Premier League prizes help make charity shop raffle a big success

A RAFFLE with some premiership prizes has helped net £750 for Whitby's Oxfam branch.

The charity shop in New Quay Road held two raffles and a tombola last month to celebrate its second birthday. Prizes up for grabs included Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Arsenal and Liverpool FC collectors items including signed shirts and a signed picture of Gunners boss Arsene Wenger as well as a host of prizes donated by local businesses.

A cake stall, toy stall and gift stall also helped swell the funds.
Manageress Margaret Humberstone said: “On the Saturday we sold loads of raffle tickets to football fans as well as others.“The interest in it was phenomenal.

They were all saying how they’d seen the article in the Gazette. “We are all absolutely delighted. All together with the stalls and raffles we raised an astounding £750.“I would like to thank all the local businesses who donated items to us.

“Without them we couldn’t have raised this amount. To the premiership teams, Liverpool, Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Sunderland, a very big thank you for taking the time to donate to our charity. Their items certainly raised our profile. We can’t thank them enough.“I would also like to thank my volunteers who helped as without them it wouldn’t be possible.

”Oxfam staff are now planning a summer fair for Regatta weekend. A full list of prize winners is available in the shop .

• Digg this
• Add to del.icio.us
• Stumble It!

Toyota Manufacturing UK donates cash to charity

TOYOTA is to distribute more than £200,000 to charities and projects in North Wales and Derbyshire.

Representatives from a number of charities will be at the car manufacturer’s Deeside plant today (Thursday) to receive donations from Toyota Manufacturing UK’s deputy managing director Carl Klemm.

The presentation will also mark the official launch of the Toyota Manufacturing UK Charitable Trust, set up last year.

The trust raised £201,403 in its first year through fundraising activities including marathons, fun runs, golf events, raffles, cycle rides and cake sales.

• Digg this
• Add to del.icio.us
• Stumble It!

Business will donate £500m less to charity, says survey

Fresh evidence of how the credit crunch is hitting charities emerged today with a new poll showing that business donations to good causes are expected to be cut by almost £500m this year as a result of the economic downturn.

The survey of 450 senior business leaders in the UK found that corporate giving is expected to drop by 34% this year, with six out of 10 respondents expecting that their organisation will cut its charity budget.

British business gives an estimated £1.4bn a year in revenue and support to good causes - much of it from the now devastated financial services industry.

According to the research, which was commissioned by the Social Investment Consultancy and carried out by online pollsters YouGovStone, about 83% of respondents believed that reducing corporate giving was "a necessity" in times like these.

In addition to cutting the total amount of support, almost half of those questioned expected to cut the number of good causes they support this year.

Jake Hayman, the chief executive of the Social Investment Consultancy, said: "These cutbacks will either expose corporations as fair-weather donors, or it could mean they apply themselves to develop more innovative ways of supporting communities.

"The truth is, there are plenty of things companies can do to maintain strong partnerships with good causes that can build rather than hit the bottom line."

More optimistically, four out of five respondents agreed that companies whose budgets are squeezed should look for other ways of helping the community, such as helping staff volunteering, offering the use of their function rooms for fundraising events, or "gifts in kind".

A computer company that previously gave a £10,000 cheque to its chosen charity might, for example, now opt to give 10 laptops directly. It is a gift still worth £10,000, but perhaps only costs the company £5,000.

The financial services sector, which has been among the worst hit by the economic crisis, has dominated corporate giving. Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS gave £57m and £55m in 2007, according to their annual reports, but that level of funding must now be in jeopardy. Lehman Brothers, the US bank that collapsed last September, reportedly gave $39m (£28m) to charity in 2007.

The Northern Rock Foundation, which was set up by the bank to fund charitable and voluntary organisations in the north-east of Britain, was also a significant donor.

The consultancy's clients include Standard Chartered Bank, which last year commissioned the firm to gauge how effectively staff were engaging with its flagship Seeing Is Believing programme. The scheme is operated in conjunction with the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness to reduce the levels of avoidable blindness.

• Digg this
• Add to del.icio.us
• Stumble It!

