BCAA is reporting on its social, environmental and financial impact for the first time with its 2023 Impact Report

ome 117 years ago, a small number of early motorists in Victoria formed a club to share their passion and help each other out when their vehicles broke down. Fast-forward to today, and that early sense of purpose on which BCAA was founded has quietly evolved and been elevated to a level far beyond what those pioneering motorists could have imagined.

Now, over one million Members strong and serving nearly 1 in 3 British Columbian households, BCAA still helps with roadside breakdowns, but has broadened into numerous products, services and community programs that tell a story about the positive impact a local organization can have on its province by being purposeful and values driven. BCAA defines its purpose as empowering British Columbians to move forward. That means doing its part to make British Columbia safer, sustainable, more prosperous and more equitable – by focusing on what matters most to British Columbians.

“This is why we exist,” says Eric Hopkins, BCAA President & CEO. “Being purpose-led isn’t always about the grandest gesture. It’s about the decisions we make, the way we engage with others, and how we instill our beliefs into our operations.”

Striving to have purpose and caring about the impact BCAA has on the people and environment of BC is one thing, but what about accountability? With no significant reporting requirements, BCAA fell back on the adage, “what gets measured, gets managed,” appreciating the opportunity to build trust with British Columbians through transparency around its purpose and sustainability journey.

For its 2023 fiscal year, BCAA voluntarily produced its first-ever Impact Report to demonstrate the company’s leadership and commitment to accountability. It outlines progress and aspirations in three impact areas: People, Planet and Prosperity.

“We have set targets to 2030 for each of these impact areas and are committed to producing an annual Impact Report to share our progress against them and highlight our journey,” Hopkins says.

The impact framework begins with People—measuring BCAA’s community impact through dollars invested; increasing employee engagement in strengthening communities; and improving British Columbians’ perceptions of attributes related to BCAA’s community pillars.

According to the report, BCAA achieved an employee wellness engagement score of 81%. It was named one of BC’s Top Employers by Mediacorp for a fifth consecutive year, and one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures, which recognizes best-in-class Canadian organizations for exemplary corporate cultures that enhance performance and sustain a competitive advantage.

BCAA also reported on its funding of wildfire relief efforts and on its major new partnership with FireSmart^TM BC to invest in building more wildfire-resilient and prepared communities.

When it comes to the Planet, BCAA is striving to reduce its impact on the environment—not a simple task for what started as an automobile club. BCAA began its journey into hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) in 2015 with Evo, its ground-breaking car sharing service, and in 2023, began integrating EVs into its Roadside Assistance fleet. This move alone saved more than 560,000 litres of fuel during the 2023 fiscal year. Evo’s Evolve E-Bike and E-Scooter Share program is growing the electric offering in the micro mobility space, creating a lighter carbon footprint, filling significant gaps in public transportation and furthering net-zero aspirations for the future.

Finishing with Prosperity, BCAA ended the fiscal year September 30, 2023, above target for its four corporate goals: Member count, NPS (customer satisfaction), core revenue and operating margin, achieving maximum results in the latter two, despite economic headwinds. The organization prioritized community prosperity by expanding Small Business Insurance and devising a new BCAA GO Membership tailored for today’s younger generations who are more focused on saving money than owning a vehicle.

Read the 2023 Impact Report to discover more the measures and indications that highlight how BCAA is on track toward building the BC it envisions for people, communities and future generations.

“To us, good business means doing good,” Hopkins says. “It’s about a sense of purpose. Good business is when BCAA gives back more to British Columbia than we take. By working together, we can truly move British Columbians forward.”

Learn more | bcaa.com/purpose

Connect | Facebook | X | YouTube | Instagram