No business day is the same
Ilse Zuijkerbuijk - Marketing, Communication & Cooperative Officer
According to Ilse Zuijkerbuijk, you can make an excellent local contribution to Rabobank's mission "Growing a Better World Together". She has been active in the local community of Southwest Brabant for many years. In her position as Marketing, Communication & Cooperative officer, she can contribute to local and regional events.
Sustainable sponsorship
Rabobank has supported both cultural and sporting events for many years. Lowlands is a major cultural event to which Rabobank is affiliated. At a local level, the bank supports the Kunstbende, among others. For local associations and foundations, there is ClubSupport Rabo ClubSupport invests in local clubs. ClubSupport ensures that all associations and foundations that use Rabobank’s banking services have a chance of receiving a donation. This is done by means of a campaign in which members of our bank distribute an amount of money among clubs by casting votes. Every vote is worth money. You can read more about this on the site of Rabo ClubSupport, nationwide the bank has a partnership with TeamNL by NOC*NSF. Sponsorship to the bank is more than giving money in exchange for some flags and banners during an event. At the events, the bank always connects with other parties in order to build a sustainable future together.
By 2050 there will be nearly 10 billion world citizens. This is 7.5 billion people more than in 1950. We live longer and longer on average. How do you ensure that all these people are able to eat sufficient and healthy food? And how do you do that without exhausting the planet? Ilse: “As Rabobank, we are committed to achieve more together than by ourselves. We joined forces with Stichting de Grote Prijs Adrie van der Poel, Caterer Gourmet Invent and ZuidWestHoek College to make a sustainable contribution at a local level”.
Grand Prix Adrie van der Poel
Ilse talks about her involvement in the Grand Prix Adrie van der Poel, a cyclocross competition that is organised every year in Hoogerheide (Noord-Brabant).
“We’ve been sponsoring the Grand Prix from the local bank for many years. In the meantime it has grown into a beautiful partnership in which the public interest plays a much bigger role than the name recognition. This is how we came into contact with Gourmet Invent, the caterer of the event. They strive to prevent food waste. Products that have not yet left the cold kitchen are given a second life by donating them, among other things, to social organisations. A great collaboration that fits in perfectly with the Rabobank theme of ‘sustainable food’. Together we are looking for solutions that we can deploy across the entire event site”.
Collaboration
Ilse: “Rabobank is a cooperative bank with a mission. Together with customers, members and partners, we are committed to a stronger living environment and to today’s major social challenges. Our starting point is that we achieve more together than alone. On the Grote Prijs grounds there are eco-teams, students of the ZuidWestHoek College with supervisors who collect waste. When the visitors see the eco-team at work on the event site, you hope that they will take this image home with them and help to keep our planet clean”.
“In addition to the fact that we, as a sponsor, make agreements about tickets and banners along the route, this type of collaboration is particularly relevant to show what we stand for. According to Ilse, “For me, the local aspect of these events is very important. I know the work area, the people, it’s all very recognizable and of course fantastic to see the immediate impact of my own work”.
Enjoyment
As an employee Marketing, Communication & Cooperative Ilse works a lot together with her colleagues from other banks in the area. They share tips and insights with each other and if possible visit each other’s events. Ilse about her daily work: “As a marketing employee you are involved in all kinds of collaborations and moments. Whether it’s the local kickoff of our Food Forward events, the Grand Prix Adrie van der Poel or the fact that I’m also a team leader for 15 young people who go on a cycling holiday in the summer. No two days are the same and I’m always happy to get to work!
Ilse is also active in her hometown during the corona crisis: “I installed the Whapp WeHelpen app. It is a platformapp for supply and demand within my neighbourhood. I receive a message if there is an open question in my neighbourhood. For example help with shopping, walking a dog etc etc. Whapp will then look for a match for you. I really recommend it!