Working with charities: Case study with Bidwells
In the second part of our series looking at the benefits to your agency of working with charities, we feature Bidwells celebrating their 175th anniversary with activities that engaged their local communities and produced long-term benefits – I’m sure they had a party too!
Patrick McMahon, Senior Partner at Bidwells explains,
“Bidwells has recently been celebrating its 175th anniversary and we decided to coincide this with a big fund-raising drive.
“We were somewhat nervous about the target we set ourselves, but we found that once everyone got behind the event it just snowballed and become bigger and bigger as everybody embraced the spirit of the event.
“Bidwells raised a staggering amount of money for our chosen charities – more than £140,000, which is fantastic news and I am extremely proud of all who took part. As well as this, our teams also carried out 250 days of volunteering.
“One thing we found as a result of our fund-raising was that it really brought everyone closer together and helped our teams to further strengthen their relationships. I would certainly say that there are so many additional benefits as a result of CSR, not just the people you help with the money you raise, but it also helps the company to focus, and as a result bonds within our teams are stronger than before.
“Even though we are now almost at the end of our anniversary celebrations, one thing is for sure and that is that we will continue with our fund-raising efforts. We are also now expanding this, so not just from fund-raising, but also continuing with our volunteering and if our business services can be of help to the charities then we will help in that way as well.”
One of the local charities that benefited from Bidwell’s fundraising activities was EACH, which supports children, young people and their families address the challenges which having a life-threatening condition brings. Services are provided either in the family home, the community or one of their hospices.
Camilla Haycock from EACH is delighted with the efforts of Bidwells’ staff and can see the long-term benefit for both sides, commenting,
“We see the partnership as a great way to engage Bidwells’ staff in exciting fundraising initiatives whilst helping them to celebrate their anniversary in a positive and meaningful way. Many of the Bidwells offices, including their headquarters, are based in East Anglia and their fundraising will help EACH to continue with its work to support and care for children and young people with a life-threatening condition, as well as their families in the same region.”
And it’s a long-term productive and developing partnership, as the staff at Bidwells can see first hand the difference their efforts are making, with Richard Pilsworth, Head of Cambridge Bidwells adding,
“Having personally visited the EACH hospice in Milton, I am twice as determined to help them with the great work that they do.”
Check out the first part of the series featuring Barratt Homes and the RSPB here.
Cover picture (cambridgenetwork.co.uk): Bidwell’s Cambridge office selected East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) as the focal point of its celebratory 175th year.
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