Words by Abi Scaife
The Corporate Cause section in the Smiley Charity Film Awards is a chance for businesses to demonstrate how they’re giving back. It’s a hugely important and impactful category, allowing us to celebrate their partnerships with charities and causes that benefit our world.
Suffolk Building Society is a UK building society based in Ipswich, Suffolk, that is dedicated to giving back to its community. They have partnered with ihAg (the Ipswich Housing Action Group), a charity which supports anyone at risk of homelessness in Ipswich and the surrounding area.
Ahead of the Smiley Charity Film Awards ceremony, we caught up with Richard Norrington, the Chief Executive Officer at Suffolk Building Society, one of our Corporate Cause finalists, to hear more about their collaboration with ihAg.
“We’ve been a cornerstone of the community since 1849. Originally founded to help people buy enough land to enable them to vote – our mission to provide safe homes continues today. We’re supporting ihAg as part of our Safe Homes for Suffolk Campaign, working with charities supporting people who are at risk of homelessness, as well as domestic abuse survivors.”
“Raising funds for core costs is a huge challenge for charities, as many grant-making trusts prefer to support specific projects. This is therefore a great way for businesses to make a meaningful contribution. Businesses can also harness the power of their employees, and our staff can volunteer for four hours every month as part of their role. We also encourage them to join trustee boards and one of our employees is a trustee of ihAg.”
“The cost-of-living crisis has put additional pressure on charities’ funding. Businesses can play a huge role in filling the gap, particularly with core costs, which we’ve done with ihAg. Funding utility bills which, quite literally, ‘keep the lights on’ is critical to enable charities to operate.”
You can see Suffolk Building Society and ihAg’s entry into the Smiley Charity Film Awards here on the CFA website.
You can learn more about the Suffolk Building Society at this link.
You can learn more about ihAg and their work by going to their website.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
St Mungo’s. St Mungo's is a leading UK homelessness charity supporting over 3150 people every night. Help us end homelessness and rebuild lives. Support them here.
Centrepoint. This charity supports homeless young adults aged 16-25, and aims to end youth homelessness in the UK. Find out more here.
Generation Rent. This charity is fighting to stop renters from being unfairly evicted from their homes. Support them here.
