bank
• Community Health International Learning & Development Foundation
• Zoe's Animal Rescue Society
• The Mustard Seed Foundation
• Leduc and District Food Bank Association
• Hope Mission Edmonton’s Food Bank