As a firm, our ethos is very much about being involved with the community we live in and as such our MHA Carpenter Box in the Community programme sees us pro-actively helping good causes and charities on a regular basis. It works on so many levels. In a country where so much depends on the voluntary and charity sector to deliver services and support our view is that the business sector can offer so much help. It makes us feel good – some say that there is no such thing as altruism and if you accept that feeling good is a form of payment, then that idea may be right. And frankly, it’s also good for business. Put all of that together and the idea of Corporate Social Responsibility is compelling.

As a supporter of the Worthing & Adur Fund and the Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce we were delighted to sign our firm up to the new Forward Steps initiative (see www.forwardsteps.org.uk). We think that whatever size of business you are, this is a fabulous way of doing what you can for the charity and voluntary sector. It’s a particularly easy way to engage if you are a smaller business which is low on resource and without the time to engage more formally. Take a look, sign up and put your offers on.  Similarly, if you’re a charity or voluntary organisation looking for help you can get your requests on the site too! It’s like blind dating where every one’s a winner! 

For the record, and as a way of thanking the fantastic team here at MHA Carpenter Box, here’s what we’ve been up to:

The Carpenter Box Charitable Foundation

In 2009, with the support of the staff that fundraise tirelessly, we set up the firm’s own charity, the Carpenter Box Charitable Foundation (CBCF), which was initiated to make the firm’s giving more effective. The charity supports small, local voluntary and community groups that are active in the Worthing & District area.  Since its inception the charity has raised over £100,000 and distributed more than £60,000 supporting small, local voluntary and community groups.

VAW Trustee Club

We’re delighted to have partnered on a brand new initiative specifically for charity trustees operating in the Worthing area. Presented by Voluntary Action Worthing, the VAW Trustee Club is a free membership hub providing networking and access to resources with the aim to support local trustees and charities. As a part of this initiative, members of our team are delivering free masterclasses to help local charities improve their organisation’s governance and financial resilience. This has already gained a lot of traction in the local area and has been featured in the Third Sector Magazine as an excellent example of supporting charities with the potential to be replicated across the country.

Supporting local schools

In addition to supporting our academy school and not for profit clients via permanently discounted fees, we have also been really pleased to support local schools via sponsorship of various events and awards. 

We regularly arrange work experience and placements with local schools and colleges and also offer a Trainee Programme, which allows A-Level students and university graduates to join our award winning training programme on a route to becoming professionally qualified. This year we took on our largest ever number of new trainees and next year we are looking at developing an apprenticeship programme with the ACCA at both Level 4 and
Level 7.

Our team attend local school careers fairs where they speak to GCSE students about careers in Accountancy. We’ve also provided guidance to new University students about the essentials of personal finance.

Other charitable support

Over the past few years MHA Carpenter Box staff have raised tens of thousands of pounds for many charities, local and national, including: Children in Need, MacMillan Nurses, The Juniper Trust, St Barnabas Hospice, St Wilfrid’s Hospice, The Rowans Hospice, Buffer, Breast Cancer Care, The Queen Alexandra Hospital Home, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Cancer Research UK, Chestnut Tree House, The Salvation Army and many local schools, to name but a few.

MHA Carpenter Box also signed up to become the first corporate donor to the Worthing & Adur Fund. These donations are used to support local charities and community groups now, and for the foreseeable future. Our view is that at a time when harmony within our society is all too fragile, it is all the more important for businesses and the UK public to show some solidarity and unity to help support community groups and charities alike.

Take our advice: be loud and proud about the part you play in supporting our community and don’t forget to check out www.forwardsteps.org.uk.