Thanks to our Community Team, we have supported charitable causes and local communities up and down the country, equating to £35,239 worth of volunteering, gifts and charity fundraising.
Following a successful charity partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support in 2022 – April 2023, where we smashed our target and raised £11,710 from activities like hikes, car washes, cake sales, sponsored shaves and fashion show, we’ve already raised £4,461 for The Trussell Trust – our charity partner for the remainder of 2023. Recognising the current cost of living crisis, our people nominated this charity for the work they do towards creating a future where nobody goes hungry.
In addition to our recent fundraising activities (charity hike and Auction of Promises) the aim was to support The Trussell Trust through more meaningful involvement, such as volunteering and food collections.
Our people, who each have an annual ‘volunteer day’ allocated, have racked-up over 590 hours of volunteering so far in 2023, supporting projects they are passionate about. Volunteering projects have ranged from gardening with the National Trust and creating play areas at local council properties, to cleaning out kennels with Just for Dogs and sorting out food and clothing for the Padley Group, who support people in the Derby area who are at risk of homelessness.
“Making a difference is more than just fundraising, so we’ve adapted our approach this year by becoming closer and more connected to projects, through volunteering and appealing for much-needed donations. It’s fantastic to see the amount of volunteering increase year-on-year, which also benefits our employees as they can meet new people and develop new skills,” commented Kirsty Given, Director of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability.
There has been a noticeable shift at agiito, to a culture of giving and a mindset of ‘how can others benefit’ from our resources. In a recent office move, hundreds of unused stationery and unwanted furniture were donated to local schools, which is just one of the initiatives that has contributed to us making the Travel Trade Gazette’s top five ‘Community Heroes’ for a second year running.
As the year draws to a close, we are running two Christmas appeals in December. The Winter Warmers Collection, which is in its fourth year and has collection points in our offices for new socks and new/used accessories, like coats, hats, scarves and gloves, to be distributed to local charities for vulnerable and homeless people.
We’re also supporting the Revive Healthy Living Centre’s Secret Santa appeal again, collecting children’s gifts at their Christmas party that will be distributed to vulnerable families this Christmas.
“Being a responsible business has many facets, but being engaged with the charities and groups who are making a difference is an uplifting and humbling experience and something that is vital we support. Whether that is through corporate giving, volunteer time donated, or localised support and engagement to improve the environmental, social and economic landscape that Agiito and our people are part of,” Kirsty continued.
“It’s a hard task to match the £32,000 we proudly donated in gifts, fundraising and volunteering last year, but as more of our people are getting involved and we’ve become closer to our communities, we’ve seen the impact directly and the fun that can be had along the way. This is passionately promoted throughout the business, which is demonstrated with the level of community engagement that has been embedded and the way our people now suggest projects we can support, all of which has set expectations for annual collections and fundraising.”