City workers are being asked to celebrate their firms’ community and volunteering initiatives this year by wearing red for the day and taking part in activities and events across the Square Mile, as part of City Giving Day 2019.
The annual event, this year on Tuesday 24 September 2019, celebrates the value of the City to society and shows how businesses can make a difference. It champions activities – whether CSR, philanthropy, or volunteering initiatives – that companies undertake as part of their commitment to supporting charity, society, the community and the environment in which they work.
The campaign is a chance for employers to talk to staff, recognise achievements and plan even better community engagement in the future, whether in the form of mentoring, fundraising or volunteering vital expertise.
The City has a reputation for being very corporate and straight laced, but this shows a side to the businesses and firms that is more community focused and concentrates on bringing about real impact. It’s part of the multi-year strategy A Better City for All. Focused on four key pillars, the strategy aims to create a City that is Inclusive, Health, Skilled and Fair, with the objective of helping 1 million people thrive.
In 2018, 313 organisations came together to recognise all this remarkable work. By joining in they inspired up to 5,000 new volunteers to offer their time, raised more than £450,000 for good causes and highlighted some of the exceptional charitable activity that takes place throughout the year. 95% of participants said that they would recommend the day to others. This year is set to be bigger and better than ever.
City Giving Day will bring a bit of colour to the Square Mile with its ‘Go Red’ theme, with many firms across the City and beyond set to show their support and celebrate their philanthropic work by wearing red for the day. There are plenty of fun filled ways organisations can get involved whether through static Wattbike challenges in the City and Canary Wharf, joining in a City Walk, exploring the city through the Treasure Hunt, taking part in a Quiz Night, or simply celebrating the good work that City forms already do with their charity partners.
The Lord Mayor said:
“City Giving Day is a simple, but impactful, initiative that enables City companies and employees to celebrate and showcase their philanthropic and volunteering achievements.
As Lord Mayor, I am very much looking forward to building on the success of 2018 to encourage even more City organisations to get involved in City Giving Day, sharing their stories to demonstrate the transformational impact of bringing together businesses, employees, communities and charities.”
The Lord Mayor will also be fundraising for the three Lord Mayor’s Appeal’s charities on the day:
- Place2Be – the support will help them delivering a transformational mental health programme in 180 schools in London.
- OnSide Youth Zones – the partnership will enable the charity to build 5 new state of the art Youth Zones in areas of high deprivation in London.
- Samaritans – our partnership has enabled Samaritans to develop a revolutionary online wellbeing programme for employees in London and beyond.
At the event in September the Lord Mayor will take to the streets of the Square Mile and Canary Wharf, visiting participating firms and learning more about their innovative projects.
The Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards, run by the City of London Corporation, will conclude the big day by celebrating the greatest achieving responsible businesses.
There’s still time for businesses and organisations to sign up for City Giving Day at www.thelordmayorsappeal.org/cgd
