This vexes me almost daily. Mostly because I meet so many amazing people and businesses wanting to ‘help’. We’re not a charity and therefore this notion of ‘helping’ needs to be re-branded. That’s why I prefer the term ‘social investment’. It aligns with our values of supporting each other (including our young people) as equals and in an ongoing capacity that allows a relationship to develop. Take our Volunteer Tenancy Mentors for example. I am perpetually bowled over that hard-working people are prepared to give up their free time to be trained to provide voluntary support to a young person in their own tenancy. When trust in charities is at an all-time low and millenials want to work for ethical employers, it’s right for businesses to build an ongoing relationship with a local social enterprise. That way the business gets to see the results of their investment over the long term with real people. They get to hold onto motivated staff and invest in a ‘social business’ as equals. This kind of social action is so much more profitable for society than a CSR tick in the one-off paternalistic box.
