Unum UK announces new national and local charity partnerships

Employee benefits specialist Unum UK announced its new national and local charity partnerships. As of January, two-year long partnerships with national charity Child Bereavement UK, Basingstoke’s Ark Cancer Centre Charity and Dorking’s Halow Project have begun. Every other year, Unum employees nominate, shortlist and vote on national and local charity partnerships, sparking employee interest and on-going engagement in corporate social responsibility. During the nomination process, employees put forward charities whose missions closely align with the company’s corporate social responsibility areas of support – education, health and wellbeing, arts, culture and sport. Child Bereavement UK is an organisation specialising in providing support for grieving children or families after the death of a child. Ann Chalmers, Chief Executive of Child Bereavement UK, said: “We’re excited to work with Unum and believe the partnership will be transformational in helping us improve outcomes for bereaved children and their families and extending the reach of our services. We also look forward to further developing the bereavement training and resources Unum offers to its staff and customers as value-added services. The partnership is a true win-win.” Unum will be supporting the Ark Cancer Centre Charity as they fundraise for the provision of a new cancer centre in Basingstoke in their mission to provide supportive cancer care for local people. The Surrey-based halow project helps young people with a learning disability experience independent, meaningful, fulfilled lives - active in both the workplace and community, and Unum’s support will expand the scope and reach of the services they provide. Over the course of the partnerships, local ‘charity champions’ from each of Unum’s offices will spearhead volunteering and fundraising activities with a grass-roots approach. Employees are given two work days per year for volunteering and are also encouraged to support charities through pro bono work. The company further enables employees to make payroll deductions to charities of their choice, which are matched pound for pound in corporate donations. Peter O’Donnell, CEO of Unum UK said: “Unum is committed to supporting organisations and programmes that undertake a vital role in our communities. I’m always impressed with our staff’s ability to creatively and positively impact the communities where we live and work, and I look forward to seeing what we accomplish alongside these three wonderful organisations.” For the company’s most recent charity partnerships that have come to a close, Unum and its employees have raised £100,000 for national and regional charity partners and contributed 8,000 volunteering hours. Last year, Unum UK’s corporate giving totalled £240,000. Unum UK’s parent company Unum Group recently announced an additional $1 million will be available for charitable contribution in support of all of Unum’s local communities, including those located in the UK. This additional investment advances one of the company’s core beliefs – the critical importance of giving back to its communities through donations of time, talent, and financial support. For more information about Unum’s Corporate Social Responsibility, read its 2017 CSR report here.