To be successful charities need a high level of media attention for their fundraising events and YCR were successful in attracting Sir Michael Parkinson as the charity’s Patron. This helped to promote their work with local businesses and the community around Barnsley where they had great support including the singer Kate Rusby and the Underneath the Stars festival. The Yorkshire Dales Meat Company ran a promotion in a national supermarket where they pledged to give a small donation to YCR for every pack sold. This was of course not just about money and it raised both the profile and the charity’s brand. A major law firm in Leeds gave us pro bono support with data protection, without which YCR would have had difficulty in responding to the demands of the new Fundraising Regulator and all the new rules they put in place after the collapse of Kids Company. Charities always need more professional experience and skills than they can afford to buy. Businesses can provide help in a whole range of areas from financial management, bank funding, project management and mentoring to communications, PR and product development. There is so much that can be learnt by both parties when charities and businesses work together.
Again, a series of unexpected coincidences lead me to look at a number of opportunities to head up major national charities. My wife Sue and I visited a lot of different places across the UK but in doing so and we realised that although we loved Yorkshire, we really missed Suffolk. Having worked in manufacturing, logistics, consulting, financial services and latterly in the charity sector, I knew that I needed a new challenge. I knew of Gotelee Solicitors and was very impressed with their reputation for charity and community commitments. With the radical and fundamental changes facing law firms, it felt like an irresistible opportunity. And a chance to move back to Suffolk! Although I am now working once again in the corporate world, I remain committed to strengthening the bonds between business and charity. One of the first points I’d make is that it’s not just about money! Businesses can work with charities in many other different ways and most of them are more valuable than small amounts of fundraising from coffee mornings or fun runs. Low level fundraising is helpful because money is always in short-supply, especially for local charities, but realistically, it’s not enough.
Can you give some examples of how business and charity can work together? The most fulfilling and productive relationships with businesses are where they lend their brand and PR machinery to promote and publicise the charity on a longer-term basis. From my own experience, YCR’s partnership with Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) was a game-changer for the charity. For two years YCCC gave us high-profile partnership status alongside all their corporate sponsors, and we took supporters and volunteers to matches and had tremendous support from players and management. They supported the charity by letting YCR run sun protection and education programmes for junior cricketers at local clubs and their enormous influence helped to spread the word about the charity. The relationship worked brilliantly and was the catalyst for inspiring another partnership, this time delivering cancer rehabilitation programmes with specially trained coaches at Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Club.
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