Rewarding corporate responsibilty and green policies

THE nebusiness awards 2008 showcase the strength and depth of business excellence in North East England, with 12 categories and many entrants competing for honours. This year the awards for Corporate Social Responsibility and Environment have been combined, making the new category of Corporate Responsibility and Environment a stern test for judges and entrants alike.

In 2007, SCA Hygiene Products UK won the Environment award with the Gentoo Group taking the Corporate Social Responsibility prize. The 2008 winners of the combined category will need to display their exemplary behaviour towards the environment, local community, their staff and supply chain.

Environmental development and corporate responsibility is high on the agenda of North East businesses and it is important that in challenging economic times we do not lose sight of the need to protect our communities and the environment.

Business Link, associate sponsors of the nebusiness awards 2008, have a full programme of advice and support that can help any business, regardless of size or sector, improve its corporate responsibility and environmental policies and set them on the path towards being a nebusiness awards winner.

Go to www.businesslink.gov.uk/northeast for more information about how Business Link can help your business improve its corporate responsibility and environmental policy or call 0845 600-9006.

Follow the advice below from Business Link’s Suzanne McCreedy, for an insight into the guidance Business Link can provide.

“Building a reputation as a responsible business sets you apart. Many consumers prefer to buy from ethical businesses and companies often favour suppliers who demonstrate responsible policies as this helps them to minimise the risk of any damage to their own reputations.

“Some customers don’t just prefer to deal with responsible companies, but insist on it. Sales of environmentally friendly products continue to grow – and these products often sell at a premium price.

“Many businesses could cut energy costs by over 10%, according to Carbon Trust estimates, with the total average annual saving for a small business maximising its reductions around £250, increasing to as much as £5,000 for larger employers.

“Examples of simple ways you can help the environment and your business by cutting costs, include getting staff to turn off equipment when not in use, switching to energy-efficient bulbs – a measure that can reduce lighting bills by up to 75% – and discussing options with your energy supplier about the products they have available to boost energy efficiency. If you work from home, insulating your property is one of the most effective ways to cut costs and could pay for itself in less than two years.

“Working with your local community brings a wide range of business benefits. For many businesses, local customers are an important source of sales. By improving your reputation, you may find it easier to recruit employees. A good relationship with local authorities can also make your business life much easier as local authorities may prefer to award contracts to businesses with a record of community involvement.

“There are many ways to get involved in your community. Some businesses choose to support a local charity, school or sports team, or sponsor a local event.

“It makes commercial sense to pursue activity related to your product and can be a productive way to generate publicity. This lets you use your expertise as well as showing the human face of your business. For example, some restaurants provide food to local homeless groups, while builders may give free labour and materials to community projects.

“Making provision for staff welfare and training is good for productivity and morale. A good reputation also makes it easier to recruit employees, who are then more likely to stay longer, reducing the costs and disruption of recruitment and retraining.

“A formal development review process is the best way to keep track of the skills and training possessed by staff at all levels in your business and putting procedures in place to help employees deal with stress is an important means of responding to problems such as smoking and increased alcohol consumption during busy periods.

“Good management can reduce work-related stress. Setting realistic targets and providing employees with training and opportunities for promotion can help to boost employee morale. You can’t eliminate stress altogether so it’s important that you learn to spot the symptoms and encourage employees to raise issues that are bothering them.

“Choosing your suppliers carefully can be an important part of your approach to corporate social responsibility. For example, you might try to use local suppliers as much as possible. This helps you support your community and also reduces the energy wasted in deliveries.

“Treat your suppliers fairly, particularly smaller businesses that rely on you. For example, being paid on time can make a big difference to them. Similarly, you should not abuse your position by taking advantage of a business that is relying on you to deal with them in an honest and fair way. While you might make a short-term gain at your supplier’s expense, your relationship will suffer. Squeezing too hard might even put your supplier out of business, leaving you both worse off.”

Business Link and the nebusiness awards 2008 recognise the importance of corporate and environmental responsibility, which is crucial to the development of the region’s businesses and communities. The measures outlined above cut across all aspects of commercial activity and can benefit business as much as the people they help. Business Link can provide impartial advice and support to North East businesses who want make a positive difference and take the first step towards becoming and a winner.

