Sponsoring communities and people

The Old Mutual Sponsorships management team focuses its energies on three areas: sports sponsorships, community sponsorships and financial education initiatives.

The major sports sponsorships are:

• The Soweto Marathon;
• The Two Oceans Marathon;
• The "Om die Dam" Marathon;
• The World of Endurance website; and
• The Old Mutual Soccer Academy.

The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon was voted the best ultra marathon in the country at the Powerade/Runner's World Race of the Year Awards. Athletes and Runner's World have in fact voted the race as the best (over any distance) in South Africa for three years running. It continues to attract strong fields and an increasing number of international entrants.

The sponsorship strategy includes an emphasis on encouraging new, young talent so, for instance, there are a number of satellite races run in association with the Soweto Marathon. These heighten the interest of the community, and play a role in showcasing athletics to the young. The Old Mutual Soccer Academy enables the coaching in high-standard facilities of the best young soccer talent in the Western Cape particularly as the Academy has links with Manchester United, as a "feeder" club.

Community sponsorships include the highly visible:

• Old Mutual/Telkom National Choir Festival;
• The SABC/Sowetan/Old Mutual Community Builder of the Year Award;
• The Old Mutual/Nedbank Budget Speech of the Year Competition; and
• Soul City.

All the community sponsorships have a national focus, and all are concerned with attracting the participation of South Africans in positive, nation-building activities. Soul City, for instance, is a multimedia programme that aims to alert society to the benefits of positive lifestyle changes. The Budget Speech competition is an initiative that requires very close work with the National Treasury, and includes the close co-operation of the Minister of Finance. The competition itself is presided over by a panel of experts, and requires of economics students around the company to submit their arguments, on a theme, for judging. The winner traditionally has won a scholarship to a prominent University.

The third focus of the sponsorship team is on financial education where Old Mutual sponsors slots on 10 vernacular, community radio stations. The Money Management Handbooks are read by an average 250 000 customers of Old Mutual and Peoples Bank. In addition, financial education workshops are regularly held with national and regional government personnel and representatives. Finally, the company sponsors regular money management articles in the Sowetan newspaper, which has a readership of more than 1.5 million per daily issue.

Other sponsorships include:

• Together with the City of Cape Town, the South African entry to the Chelsea Flower Show;
• Gold medals for the top MBA students at each of the country's Graduate Schools of Business; and
• The South African team entry to the Homeless World Cup, an event that draws attention to the plight of the homeless, and to the effects of poverty.

Old Mutual is a founder sponsor of the Proudly South African initiative that aims to promote the sale of locally manufactured goods, thereby creating employment.

During 2004 Old Mutual invested R19.6 million in sponsorships.