Deloitte volunteers clock up over 3,000 hours for Futures Month
Deloitte is marking Volunteers’ Week (1 – 7 June) with the conclusion of a month-long initiative (‘Future Month’) that saw its people volunteer over 3,000 hours - the equivalent to 19 months of pro bono work - as part of the firm’s 5 Million Futures social impact goal.
Deloitte people were invited to volunteer for different activities throughout May, including:
Helping students develop their critical thinking and communication skills;
Providing advice and support to an individual who is currently out of work, or at risk of redundancy due to COVID-19;
Coaching small businesses and charities affected by the pandemic;
Recording an audiobook for visually impaired people; and/or
Creating e-fact cards on Black and LGBTQ+ role models.
Over 1,300 Deloitte people signed up to take part including Richard Houston, senior partner and Deloitte UK CEO. Houston joined other members of the Deloitte UK Executive for a session with Sacred Heart Secondary School Camberwell, hosted by Debate Mate.
Houston said: “We volunteered to help students with their debating and pitching skills. Their enthusiasm and ideas were simply brilliant, and the session was definitely the highlight of my week! Volunteering gives our people an opportunity to develop their skills, give back to society, and make a difference for those who need it most.”
Over 650 people at Deloitte also signed up to support similar Debate Mate sessions. Students pitched ideas relating to technology, climate change or their local community and the best pitches went head-to-head in a finale with the winning team receiving seed funding of £1,000 from Deloitte as well as a session with the firm’s in-house creative design team to develop their idea further.
Claire Burton, director for Responsible Business at Deloitte, said: “We’re proud to encourage our people to volunteer their time and skills to benefit others. Face-to-face volunteering has not been possible, and we’ve had to re-think how we can make a positive impact in society during this difficult time. As well as continuing to support our existing school, charity and social enterprise partnerships, we are now also working with Governors For Schools, Action Tutoring, Tutor Mate and Business in the Community – all of which enable Deloitte people to volunteer their time and knowledge to help others remotely.”
Since 2016, the UK firm has made an impact on over one million futures – giving over 120,000 hours in volunteering, and 36,700 hours of work pro bono. Deloitte is currently working with over 70 partner organisations across the UK, helping the communities they serve to access education and employment as part of the 5 Million Futures goal. Deloitte’s responsible business team recently won ‘CSR Team of the Year’ at the Business Charity Awards.
The newest partnership commences this week with Just Like Us - an LGBTQ+ charity empowering young people to champion LGBTQ+ equality. As part of its Black Action Plan, Deloitte continues its partnership with Blueprint for All (formerly the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust) offering pro bono skills and volunteers to help broaden young people’s views of what’s possible and help them gain the knowledge, skills and qualifications they need.
Deloitte’s current school, charity and social enterprise partnerships are:
In this press release references to “Deloitte” are references to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”) a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity.
1625 Independent People
Aberdeen Foyer
Ada: National College for Digital Skills
Addey and Stanhope School
Auticon Ltd
Be The Business
Blueprint for All
Business in the Community
Cantell School
Cardinal Hume Catholic School
Change Please
Changing Lives
Children 1st
City of London Academy, Islington
Clubhouse Gibraltar
Coop Connell Academy
CrackedIT
Depaul UK
Earthworks St. Albans
Eastern High School
Every Child our Future
Fitzalan High School
Forward Trust
Framework
Future.Now
George Dixon Academy
Governors for Schools
Greenbank
Grow
Hannah Moore School
Hautlieu School
Hazelwood Integrated College
Holly Lodge Girls' College
Holy Family Catholic School & Sixth Form
IntoUniversity
John Madejski Academy
Just Like Us
Limehurst Academy
Llamau
Luminary Bakery
Maria Fidelis Catholic School
Merchant's Academy
Milton Keynes Academy
Mind
MK Snap
Morpeth School
Moseley School & Sixth Form
Move On
Nesta
NOW Group
Papworth Trust
Place2Be
Reading Refugee Support Group
Saltley Academy
Samuel Ryder Academy
Scope
Simon Community
Social Bite
St Mary Magdalene Academy
St Paul's Way Trust
St Peter's RC High School
St. Catherine's Hospice
Swanlea School
Teach First
The Big Exchange
The Children's Centre
The Forward Trust
The Luminary Bakery
The NOW Group
The Prince's Trust
Tong Leadership Academy
Tutor Mate
Action Tutoring
Unity Works
Whalley Range 11-18 High School