From Nebusiness

• Digg this
• Add to del.icio.us
• Stumble It!

Charity cash in troubled banks

James Bevan, who looks after £5bn for charities and local authorities, says trustees need to manage cash and equities safely.

One of the saddest aspects in the collapse of the Icelandic banks has been how many charities were caught out.

Collectively, dozens of worthy causes from Naomi House Children’s hospice near Winchester to Cats Protection lost tens of millions of pounds collected by dedicated fund raisers over many years. In total, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations estimates that total losses to the charitable and voluntary sector could top £120m.

The losses suffered by these organisations puts the role and responsibilities of trustees firmly in the spotlight. As James Bevan, the chief investment officer of CCLA, a fund manager which looks after £5bn on behalf of charities, churches and local authorities, tells Telegraph TV’s Your Money Their Hands it is indeed an onerous task, not least from a legal point of view. He offers advice on how best to protect assets.

To find out how to look after both cash and equities on behalf of your charities go to telegraph.co.uk/yourmoney

• Digg this
• Add to del.icio.us
• Stumble It!

Barclays plans £4.5bn fundraising

Barclays has said it is planning to raise £4.5bn ($8.8bn) in a share issue to bolster its balance sheet.

The firm is to sell shares to new investors, such as the Qatar Investment Authority, and existing shareholders including China Development Bank. Barclays said the fundraising move would "strengthen its capital base". It is the latest British bank, following the Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS, to seek to raise money to ease the impact of the credit crunch. Barclays shares rose more than 5% in early trading in reaction to the share move.

New investors

The Qatar Investment Authority, the state-owned investment arm of the Gulf state, will invest £1.7bn in Barclays, making it a substantial new shareholder. A separate Qatari company called Challenger - controlled by Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr al-Thani - is to invest £533m in the business. Japanese bank Sumitomo Mitsui Corporation, meanwhile, has agreed to buy £500m in new shares. The share issue will see existing investors, including China Development Bank and Singaporean investment firm Temasek, top up their holdings. The former will buy £136m worth of shares, while the latter will acquire £200m. Barclays has suffered losses from mortgage-backed investments, devalued by the slump in the US housing market, but not on the same scale as many top US and European firms. It recently gave an upbeat trading report, saying profits in May were well ahead of 2007. "Through our capital raising, we strengthen our capital base and give ourselves additional resources to pursue our strategy of growth through earnings diversification," chief executive John Varley said.
"We draw strength from the continued resilience of our trading performance."

Discount price

Under the terms of the share issue, all existing investors will have the opportunity to buy additional shares in the business. The bulk of the new shares, worth £4bn, are being sold for 282 pence, representing a 9% discount on their value at close of trading on Tuesday. British banks are tapping their shareholders for extra cash to shore up their financial position as credit markets remain unstable and earnings from key activities - particularly mortgage lending and investment banking - come under real strain. RBS Group has already raised about £12bn while HBOS is looking to raise £4bn. Barclays led the way in courting foreign investors when it sold a sizeable stake in its business to China Development Bank last year.
The Qatari Investment Authority already has significant interests in the UK, in effect controlling about 25% of shares in supermarket chain Sainsbury's.

Via: BBS

• Digg this
• Add to del.icio.us
• Stumble It!

Experts to give free marketing advice

A new corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme called Marketing for Change is offering charities in Ireland free marketing expertise. Launched last week by Alternatives Marketing Talent House, marketers will volunteer their skills and experience to nominated charities for an agreed period.

Projects include assisting charities in how they are perceived by the public and the media, helping to launch fundraising or awareness campaigns, informing advertising and PR and helping to encourage volunteers to join.

Alternatives has selected 16 charities, including Child Fund Alliance, the Hope Foundation and World Vision Ireland, with over 30 projects signed up to the programme.

‘‘It’s a win-win-win. For the charities, they gain access to experienced marketers free of charge. For the volunteers, they will be able to provide high impact marketing contributions in an easy and flexible way,” said Aldagh McDonogh, programme director for the initiative.

‘‘In a nutshell, these companies hire in the best marketing talent for a dedicated period of time to complete a particular task which requires a skill that they don’t currently have in their business.

