Create a Culture of Giving Back

Tim Wilkinson- Hall, Head of Knowledge and Culture, describes five ways you can take your culture to the next level with charitable giving, including:

• Jump to Set The Tone From The Top >
• Jump to Give Your People a Voice >
• Jump to Keep Things Simple >
• Jump to Charity Team Building >
• Jump to Act Quick When Needed >

There are now 170,000 charities operating in England and Wales as of March 2022, and more than 2.5 million people per week receive food via one of the many food banks within the UK. The stats speak for themselves, and it's important that we all play our part in supporting those who need us most. In return, you build a strong culture, a culture to be proud of and an organisation that sets itself above the rest.

Below are five ways to build a strong culture by charitable giving.

1. Set The Tone From The Top

Culture doesn't happen because you want it to happen. It starts from the top, so CEOs and leaders must be the first to embrace giving back. We are fortunate that our Chairman, David Pollock, leads from the front at Chess. He has competed in and organised numerous charity funding events and challenges to inspire our people to get involved. David is an active supporter of the Prince's Trust and for over 10 years he chaired the Northwest Development Committee. He was was a trustee of Active Cheshire for over 5 years, a charity that encourages health and wellbeing. David was one of the founders of Cheshire Community Foundation and is also Vice President of East Cheshire Hospice. His passion for charitable giving is clear to see, and this builds the foundations for Chess to embrace a culture of charitable giving.

2. Give Your People a Voice

A strong culture is built by everyone feeling part of something bigger. You will go further and work harder as a team to support a charity you are passionate about. Our people pick our 12 charities annually, which is a great way to drive charitable giving.

Every quarter we organise together with the Prince's Trust a workshop during which young people learn about employability and interview skills.

3. Keep Things Simple

Charitable giving doesn't just have to be about jumping out of planes or climbing mountains. One of the main philanthropic successes we have seen at Chess in recent years is the launch of our Engage platform. We have successfully linked Culture and Charity by introducing a fun and quick way to provide companywide recognition and praise for all to see. The best thing about this – every time someone is praised, they get to donate £1 to one of the 12 Chess Charities. In 2021, we raised £14,000 through praise, which was part of the £45,000 total we donated.

4. Charity Team Building

The Coronavirus pandemic created an unprecedented shift to remote work. However, as restrictions start to ease, now is the perfect time to get your teams together in person. At Chess, we have been arranging hub locations for teams to work from ad-hoc, and the rise in morale from this has been clear to see. In addition, in May, we will ask all our teams to participate in our annual step challenge. This is a fun way to raise money while staying active as a team.

Donations arriving at the Romania - Ukraine border 

5. Act Quick When Needed

When things happen in the world that we've not planned for, people will turn to their leaders to see how we will support them. It's important to act fast and to be ahead of the curve. During the pandemic, we worked to supply laptops to local school children. Most recently, we sent medical and food supplies to the Romania – Ukraine border and donated to the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal. When your people see you act fast, they understand the urgency, and teams will come together to support you.

We are always happy to help if you want a chat about incorporating charitable giving in your culture. Contact our consultancy team through the form below, speak to your account manager or don't hesitate to contact me directly at TimWilkinsonHall@chessict.co.uk.