42 . Glasgow Business November/December 2013


communities can help promote their products and services among existing and potential customers. Tis change in approach is


borne out by research from the Directory for Social Change that shows that company giving in the UK has remained steady as a percentage of pre-tax profits, but has fallen in value terms as an increasing amount of donations have been made in-kind. Measurement of the inputs, outputs and impacts of community investment have increased markedly. Rowan Main, Local Fundraising


Manager with Cancer Research UK, said: “We approach companies on the basis of working very much in partnership – to jointly meet the business objectives of corporate partners while they help raise the vital funds we need to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.” Rowan said that companies


working with Cancer Research UK benefit from increased staff morale, team building and the motivational aspect of their staff working towards a goal of creating more tomorrows for more families. CHILDREN 1ST, which is


celebrating its 130th anniversary next year, provides a variety of services to support vulnerable children and their families and also takes this strategic approach. Its Corporate Fundraiser, Ellie


Maizels, said: “We always take the time to find out what our corporate supporters want to achieve from working with CHILDREN 1ST, both in terms of social impact and in terms of their own strategic aims. Tis could range from increased staff morale and workforce motivation to improved sales and brand awareness.” International charities can also


support a local company’s CSR goals, as Mercy Ships shows. Te charity is currently on a 10-month service in Congo, using its state-of-the-art hospital ship to provide free surgery and medical care, as well as working with local communities to improve health care. Te ship is crewed by more than 450 expert volunteers, who also pay crew fees while living and working on board. It’s been operating this unique


model for the past 35 years, and in this time made 575 port visits in poor countries around the world. Mercy Ships relies on donations to


keep its ships fuelled and stocked with medical supplies, and Sarah Balser, Head of Fundraising, said: “Our work shows that a small donation can have a massive impact on people in Africa and really change their lives for the beter. For example, £100 is all it costs for one of our surgeons to fix the deformity of a cleſt palate for three children and transform their lives forever. “We have lots of people in


Scotland that have been on our missions and are keen to visit companies to tell employees what a difference Mercy Ships makes on impoverished countries around the world. We find that this really inspires and engages people and helps them get behind our fundraising efforts.” In general, people have a


genuine desire to help others less fortunate than themselves and Ellie


from CHILDREN 1ST believes this is where the true value is to be had in corporate involvement. She said: “When people get


together to fundraise, they not only use their creativity to come up with great ideas, but they also have lots of fun – and leting your hair down at work is very liberating. It also breaks down barriers, helps to bind people together and so it is a great way of developing teamwork.” While companies may not


always be able to trace the impact of their charitable giving to their botom line, they can oſten see the results in the increase in morale of their staff aſter a successful fund raising event and how this is translated into beter teamwork across the organisation and staff motivation. So, that “nice warm fuzzy feeling” may have an economic benefit aſter all.


CHARITIES GIVE BACK


Charitable partnerships with business is not a one-way street. There are a number of charities that can provide organisations with valuable services that can ultimately help their bottom line. One of those charities which is expanding its work with corporates is


SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health), which has been providing community-based support services for people across Scotland for the past 90 years. It has considerable expertise in responding to the needs of people with mental health problems, providing services that support more than 2,500 people on a daily basis. According to Hilary Douglas, SAMH Corporate Partnerships Manager, one in six employees are affected by mental health issues and it is estimated to cost UK business £2 billion a year in lost profitability. She said: “SAMH can provide a partnership with a company by not only


encouraging employees to support our work through fundraising, but also helping the company build awareness of mental health in the workplace. We can help develop a culture where employees are confident enough to talk about their issues and get support. This can help a business through reducing absenteeism. “We can also give something back to our corporate partners by offering


training courses for managers and HR people so they can understand the issues, increase their knowledge and support staff who have mental health problems, from recruitment to supporting a return to work.”


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