‘‘Instead of simply writing a cheque for a worthy cause our new programme is about investing yourself directly through your time and expertise in charities that really benefit from your input.”
www.alternatives.ie/marketingforchange

Source: UK Fundraising

• Digg this
• Add to del.icio.us
• Stumble It!

Where's Big Business Corporate Social Responsibility?

I read another critical article in the FT at the weekend about Alliance Boots extending its payment terms to suppliers to 75 days from the end of month invoice date, thus squeezing the cash flow of countless numbers of smaller British businesses.

Alliance Boots and other large corporations publish an awful lot about their Corporate Social Responsibilty policies, and what they do to make the world a better place. Boots for instance talks on its CSR website about its belief that it has an "enormously valuable role to play in promoting the health of our nation", and also believes in treating its customers "fairly".

So are suppliers not important stakeholders in the Boots business? Why no mention that they, like customers, should be treated fairly? Does anyone think about the social and economic impact of not paying suppliers on terms that they can live with? Does big business worry about smaller companies going to the wall with cash flow difficulties, or the fact that business people who run small businesses will suffer stress and anxiety as a result of their actions?

If they do worry, there is no evidence of it unfortunately... which means that business credit squeeze anger amongst the SME community will continue to grow I'm afraid.

Via: Accountancy Age blog: Risky Business with Martin Williams

• Digg this
• Add to del.icio.us
• Stumble It!

Corporate Philanthropy

Philosophy

Corporate Philanthropy is a modern and effective key- factor in the marketing commerce. Why? Nowadays many business companies in Great Britain are involved in philanthropy. Corporate philanthropy has become of big importance. What does it mean corporate philanthropy? It is voluntary funds released by a company for supporting socially-significant spheres and aimed at creating a favourable public opinion about the company. And this point is very essential, as it distinguishes corporate philanthropy from any other activity - here must be cooperation with the strategy of the company, clearness and efficiency of mechanisms releasing money as well as orientation for the company goals. So, corporative image and trust into company – these are the goals of the company. Got stronger business realised its ability to play the great role in the process of improving society life. How to reach productivity, effectiveness and good result? A company has to understand its advantages of charitable activity. In order to raise the quality and level of corporate contributions each business community requires a win-win scenario.

Missions:

Usually Corporate Philanthropic Investments target at 3 sectors:

1. social programmes
2. art and culture
3. education and science

Types of Corporate Philanthropy:

1. external (aimed at society) or internal (inside the company)
2. local or international importance
3. long- term cooperation with the concrete organization/project or one-shot (one-time) support of organization/project

Advantages:

• Company motivation in corporate philanthropy

Most of the companies are aimed at increasing the stock appreciation that is why every company considers its activity in the light of capitalisation. “The Link between Corporate Citizenship and Financial Performance” research, held by Conference Board, revealed the following dependence:

1. very considerable positive correlation between return on assets and social company activity
2. very substantial positive correlation between return on sales and social company activity
3. positive, but less sizeable return on capital and social company activity

• Positive influence of social activity onto consumers’ mood

A good company image is important for the shareholders as well as for consumers. A consumer would choose a brand (in equal circumstances) associated with the social responsibility.

• Good sign for the company personnel

Investments into people (employees) lead to the widening of the client field. For example, if banks` workers are pleased with their work conditions and positions then clients of this very bank are pleased with more than 15 % in comparison with other banks. So, it will attract more clients to the bank. As in 1997 the conflict between the management and the pilots of British Airways Company cost it 125 millions pounds. Thus, try to create favourable climate in your company to avoid any unpleasant situation.

• It can create good relations with the local authority and bring the business company some good contracts

• It allows to get tax remissions

Though, many businesses work through non-commercial organisations and they have some disadvantages in their work: need to improve management mechanism, use more professional approach and analyze the process and productivity of activity.

Forms of Corporate Philanthropy

The main form of Corporate Philanthropy usually is financial support- 81 %, then go valuable prizes and presents, covering bills and expenditures, special scholarships and grants, humanitarian aid (food, clothes) and others.

The leaders of the world corporate citizenship philanthropy in the UK include more than 700 companies.

• Digg this
• Add to del.icio.us
• Stumble It!