What if your workday could be used to make a real difference in your local community?
Here at 1st Formations, we believe in using our time and resources to support causes that matter – that’s why we facilitate corporate volunteering.
All 1st Formations employees can volunteer for two paid working days per year because we recognise the positive impact volunteering has on charities. Employer-sponsored volunteering also promotes stronger relationships at work, gives employees new skills, and boosts well-being.
In the recent lead-up to International Women’s Day, we rolled up our sleeves and spent a day volunteering with our charity partner, the WONDER Foundation. Four team members – including myself (Giorgia Rose), Ilwaad Ibrahim, Diogo Mendes and Kira Bartlett – joined other corporate volunteers from Astrid & Miyu and Rothschild & Co. at the WONDER Foundation’s offices in Brixton.
In this blog, learn how 1st Formations supports the WONDER Foundation’s incredible work and how other businesses can start supporting social causes.
Key Takeaways
- Corporate volunteering benefits both businesses and communities. 1st Formations recognises these benefits, which is why all employees receive two paid volunteering days per year.
- The WONDER Foundation’s work highlights the importance of education in breaking cycles of poverty.
- Businesses can start giving back in meaningful ways through corporate volunteering, fundraising events, or donations.
Making a difference at the Baytree Centre
Our corporate volunteering day began with a tour of the WONDER Foundation’s offices, which are also home to the Baytree Centre—a hub dedicated to providing education, mentoring, and community support for local women and children. Learning about the centre’s impact was inspiring and humbling, reinforcing why initiatives like these are crucial.
Then, it was time to get to work. Our team helped reorganise storage areas, making the space more functional for the women and children who rely on the centre’s resources.
The work we carried out during our volunteering day will help make teachers’ lives easier, enabling them to keep supporting women and girls with learning English and acclimatising to life in the UK.
After a productive morning, we took a well-earned break at Brixton Market before returning for the creative part of the day: painting a mural to brighten up the space.
Kira Bartlett, Finance Assistant at 1st Formations, shared her thoughts on the experience:
We had a great time transforming a plain white wall into a beautiful, uplifting mural – and I was so impressed with how it turned out, despite our lack of artistic talent! Many of the women and girls who use the centre have sadly faced long, difficult journeys to get there, whether locally or as migrants, so it’s important to make it as visually welcoming as possible. I truly felt we were doing something worthwhile.
Why we support the WONDER Foundation
International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on 8 March, is a time to recognise the achievements of women and advocate for gender equality. Yet, many women and girls face significant barriers to education and economic independence worldwide. Did you know:
- In low-income countries, 90% of women work in unregulated and unstable conditions.
- Women reinvest 90% of their income into their families and communities, driving better education, health, and economic outcomes.
- A 1% rise in women’s literacy is three times more likely to reduce child mortality than a 1% rise in the number of doctors.
- 55% of primary school-age children who are not in school are girls.
As champions of gender and employment equality, 1st Formations supports the WONDER Foundation in helping break these inequality cycles, creating opportunities for women to thrive through education and mentorship.
Learn more about the WONDER Foundation and how you can get involved, including by becoming a corporate sponsor and by visiting the WONDER Foundation’s website.
How corporate volunteering benefits employees
Our team left the volunteering day feeling inspired and motivated to continue giving back. Here’s what the team had to say about their experience.
“I thoroughly enjoyed volunteering with the Wonder Foundation. It was incredibly inspiring to witness the team’s dedication first-hand and see how deeply committed they are to making a positive impact. I also unlocked a hidden talent in the process!” Ilwaad Ibrahim, Administrator.
“The WONDER Foundation made us feel so welcomed and I loved hearing about the people they help with their work.” Kira Bartlett, Finance Assistant.
“Thank you so much to 1st Formations for setting this up. I had a wonderful time, and seeing what the WONDER Foundation do in person was amazing! If anyone wants a hand-painted mural, you know who to call now.” Diogo Mendes, Customer Retention Executive.
“I’d already heard from colleagues how volunteering at the Baytree Centre would be a lovely experience, but even those high expectations were outdone! Thank you, WONDER Foundation, for organising the day and 1st Formations for enabling us to go!” Giorgia Rose, Senior Content Writer.
How businesses can start supporting social causes
As a partner to thousands of companies, we want to lead by example and show the positive impact businesses can make outside of their day-to-day operations. Here’s our advice on how to get started.
Start by identifying a charity or social initiative that aligns closely with your company’s core values and culture. Choose a cause that holds personal significance for you as a business and resonates with your employees and customers. When the charity’s mission reflects the shared values of your broader community, it creates a stronger emotional connection, helping to inspire genuine support, enhance engagement, and maximise impact across all stakeholders.
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Corporate volunteering is a great way to start engaging the workplace to support your chosen cause. Julia Jockelson, Engagement Officer of the WONDER Foundation, says:
Corporate partnerships are vital to WONDER Foundation’s mission, enabling us to provide education and skills training for women and girls worldwide. By partnering with us, businesses whose values are aligned with ours create lasting social impact and engage their employees and clients in purposeful initiatives. Together, we build projects that transform lives through education and opportunities, helping women lift themselves and their families out of poverty, for good.
Julia adds how partnering with a charity can benefit your business:
Partnering with a charity not only enhances your business’s social responsibility, but it can also boost employee engagement and strengthen brand reputation, all whilst making a tangible difference. Partnerships can be a hugely powerful way to give back and connect with communities in need. Supporting small charities like WONDER Foundation means working closely with the community and investing in a brighter global future.
You can also organise team charity events and sponsor fundraising efforts. These will make a tangible difference and foster a sense of purpose within the workplace.
For example, we run employee events to fundraise donations. This includes our highly popular pool tournaments, raffles, pub quizzes, festive jumper days, and gingerbread house-making competitions.
By embedding social good into your company culture and employee workdays, your business can build a reputation as a responsible corporate citizen while making a real, lasting impact.
Our commitment to giving back
Our partnership with WONDER Foundation is just one way we contribute to causes that benefit our wider community. Here’s a brief look at other areas we support:
- We donate a 3,000 sq.ft. of unused office space to charities so they can focus on making a difference rather than worrying about overheads.
- We support local small businesses wherever possible, including using local restaurants for our weekly office-catered lunches.
- We provide scholarships to undergraduate and postgraduate business students in need of additional funding for their studies.
- We prioritise sustainability by offsetting our carbon emissions. This retains our carbon neutral business status and minimises our environmental impact for future generations.
Thank you for reading
If you have any questions about corporate volunteering and what you can do as an employer to promote social causes, please leave a comment below.
Check out our other 1st Formations blogs to learn about Corporate Social Responsibility, sustainability, and more.
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