In our increasingly interconnected world, organisations are being challenged as to whose interests they serve, both on a micro and macro level. A 2022 study by Porter Novelli found that 84% of people believe companies should demonstrate how they are following through on their promises to people, the planet or society.
Additionally, rising social consciousness, combined with greater access to information, is making employees more invested in the philanthropic choices of the businesses they work for.
As a result, companies are looking for ways to make a meaningful, measurable difference through corporate giving, in ways which resonate more with their employees, customers and external stakeholders. But rather than following the traditional route of donating a single lump sum to one national charity, many are choosing to do so by using a localised approach.
In this article we’re exploring the different corporate giving strategies that enable businesses to support their local communities, create measurable impact and engage employees. Read on to find out more about charitable donation options and how they work for some of Neighbourly’s partners.
4 ways to go local with your financial donations
- Grant Making
Giving a larger number of micro grants, rather than one or a few bigger grants helps to connect corporate money directly into local causes at the heart of communities. This type of giving involves the disbursement of centrally-held funds following an application process determined by the donor. With Neighbourly’s programmes, this includes the vetting of charities and causes, managing the shortlisting and payments and reporting on impact, making it as easy to get funds to 1,000 local good causes as it is to write a cheque for one.
Case study: the Sainsbury's Good Food For All of Us (previously Helping Everyone Eat Better) Community Grant Fund involves Sainsbury’s and Argos stores, depots and store support centres nominating local causes for grants of at least £500 to help people to access food and tackle food poverty. Since the partnership was launched in 2021 over £4 million in grants has been awarded to community causes across the UK and Ireland.
“Without this grant we were going to have to cut back on the food allowance for families as we were struggling financially during April. The grant meant that we could stay open every week and give our families the full allowance of food that we provide. We are so grateful for this help and support.”
SDA Church Food Angels Foodbank, Hemel Hempstead
- Fundraising
A fundraising programme facilitates the collection and distribution of customer donations, with the business setting specific themes and goals, often with input or nominations from employees for which charities they would like to see supported. By connecting the funds raised with local causes that matter to employees and customers, a fundraising programme can improve engagement while ensuring charitable efforts reflect shared values and local needs.
Neighbourly helps companies run fundraising programmes for specific locations, allowing employees to nominate charities which align to carefully selected impact themes and provides data on their community needs so that giving is relevant.
By vetting the network, the Neighbourly platform streamlines and makes it easier and safer for businesses to disburse funds to those that need it most in their communities. The personalised reporting dashboards also allow for tracking of how and where the fundraised money has been donated, how many people it’s supported, the types of beneficiary good causes and more.
Case study: committed to being a force for good in fashion and the communities they operate in, New Look has worked with Neighbourly to run an in-store fundraising programme. Encouraging staff in individual branches to nominate a charity local to them, each location then raises money for their chosen charity via customer donations.
Good causes supported include the Robin Cancer Trust in Colchester, Caedraw Primary School in Merthyr Tydfil in Wales, Reading Family Aid Group and Wexford Women’s Refuge in Ireland.
- Foundation Grants
A corporate foundation is a charity that a business establishes to engage in philanthropic activities and contribute social impact. Corporate foundations are independent of the business that funds them, but they often maintain a close relationship with the parent company as their primary funder.
Neighbourly supports businesses running a foundation end-to-end from grant applications to secure payments, the communications process and impact reporting. The platform tracks trends on community needs to ensure that giving is relevant and channelled to where it’s most needed.
Case study: The B&Q Foundation came to Neighbourly with a vision to help people in their communities who are in need of improved homes and community spaces. Through Neighbourly, the B&Q Foundation has been able to target over £7 million in grants to small charities who operate to create better, safer living and community spaces.
“The funding has gone towards furniture, things that you and I might take for granted, but for our young people they will be things that they’ve never had. So this becomes a place that they can call their home, rather than a house they’ve just moved into.” Lee, Head of Housing at YMCA East Surrey
- Match Funding
This type of programme supports employers in matching the funds that employees have raised independently for a charity close to their hearts. Businesses increasingly see this as a way of boosting employee engagement in corporate responsibility initiatives, whilst also supporting local communities. Neighbourly supports a number of its partners in this area, handling the employee applications as well as the payment of the corporate contributions.
Case study: RSA provides pound-for-pound match funding with no limit on the number of times any employee can apply in each calendar year, which means they’ve been able to support an array of community organisations around the country from Huddersfield Hospital Radio, Down’s Syndrome Scotland and Family Refugee Support in Liverpool.
In 2024 alone, they donated £122,090, supporting 56,478 people.
“This grant has helped support our developing playtimes project for over four hundred children, transforming the space from a bland playground into an area where children thrive and grow in their fitness and social well being.”
- Northlands Wood Primary Academy
Donating through Neighbourly
With a number of donation solutions out there, it may be helpful to understand where Neighbourly is different. Our partners are accessing a combination of features unique to the market:
- With end-to-end management, Neighbourly is more than just software. A dedicated team is on hand to manage programmes, making it easier for you run projects, involve employees and organise payments
- Access to the UK's largest vetted network of over 40,000 community causes enables your business to make easy, secure payments to thousands of local charities, matched by location or impact themes
- Through the Neighbourly Foundation, you can support urgent community needs through emergency grant making
- Access to real-time measurement of local impact and employee engagement metrics with a bespoke impact dashboard
- AI-powered smart-matching technology connects your business with causes that align with your goals, local to your offices, branches or employee neighbourhoods; our network covers every postcode region in the UK
The Bigger Picture: Neighbourly's Comprehensive Approach
Neighbourly's financial donations solution is just one part of a holistic approach to corporate social responsibility. The platform makes it possible to manage end-to-end community programmes, from volunteering to surplus redistribution and funding.
With over £35 million already dispersed through the platform, we’re proving that local impact at scale is not only possible but essential for businesses looking to make a meaningful difference.
