The Community Foundation operates two initiatives which act as our membership schemes for business – the Staffordshire Club and the Shropshire Club. Businesses are now more socially minded and they often want to give something back, but may not be able to set up a fund in their own right. These schemes were developed specifically for businesses who want to make regular annual donations to their local community as part of their social responsibility or Environmental, Social and Governance aims. Whilst many businesses may want to fulfil these aims, it is often incredibly hard to do so. What is initially seen as a simple task can run in to any number of problems and to achieve exactly what a business would like is not easy, often resulting in having to have someone specialise in the charitable giving that they wish to undertake, taking them away from their main duties. The Staffordshire Club and the Shropshire Club help to solve those problems.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) used to be the domain of large multi national companies, as it can involve a significant amount of work, but now the Community Foundation offers a bespoke service designed to the needs of local businesses who want to put back into their community. One of the things that we are passionate about is ensuring that the help a business gives stays in their local community, helping to boost their profile and boost the local economy.
Benefits of an Active Social Responsibility Policy
- Customers prefer to buy from businesses with an active involvement in their local community
- Other businesses and large corporations prefer to deal with socially responsible businesses
- Giving back through social responsibility can improve your local reputation and image
- Social Responsibility can increase brand identity through positive publicity
- Generate maximum impact for minimum investment
How Your Donation is Used
When you join the Staffordshire Club or the Shropshire Club your donations will be applied in one of two ways, and we will work with you to determine which way suits you best.
Option 1
50% of your donation goes into the Club endowment fund, which will provide long-term grant funding to local charities, community groups and voluntary organisations
50% of your donation goes into the local place-based fund for your area
Option 2
25% of your donation goes into the Club endowment fund, which will provide long-term grant funding to local charities, community groups and voluntary organisations
25% of your donation goes into the local place-based fund for your area
25% of your donation goes to support immediate grant-giving
25% of your donation goes towards overall support costs for grant delivery
Whichever option you choose, you can be sure that 100% of your donation will go to directly support the people that need it most in our community.
The Benefits of Joining the Staffordshire Club or the Shropshire Club
When you join the Staffordshire Club or the Shropshire Club there are several benefits which become available to you.
- Automatic membership to the Community Champions scheme
- Certificate and plaque to show your direct support of your community
- Invitations to two hosted dinners per year, to network with other businesses and people who support their community through the Community Foundation
- Invitations to two grants presentation events per year, to meet people who benefit from your donation
- The chance to attend our AGM business events
- Attendance at two ‘Seeing is Believing’ events each year, where you get to visit funded projects to see their work first hand
- A free listing on our website in the Staffordshire or Shropshire Club section to detail the work undertaken by your business (from 2025)
- Inclusion in our promotional newsletter (once per year)