Colt and Friendship Works
Colt have a CSR Steering Committee that is led by their CEO and they agreed that the charity selected should be in the children and education area, as they felt that this resonated best with their brand. The company were also looking for a charity that was relatively small and local to where they operate in the UK - mainly London- and that had fundraising skills and experience in order to help them engage Colt employees in fundraising activities. Friendship Works were able to quantify the financial benefit they would gain from fundraising - every £3000 helps them support a new child for a year. This was useful in helping Colt put their fundraising efforts into context for employees, making it more measurable and therefore meaningful.
Shared goals agreed from the start:
1. Awareness raising and employee engagement within Colt: the company wanted to be sure that as many employees as possible were aware of Friendship Works and what they do.
2. Fundraising: set a target of raising £15,000 during 2010 through employee fundraising initiatives and Friendship Works events.
3. Volunteering: committed to offering the charity professional assistance in the areas of IT, marketing and business strategy (Colt employees have 2 volunteering days per year).
The company smashed their original fundraising target and decided to increase it to £30k. The funds raised have already made a big difference to the support that Friendship Works is able to provide to children and young people facing disadvantage. The enthusiasm and engagement of Colt staff has raised the profile of the charity within the company, business sector and local community. Friendship Works is also benefiting from the business skills that Colt share with them.
The partnership has enabled Colt employees to use and develop new skills, e.g. taking responsibility for organising an event or initiative, and to also network and work in collaboration with colleagues they do not normally work with. Colt have also been able to access new networks and contacts via Friendship Works.
