To celebrate 20 years working together, The Openwork Partnership has set an ambitious goal to raise £1 million for The Openwork Charitable Foundation. To help achieve this target The Partnership has launched a series of ‘Fit for the Foundation’ challenges, as well as numerous activities and initiatives at Head Office and across the network throughout the summer months.
In 2005, an enterprising group of financial services professionals launched a new trading entity called Openwork. Since then, The Openwork Partnership has welcomed Omnis, Owl and 2plan into the family and grown into one of the largest, most established advice networks in the UK.
The Foundation was launched in 1981, and since then has enjoyed a fantastic level of support from colleagues and advisers from around the network with regular giving as well as fundraising activities from physical challenges and sky dives to quiz nights and gala dinners, helping the annual funds raised regularly exceed £700,000. This year, to mark this significant anniversary, the Foundation has put forward a stretch goal to raise more, have greater impact and bring to life The Partnership values that bind the businesses together.
Colleagues and advisers are setting out together on physical challenges that include the National Three Peaks in July, the Yorkshire Three Peaks in September and a cycling challenge in Cuba in November. Chief Operating Officer, Frank Meere, is walking the Yorkshire Three Peaks with his team and Omnis colleagues are also fielding the ‘Peaky Climbers’ team. You can see who has signed up already and support them here.
Alongside this, The Partnership’s volunteering policy now allows colleague to spend three days a year giving time to charities of their choice and the uplift scheme matches all fundraising totals by 50%. Among other initiatives, this week saw a number of colleagues roll up their sleeves and spend two days volunteering with the Well Child Charity in Swindon.
To support advisers and colleagues around the country who want help setting up fundraising activities, the Partnership has made £150,000 available to enable both large and small charity initiatives to get off the ground. A number of adviser firms have already planned events to raise money including charity golf days and charity balls. The coffee shop at Head Office also donates a portion of its profits to the Foundation, so just buying a morning coffee at the office helps to make a difference.
Philip Howell, CEO, The Openwork Partnership said: “We are so proud of the vital work that The Foundation does to bring people in the Partnership together and to benefit those most in need in our communities. This ambitious fundraising target is a wonderful way to celebrate 20 years of The Partnership whilst supporting the Foundation and I’m grateful to every single person who is contributing – in whatever way.”
The Foundation’s strategic charity partners, Young Enterprise and Dementia UK, each benefit from £150,000 over three years. In addition, multiple grants of up to £15,000 are made each quarter, to benefit charities which have been nominated by people from across the organisation. Examples of beneficiaries include organisations who work with children and adults with physical and mental disabilities or specific health conditions, hospices, Air Ambulances and services supporting people who have experienced homelessness and abuse. In the last year alone a total of £800,000 was given to charities like these by the Foundation.