Supporting a charity as a business is a win for everyone, particularly for the cats and dogs at Teckels.
Supporting a charity is something we all do, whether it’s dropping a few coins into a charity bucket or running a marathon, but as a business how important is it to support a local charity?
Randall & Payne Chartered Accountants proudly claim to support local charities and have done so right back to their early days, but for over a decade they have opted to focus most of their fundraising on one corporate charity, which is changed every couple of years.
Voted for by the staff, Randall & Payne selected Teckels Animal Sanctuaries, based at Whitminster, as their charity partner and have been working with them since January.
Teckels, formed in 2003, is an independent charity which supports around 250 cats and 150 dogs each year. They also offer boarding services as well as dog daycare. They are reliant on donations and fundraising to pay for day-to-day running costs and expenses such as veterinary fees.
“We are a non-profit organisation and the income from boarding supports our rescue side of things. We often have people who have rehomed cats and dogs bring them back here for boarding,” explained Rebecca Braisby, Finance Officer at Teckels.
“We also have a link with Stroud District Council, so any strays are brought here and if they aren’t collected after seven days, they will have a space with us before they are rehomed,” added Team Leader, Cicely Parsons.
Jo Kline, Client Experience Officer at Randall & Payne said “It’s really difficult to choose who to support as a firm which is why the staff get the option to nominate and vote. There are so many charities in need in the county, so it helps to know we are supporting one that members of our staff have a relationship with.
“Although we do carry out various fundraisers over the two years, we also believe raising awareness for the charity is important, so we post and share on social media for them too.
“We have raised around £4,300 so far this year through a number of activities including one of our staff swimming the equivalent of the width of the English Channel; a Quiz Night hosted by Faye Hatcher, and myself, a running novice, along with ten colleagues took part in Run Cheltenham and raised £1160,” said Jo.
The most recent fundraiser was a ‘Bake-off’ where staff baked cakes which were judged on taste, texture, flavour and appearance. Randall & Payne donate £5 to Teckels for each cake entered, which are later sold to staff and raised over £200.
Their staff have also volunteered at the Teckels Summer Show: “I think volunteering is valuable to a business as it gets staff involved and they feel like they are truly making the effort to give something other than money. We are all finding our salaries don’t go as far but time is free so it’s a great thing to do and it makes you feel really good about helping others,” added Jo.
Rebecca added “It’s so good for us to have a partnership like this with Randall & Payne as it raises awareness across the county, and it’s good for their staff to come and see what we do,” explained Rebecca.
“People want to come and help the animals, and everyone wants to get involved and do volunteering days, so it’s a huge bonus that a business like Randall & Payne is raising money for us.”
When the two years comes to an end, Randall & Payne will continue a friendship with the charity and will offer support where possible. Their previous corporate charity, Maggie’s Cancer Centre Cheltenham, who they raised over £22,000 for, still hold their Charity Firewalk in the grounds at their office based in Shurdington.
So to the businesses who are thinking of supporting a local charity just do it, your team will benefit, your business will benefit from better engagement and you will all be doing something good. Make it win win for everyone!
