10 ways companies are supporting charities
Melanie May | 16 August 2021 | News
From Mode app partnering with Young Lives vs Cancer, to WD-40 Company and the Captain Tom Foundation, here’s news of 10 ways businesses are supporting charities across the UK, from fundraising to donated goods.
Young Lives vs Cancer & Mode
Fintech group Mode has partnered with Young Lives vs Cancer to raise donations for the charity through its app. The Mode App offers Young Lives vs Cancer cheaper, faster donations with processing fees capped at 0.5% (and at 0% for the first six months as part of its donation pledge). The smartphone app’s innovative QR code payments system also aims to boost appeal with Gen Z and Millennial audiences – essential demographics to engage in order to ensure long-term funding and support.
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Hymans Robertson & foundation
Hymans Robertson has given over £200,000 and helped more than 400 families and over 1500 individuals through 55 different charitable organisations both as a firm, and through the Hymans Robertson Foundation, over the last year. In the year in which the firm celebrated its 100th birthday, it also, through its Foundation, launched a charity hardship fund. This gave over £45,000 in practical help, reaching more than 400 families and over 1,000 individuals, and helping to provide essential support from food and care parcels, laptops and digital access, educational materials, counselling sessions to PPE, in partnership with charities across the UK. A Hymans Robertson Foundation bursary fund was also launched to support young people, with initial funding now doubled to £60,000.
Pizza Express, Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy & Place2Be
As part of its summer of innovation, PizzaExpress has unveiled two new charity partners: Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy and Place2Be. Music was at the heart of Peter Boizot’s vision when he created the brand’s casual dining concept in 1965 and it has remained a key pillar ever since. The new partnership with Nordoff Robbins will make this connection even stronger. 25p from every Padana pizza sale will be donated, alongside a host of fundraising activities, so that more music therapy can be provided to some of the UK’s most vulnerable people. Place2Be joins the family as PizzaExpress’s second national charity partner. Alongside long-standing partner, Venice in Peril, the charity will receive a portion of proceeds from sales of the brand’s Veneziana pizza.
Devitt Insurance, Epic Nordic Adventure & Alex’s Wish
Motorcycle industry insurance specialist Devitt Insurance has offered its support to the Inspired Rider’s Epic Nordic Adventure; a 6,000-mile journey being undertaken by Stan Hulme and Matt Daly on their bikes – a BMW R 1200 GS and a Triumph Tiger 800 XCA – to the North Cape in Europe supporting Alex’s Wish.
Gaming influencers & Make-A-Wish UK
Gaming influencers Dan TDM, GaGOD, Beardageddon, It’s Tegan, InDeeDee, and KT.EXE have helped Make-A-Wish UK smash its target during the charity’s first #Wish100Week fundraising campaign. They all supported Make-A-Wish, alongside game developers, brands, fundraisers, and streamers, in the challenge to raise £200,000 – enough money to grant 100 wishes to seriously ill children, raising almost £300,000 through livestreams and donations. Sports Interactive produced an in-game advert in Football Manager, while Miniclip co-created the campaign and King, Ten Square Games, Codemasters, Hutch, MTG, Huuuge Games, Fusebox, Venatus, Curve Digital and Stillfront also supported the initiative.
Access Group & National Deaf Children’s Society
The Access Group has raised a total of £376,495 for the National Deaf Children’s Society as its chosen Charity of The Year. Access employees voted for the National Deaf Children’s Society after a compelling nomination from two Access employees, Adam and Kayleigh Freeman, whose three-year-old son Henry (pictured) was born profoundly deaf and had received life-changing support from the charity. The funds raised were a culmination of two years of fundraising by the Access team, with each pound raised matched by The Access Group. Activities included Olympic-distance triathlons, swimming the distance of the English Channel and a group skydive which raised £10,000 on its own.
Clifford Chance & The Sparkle Foundation
International law firm Clifford Chance has partnered with The Sparkle Foundation (Sparkle) as one of its global pro bono charities. Sparkle and Clifford Chance have been collaborating since the charity’s inception in 2015 with employees from around the world providing over 1,500 hours of legal and non-legal support, as well as over 45 hours of training to Sparkle staff members, community members and children. Training areas have ranged from topics including governance, strategy, risk and GDPR, to sports and arts and crafts. In addition to financial donations, Clifford Chance employees have provided office equipment, clothes, toys, electronic equipment, fans and a playground set, to help Sparkle build new classrooms, offices and dining rooms. Two senior staff have also joined Sparkle’s board of trustees.
Vennor & Montessori Group
Social enterprise Venner has partnered with the Montessori Group to help low-income families in need of support across Liverpool and Manchester, by providing healthy, plant based recipe boxes, as well as nutritional support and education. Working with Montessori and nurseries to identify the families who will most benefit, Venner will provide their plant-based food boxes for free. Each weekly box will contain all the ingredients for five evening meals, light snacks, fruit and breakfast for kids. Families will also receive a recipe book and meal planner with instructions on how to prepare and cook the meals, as well as access to more recipes and inspiration through Venner’s free online platform – Venner Kitchen.
WD-40 Company & Captain Tom Foundation
WD-40 Company has officially joined forces with The Captain Tom Foundation. Based near Captain Sir Tom’s hometown, Bedford, WD-40 Company, located in Milton Keynes, has committed to raise funds for the foundation with a target of £30,000 and a £20,000 additional company donation. The WD-40 Company team has already kickstarted its efforts with a walking challenge drawing inspiration from Captain Sir Tom’s infamous garden laps. 48 trekkers travelled a total of 7710.13km (the same length as over 37.7 million WD-40 Multi-Use Flexible Straws), with the top performing traveller completing a huge 400km worth of distance, and another five marching over 300km each. To date, WD-40 Company’s walkers have managed to raise over £7,710.
Virgin Money Giving & Ziffit Donate
Virgin Money Giving’s partnership with Ziffit Donate has raised £100,000 for charity in the last year. Launched in 2020, Ziffit’s Donate has seen thousands of people declutter their homes using its trade-in service. Customers are then able to donate the value of their goods to a range of causes. Ziffit is part of the World of Books Group.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.