As a business, we have a responsibility to our employees, customers, and the communities we operate in. And, we were thrilled to have recently received a letter from Young Epilepsy thanking us for the ongoing fundraising efforts of our business, friends and family raising a massive £39,555. We achieved this through social sharing, teamwork and our business with purpose strategy. The work we’ve been doing for Young Epilepsy over the years has made a big difference in the community and is part of our commitment to giving back.
Corporate Social Responsibility – Why is it important to Embridge?
Our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy has been an ongoing initiative for us and part of our wider ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) impact. To make our CSR initiative a real success, we had to get the entire company involved. It was important to use a ‘bottom up’ approach giving staff the opportunity to have meaningful input on the charities, volunteering, or projects we as a company supported.
In 2020 Emma O’Brien, our CEO asked some colleagues to provide suggestions for our chosen charity of the year for 2021, Young Epilepsy was suggested after previously raising money for other charities such as MIND. As well, as our chosen charity for the year each employee is entitled to take up to two days paid leave, per holiday year, to carry out voluntary work for a charity or community outreach programme of their choice.
Why is Young Epilepsy important to us?
Young Epilepsy’s awareness work has a massive impact on how society view and treat children with epilepsy. Did you know 1 in 200 children in the UK have epilepsy? Epilepsy can be one of the most frightening conditions a child can experience. Young Epilepsy works tirelessly to help those children and their families live without fear.
Young Epilepsy is a charity that is close to the heart of Embridge and one that we have supported for the last few years. 2020 was a difficult year for Emma O’Brien, our CEO, and her family. Not only because the world had been hit by a global pandemic but sadly for Emma’s youngest son Leo, his epilepsy condition started to deteriorate quite significantly during the year, when he was just 7 years old.
At that stage, as a family, they didn’t really have anything to do with Young Epilepsy itself other than sponsored events they had previously supported. They could see the huge impact the work Young Epilepsy were doing and the support they were providing families and children across the UK. Emma, along with friends and family, had already done several fundraising events in the early days. Emma’s daughter Bonnie and her friends walked 26 miles to raise money and awareness for Young Epilepsy and as a family they undertook several fundraising activities including Leo taking part in a 10K walk when he was just 5 years old. Amongst lots of amazing work Young Epilepsy do across the UK, as well as the much-needed research facilities, they also provide a school based in Surrey that supports children with complex needs. Last year, many of the Embridge team supported a volunteer day at St. Piers school, helping to paint one a few of their outside classroom buildings.
As Leo’s seizure control continued to worsen Emma and her family struggled to find any school that felt confident to support Leo. Then in September 2021, Young Epilepsy and St Piers School came to the rescue. Leo was offered a place at St Piers after being out of the education system for 18 months. Before Leo sadly passed away unexpectedly in December last year, this amazing school provided him some of the best days of his life.
“I was very touched that my colleagues here at Embridge chose to support this small charity back in late 2020. Little did I know when we embarked on the journey of fundraising and awareness, we would need their help in the way we did. The donations we have received from across our business network, friends and family over the last few years and particularly since we lost our precious boy has been overwhelming. I would like to say massive thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting this amazing charity that means so much to us. I cannot express how much it is appreciated. What we have achieved between us is incredible. I look forward to continuing our support for Young Epilepsy as a charity and seeing how much more we can do in the coming months and years.”
EMMA O’BRIEN, CEO AT EMBRIDGE CONSULTING
“We are truly honoured by the dedication shown by the team at Embridge Consulting for raising much needed funds for Young Epilepsy. Supporters like Embridge Consulting are vital in providing services and support for children and young people with epilepsy. We are immensely grateful for their longstanding commitment.”
MATT ROBERTSON, HEAD OF PHILANTHROPY AND PARTNERSHIPS AT YOUNG EPILEPSY
Purple Day – Our recent involvement
In continued support for Emma, her family and this charity, on the 26th March, the Embridge team took part in the 26 miles in 26th Days challenge to raise awareness about epilepsy. It was a day created by Cassidy Megan following her own struggles with epilepsy. Cassidy’s goal is to get people talking about epilepsy. The Embridge team did just that by spreading the word across social media, raising funds, and completing the 26 miles in 26 days challenge by either running, walking, jogging, or cycling.
What can you do as a business to support CSR?
Implementing a successful CSR strategy is an ongoing process but doesn’t need to be complicated or difficult. Below are five straightforward changes you can make to your CSR initiatives today.
- Integrate it into your business – Ensure that your employees are engaged from the very beginning and communicate achievements by providing frequent project updates and encouragement.
- Measure the impact – When presenting the impact of your company’s initiatives, it is important to consider the larger context and the overarching goal of a particular initiative or project.
- Build partnerships – Dedicate some time to identify the organisations already active in your area. Providing assistance from your company can be a significant way to bring about impactful change in your local community.
- Develop purpose as a core value – By integrating a strong CSR strategy into daily operations, companies can enhance employee engagement, build a positive brand image, and contribute meaningfully to communities and society at large.
- Beyond making money – To truly succeed in implementing a CSR strategy, it is crucial to have a strong commitment to a greater purpose that goes beyond monetary returns.
Final thoughts, developing authentic company values and living these day to day is central to developing purpose as a core value of your business, promoting engagement through the real positive impacts your company is making.