Giving Back to the Community
As a business giving back to the community is important. The size of business or contribution is unimportant, however having a caring and socially aware ethos is paramount. Many businesses are becoming more aware of their corporate responsibilities and are focusing on their environmental efforts, fundraising events, Employee wellbeing and volunteering. To give back doesn’t have to be costly or time consuming; a small contribution will help the community, your brand and staff morale.
As a business we fall into the definition of a Micro Business. We are thankful to the businesses, people and community that has continued to support us and has helped us develop the 1 Accounts we have today.
Paul’s Inspiration
When Sage launched the Sage Foundation Paul was really impressed that such a large global company wanted to give something back. The best part was that employees could have time off to work on a community project or for a charity of their choice. This inspired Paul to create 1 Accounts on the same ethos.
Teach a Man To Fish
1 Accounts is based in Haverhill, Suffolk. It is so important to help our community in Haverhill. As Accountants we are often asked to be treasurer of various clubs and charities. However we would rather teach them to manage this part of their organisation themselves. We have often provided training and guidance free of charge to help. As they say “give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime”
We have also helped charities with their independent examination reports. These charities often have a special meaning to us as a Business.
Sponsorship
We have supported national charity LPUK. Little People UK is close to our hearts as our Sales Manager Katie has Dwarfism. The LPUK helped Katie when she was younger by giving her a community of others with the same condition. In 2018 Paul rode the London 100 with two friends to raise the much needed money for the charity. Although Paul found this to be a huge challenge, he found participating for the charity very rewarding.
Volunteering
This year we are taking a leaf out of the Sage Foundation book. We are going to volunteer at the Haverhill food bank Reach. This means all of us at 1 Accounts will spend a day helping them give back to our community.
St Nicholas Hospice
Another charity we love to support is St Nicholas Hospice. The fundraising team at St Nicholas Hospice have their work cut out as the Hospice needs a phenomenal £11,000 every day to function. Last year we sponsored their Accumulator Challenge and helped raise £33274.97 for the hospice. We are proud to say we will be sponsoring again this year and hope to raise even more!
Rehabilitation
Paul has also delivered talks on running a business at our local prison, Highpoint. Paul loves this as he gets some great (and honest) conversations on setting up and running a business. This takes half a day but doesn’t cost a penny to deliver.
Feeling Inspired?
With a bit of planning and a little time, you can really help your community. The sense of belonging and wellbeing on you as a business owner and your team can be immense.
