Avison Young and GozAround partner to promote philanthropy

TORONTO, June 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Avison Young and GozAround announced today that they have entered into a partnership designed to enhance the commercial real estate firm's Global Citizenship strategy while promoting philanthropy.

Avison Young sought GozAround's services to produce accurate data on philanthropic efforts for use with staff, current and prospective clients, and the public. GozAround is the organization behind a fast-growing social impact platform that is changing the way charities, businesses and individuals interact with one another, employees and volunteers. The company's technology enables people and organizations to find community-service opportunities and collect and use social-impact data.

Global Citizenship is the umbrella name of Avison Young's corporate social responsibility, sustainability and philanthropy strategy. One of the pillars of the Global Citizenship strategy is community support.

"We believe that our company's activities and the actions of our people should always have a net-positive impact on our communities," comments Avison Young Principal Rob Gritten, who is based in Vancouver, BC and heads up the company's philanthropic efforts.

He continues: "At both the corporate and individual levels, Avison Young actively contributes resources to improve the communities in which we do business. This approach assists our clients when they are choosing their service provider, as the topic of philanthropy is often included in the requests for proposals that we respond to. Providing accurate and defendable data puts us in a leadership role amongst our peers, and in the recruitment and retention of employees."

Most of Avison Young's 2,600 employees in 84 offices volunteer on behalf of community causes. To help measure the actions of employees, the company will utilize the GozAround platform to continue to deliver a better, more easily managed and encouraged portal, and track philanthropic activities with greater accuracy, ease and confidence.

"Companies are increasingly expected to make their corporate social responsibility more quantifiable and transparent in order to remain globally competitive," says GozAround CEO Ben Block.

"Technology is allowing businesses of all sizes to give back more efficiently while measuring and sharing those contributions. It is key to advancing the ways in which we are able to give back, innovate, provide relief and solve some of the world's most pressing issues," he says.

Gritten, along with the company's philanthropy committee, has identified GozAround software as a means to help collect information about Avison Young's philanthropic efforts across all of the firm's offices. Each office has identified a champion who will act as an ambassador of the GozAround initiative and assist with logging information for office-wide projects. All employees are able to create an account to log their individual hours and donations as well.

"We encourage all offices to participate and enhance our ability to demonstrate the scope of philanthropy at Avison Young," notes Avison Young CEO Mark Rose. "Avison Young cares deeply about our people and the communities in which we live, work and play."

Areas of focus for Avison Young are poverty, illness, animal welfare, secure housing, environmental conservation and preservation, homelessness, and more. By teaming up with GozAround, the firm can now enable staff to post activities, review custom reports, and provide clients and the public with confidence ? rather than guesswork ? in the results.

"I personally hope this partnership with GozAround lights a fire in the bellies of our people and clients so that they think more often about helping, be more generous when they do, and have greater compassion for their fellow human beings as they travel through life," adds Gritten.

About Avison Young
Avison Young is the world's fastest-growing commercial real estate services firm. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Avison Young is a collaborative, global firm owned and operated by its principals. Founded in 1978, the company comprises 2,600 real estate professionals in 84 offices, providing value-added, client-centric investment sales, leasing, advisory, management, financing and mortgage placement services to owners and occupiers of office, retail, industrial, multi-family and hospitality properties.
www.avisonyoung.com 

About GozAround
GozAround is a fast-growing social impact platform that is changing the way charities, business and individuals interact for good. Since 2014, the GozAround social network and suite of specialized software tools has been accessed in over 400 cities worldwide, allowing users to better find, measure and share social impact activities.
www.gozaround.com 

SOURCE Avison Young Commercial Real Estate (BC)