Mandela Day, in addition to being a volunteerism event, is also an opportunity for staff engagement and teambuilding, demonstrating the value of collaboration between teams and departments. In May of each year, entries are solicited from teams, departments and business units who identify organisations of their choice and apply for funding. The CSI department assesses all applications against set criteria and those that qualify are awarded funding to assist with their planned activities on 18 July.

Each year, staff members are asked to nominate a programme of their choice to be accepted into the Santam Community Heroes programme. If the application is successful against a list of criteria, the project is awarded funding to conduct the activities stated in the application. The staff member then monitors the spending of the donation and coordinates the reporting process. Santam provides the funds and oversees governance issues in terms of BBBEE and DTI codes.

Through Payroll Giving, Santam offers all staff members the opportunity to make financial contributions from their monthly salaries, from as little as R10, to causes they identify with. Funds are transferred by Santam to The Giving Organisation, an independent Trust who administers the funds. The Giving Organisation represents ten charities and non-profit organisations from a variety of good causes, and employees can choose from this list. Santam acts to facilitate the process for an employee to have a choice to support a worthy cause. The length of partnership depends on the individual staff member.