Go the extra mile and raise your profile

Whether you call it ‘community partnership’, a ‘charitable donation’ or the official recognised term ‘corporate responsibility’, there is an expectation, and rightly so, that businesses should give something back to a society that has helped them thrive.

Having said all that, there are opportunities to enhance your reputation and develop your staff in the name of a good cause if you think beyond just writing out a cheque.

In professional service firms, where a good proportion (in some cases the majority) of income comes from helping individuals with personal matters, giving something back to the community signifies an appreciation, respect and desire for a mutually beneficial relationship that goes beyond the four walls of your offices.

My firm is an example of one that has grown from a couple of people in an office along the high street to a six-branch regional law firm, thanks to
word of mouth leading to a well-established reputation over the past 50 years.

We have hosted events, sponsored local sports teams, held raffles at staff parties and made donations to local causes. To mark our golden anniversary year, we wanted to do things that really stood out: challenges that we have never attempted before for causes we had yet to directly support.

First, we held a cycling event. Ten of us trained and embarked on a 50-mile charity bike ride around all our offices for Wessex Heartbeat’s ‘High 5’ appeal, in aid of a unit for young people with heart conditions at Southampton General Hospital.

We actually cycled 51.6 miles, through bad weather, with an average speed of 11.3mph and completed the course in seven hours, 33 minutes and one second. We got some sponsors for equipment and, thanks to online activities such as emailing, social media and a Just Giving page, we smashed our target
of £1,000 to raise over £1,500.

The delighted charity told
the local paper, which published a feature about the firm. We
were profiled on a number of local business media channels and the charity’s website. Clients, associates and staff were hugely supportive and are still talking about it.

So, we raised money, set an example the charity was pleased to publicise and became a talking point in the community.

 

FUNDRAISING TIPS Pick an activity. People are more likely to support you if you are seen to be challenging yourselves. Make sure staff are enthused. It should be an enjoyable and satisfying experience. Make it personal. Choose a cause and/or activity that has some easily identifiable meaning for your firm. This makes sure that you don't look like you're just 'jumping on a bandwagon'. Liaise with the charity. Tell it what you have planned in advance and let it support you. Embrace online. There are so many facilities available to help fundraising. Look at inspirational teenager Stephen Sutton (who, sadly, died last week) and the originality of 'no make-up selfies' that took full advantage of social media outlets to raise millions. Prepare. If it's a physical challenge, check with people to make sure they are getting ready. Maybe try to get people training as a team. Enjoyment and thanks. Mare sure that participating staff feel valued and appreciated by the firm. It's their reputation they are also supporting.

SJ

Catherine Maxfield is managing partner of Eric Robinson