Corporate social responsibility

Spotlight on science, technology and the arts

CGI’s Event Registration and Donation System (ERDS)

CGI developed and provides non-profits with a pro-bono technology tool that allows organizations to accept donations and special event registrations via the Internet. Developed for charitable organizations in Ottawa, the application was first used by the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario for its Tour Nortel event. For this event, CGI registered more than 700 participants and processed over 4,000 pledges online for a total dollar value of over $250,000. The Tour Nortel event generated over $500,000 this year, a new record made possible partly by CGI’s application.

The system was developed by a project team from CGI’s Ottawa business unit, which built the tool after work hours, volunteering their time while expanding their skills by working with new technologies and business processes. Pictured at left, the project team includes David Baker, Jeffrey Rooney, Bob Levasseur, Marc Dumont and Jeremy Smith (back row, left to right); Yanling Qiao, Linda Tom and Scott Lawrence (middle row, left to right); Irina Tcharskaia, Anna Tong and Janice Robazza (front row, left to right); and Bernard Yan (not pictured).

“Our team was motivated to develop the system, not only to provide the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and other charitable organizations with a needed service, but to grow both professionally and personally through the process,” says Scott Lawrence, manager of the project and a director of consulting services for CGI. “Each CGI volunteer expressed a sense of fulfillment in their involvement and in learning new skills. What’s more, I believe we created an environment where everyone wins—employees, clients and shareholders, and most of all our global community.”

In addition to providing access to the system, CGI has supported non-profit organizations by maintaining and hosting the tool within CGI’s secure facility.