"…we recognise that everyone at Arm is different and there will be things that we all care about and we support them to take action on whatever it might be that they care about…” – Anna Malan
Since 2020, employee fundraising has changed along with shifting office working patterns. In this episode, we talk to Anna Malan, Senior Manager, Community & Inclusion at Arm to get her view from a business perspective on what gets employees engaged with charities when they’re all working in a hybrid environment. Anna provides some solid examples that anyone working in corporate fundraising can take away and implement with their corporate partners. There are also some great ideas for business’s themselves as Anna explains how Arm’s employee community engagement programme recognises that everyone is different and very much aims to be employee-led.
1. Understanding employees
A core thread throughout our chat with Anna was the importance of understanding the employees’ mindset. This something that Arm do when building their own corporate responsibility and sustainability strategies. They will monitor trends amongst their staff to see what charities employees and volunteering with and fundraising for. Trying to understand the mindset of their partners’ staff is something that fundraisers can take on board by trying to make their workplace fundraising plans suitable for each corporate.
2. The time for new ideas
The transition of many businesses to either fully virtual or hybrid working is an opportunity to bring new ideas to the table. This is a great time for charities to get to know what issues their corporate partners’ are facing around employee engagement and how you can work together to solve these. This should incorporate both volunteering and fundraising initiatives with fundraising have a particular focus on social interaction between staff. These new ideas can also prove to be more inclusive as it allows some staff to engage in ways they wouldn’t have been able to before.
3. Storytelling
We often talk about the importance of story-telling in the charity sector and this doesn’t change when it comes to thinking about good employee fundraising. In a hybrid setting, it’s a great way for corporates and charities alike to keep staff engaged. Giving a wide-range of staff, from leadership to entry-level roles, the platform to share their own stories of fundraising can spur further engagement from other employees. Make sure you talk to your partners about what channels are used the most for internal communication and how you can get your story out on these mediums.
This episode of Charity Chat has been brought to you by our platinum sponsor Work for Good. Work for Good believes everyone should be able to turn the work they do into good. Through their fundraising platform, they offer charities a way to engage and work with small businesses, including founders, owners and sole traders who want to make an impact for charities through their sales. To find out more, please visit workforgood.co.uk.
We hope you enjoy this week’s episode.
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E157 - Charities And Mayors With Sabrina Francis -
E57: Strategic Partnerships with Jo Taylor -
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