How You Can Help

Businesses are well aware of the growing importance of corporate social responsibility and the Coventry Business Charter represents an excellent opportunity for them to contribute to the city’s quality of life

-Louise Beard, Chief Executive, Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce

We know that community organisations sometimes struggle to resource projects but assistance that is more than just cash can also be very valuable and build stronger relationships with business networks.

Businesses often find it much more valuable to provide non-cash support, for example by getting their own employees involved in a community initiative or by working with a community organisation on mutually beneficial, joint marketing opportunities.

In the end, the Charter is all down to matching the resources you are able to provide – whether that is money, people, time or experience – to the community groups and projects that will benefit from what you have to offer.

Find out more about the way you can help see sample activities.

Help us to help you
If you represent a charity, community group or public sector organisation that may benefit from companies signing up to the Business Charter, we would be pleased to hear from you. To register your interest, please contact us.

So how can you help?
The Coventry Business Charter encourages businesses to take an imaginative approach to helping the city. Cash donations are often chosen by businesses because they are quick and easy to do. But in the long term, donations will not necessarily make a fundamental difference to the quality of life in Coventry.

Other ways you could help include:

Sponsorship: where businesses match their commercial activity to the organisation’s cause. Sponsorship can include donations, provision of premises or equipment and personal support.
Employee skill sharing: from chief executives acting as mentors to hands-on teamwork that promotes cross-fertilisation of ideas.
In-kind donations other than cash may involve the transfer of surplus capital equipment such as computers for schools and can help environmental impact
Lobbying and campaigning: businesses can choose organisations whose cause they support and use their position to influence wider stakeholders and markets and gain mutual recognition.
Changes in policy and practice: businesses can change the way they do business or treat employees, for example by recycling more or providing access to healthy eating options, to contribute to the well-being of the city.

With so much on offer, it is important to find a good fit. Once you decide how you would like to help, the Coventry Business Charter team can act as brokers between businesses and the community, to help both parties.

To help you decide how you would like to help, you could ask yourself:

Why should we support the activity?
Will the activity I want to support be good for my business from an ethical point of view?
What are the potential benefits to the company and my employees?
Do I need more information to help make a decision?

Interested? Then find our more or sign up now.
If you are still in any doubt, take a look at the success of www.bettertogether.org.uk where Birmingham are also coming together to make a difference.

In Solihull, BEST (Bringing Everyone in Solihull Together), contact Isobel Parkinson, Business Liaison Officer on 0121 704 6082, email: iparkinson@solihull.gov.uk

What does the Charter involve?
You can complete a self-certification on this website – this is free of charge and should take minimal time online.

Businesses will receive the Coventry Business Charter certificate and logo to display to customers and employees to show their commitment to social responsibility.

You will also be given access to events for Charter holders to enable you to network with public and private organisations looking to meet other inspired business.

What do I do next?
Simply look at the three menus - economic, social and environmental - and identify what activities your business is already doing, as well as those you would like to do in the next 12 months. You can either sign up now and pledge the activities you would like to do, or take a look at the sample activities.