The link between corporate charity partnerships and ESG

As pressure continues to build for companies globally to further develop ESG strategies and positive impact, it is common for businesses to consider partnering with charities to help achieve some of their ESG goals.

A corporate charity partnership can be defined as a collaboration between a business and a charity who share a commitment and a desire to work towards sustainable social change. They can allow a company to align its goals with a social or environmental cause, demonstrating a pledge to responsible practices beyond just profit and delivering on ESG strategies.

A corporate charity partnership can be defined as a collaboration between a business and a charity who share a commitment and a desire to work towards sustainable social change.

What might a corporate charity partnership look like?

Each corporate partnership can be unique in structure and scope, and can involve a charity and business of any size. Examples include:

Charity of the year
Strategic partnerships to support specific projects through expertise e.g. Pro Bono, mentoring or volunteering
General sponsorship and fundraising support
Product donation and asset sharing for multi-layered collaboration

How a business and charity collaborates is dependent on their shared vision, resources, values and desired outcome.

What are the ESG benefits of a charity partnership to your business?

Talent attraction, retention and employee engagement facilitated by a strong alignment to social value*. Benefits are derived from volunteering opportunities and fostering more inclusive cultures.
Growth and performance benefits as social responsibility continues to become an increasingly critical factor in determining a company’s long-term success. Market differentiation through charity partnerships can promote competitive advantage and aligns with many organisations desire to achieve lifetime customer value, increase revenue and brand loyalty.
‘Doing the right thing’ by supporting sustainable practices to show measurable impact to support a responsible future for all, giving back to communities through environmental and social value initiatives.

There are opportunities to use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) within corporate charity partnership programmes. The SDGs provide a framework for strategies and activities to increase environmental and social impact, and tailored charitable partnerships can work towards these goals, by engaging your internal and external stakeholders for purpose driven business.

*Social value measures the positive value businesses create for the economy, communities and society.

Thomas Miller Spotlight

TT Club is managed by Thomas Miller, whose dedicated ESG and CSR programmes focus on an ethos and strategy of ‘Be The Difference, Be The Impact’. Their strategy maps to five core pillars: Our People, Our Company, Our Community, Our Planet and Our Marketplace.

A core part of ‘Our Community’ for Thomas Miller is centred around philanthropy, and in 2023 they donated to over 90 charities globally. This charitable giving is underpinned by a 2-year corporate partnership model, where a specific central charity is chosen by employees globally to capture a cause that is important to them.

A core part of ‘Our Community’ for Thomas Miller is centred around philanthropy, and in 2023 they donated to over 90 charities globally.

The first charity partnership was with Mercy Ships who deploy hospital ships to some of the poorest countries in the world, delivering vital, free healthcare to people in need. Over £200,000 was donated through employee fundraising and Company donations, funding a number of projects on hospital ships and in healthcare services in sub-Saharan Africa.

The second partnership ended in 2023, where £170,000 was donated to Street Child, who help children into education into the world’s toughest places, to ensure they are safe, in school and learning. Funds were allocated to vital projects across seven different countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. Employees raised £50,000 alone, and were vital to the success of the partnership by raising money through a number of different events. These also acted as team building and employee enrichment activities, bringing together the workforce globally to achieve common goals.

In 2024, employees voted for the theme of homelessness to take priority, with leading homelessness charity St Mungo's subsequently chosen to be Thomas Miller’s next charity partner for two-years. The partnership will bring many opportunities to achieve social impact and contribute to ending rough sleeping in a time of greater prevalence with the cost of living crisis. The workforce will be able to support St Mungo’s globally, through a variety of fundraising challenges, alongside in-person and virtual skills based opportunities to support the charities clients.