Last week, our friends at Operation Orphan received a £10,000 cheque from Nottingham-based property firm, CP Walker & Son. This substantial donation is part of a long-term funding commitment inspired by Danbro.
Following a chance meeting at a networking event last November, CP Walker & Son’s Partner, Sean Neal, committed his business to covering the continuing running costs of Operation Orphan’s Forget-Me-Notts project.
Their generous pledge to provide longstanding financial support allows the charity’s core team to concentrate completely on engaging local people. Not to mention, helping ‘at risk’ children from across the East Midlands. This outstanding commitment to long-term, sustainable support, is something that Danbro’s Founders have been championing for years.
‘It’s all part of our company culture’
Helen Broughton MBE DL and Damian Broughton MBE have been trustees of the charity since the very beginning. Helen is the Chair, husband Damian is the Treasurer, and Danbro underwrite all of Operation Orphan’s UK administrative costs. As Helen puts it, ‘it’s all part of our company culture’.
“The culture here at Danbro is about more than just profit margins and number crunching,” she said. “I’m proud that our employees are involved in the decision making, regarding where the profits they help generate are gifted. Our relationship with Operation Orphan is a prime example of how the money made by commercial businesses can be used to support charitable causes.
“We underwrite their overheads. So, they can guarantee 100% of the donations they receive will go to helping vulnerable children, and the communities in which they live. Our investment generates at least three times the value in terms of support generated and distributed to those most in need. We would love more businesses to get involved in providing sustainable support to the charitable sector.”
100% of donations go directly to the children
That partnership has proved to be a catalyst for the charity’s growth. Not to mention, the difference it has made to the lives of so many children around the world. Through the regular funding that we provide, and the free marketing of The Media Collective, Operation Orphan’s donors can be safe in the knowledge that 100% of their contribution goes directly to helping children in need.
Cyrilyn Moore is Operation Orphan’s Co-Founder and Director of Communications. She says Danbro have ‘led the way’ with their model of investment, setting a ‘tremendous example’ for others to follow.
“It’s really because of Danbro leading the way in this model that we now have other businesses following suit. Helen and Damian [Broughton] have most definitely paved the way for this. They’ve set such a tremendous example for how charities and corporate companies can build sustainability and increase donor trust.”
The Danbro Foundation
This year also saw the launch of the Danbro Foundation, coinciding with our 20th year in business. The Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation, devoted to improving the lives and prospects of those who need it most, providing them with optimism, opportunities and, ultimately, hope for the future. The Danbro Foundation aims to ‘share the company’s success, committing both time and financial resource to provide opportunities and support to those who need it’.
The Foundation’s Executive Committee comprises employees from across the Danbro Group. This select group give their personal time to make key decisions relating to the Foundation’s funding, marketing and charitable efforts. Working alongside local groups, such as Street Angels and Aspired Futures, as well as international charities like Operation Orphan, the Danbro Foundation formalises the way in which we give back. It also enables those who generate our profits to have a more influential say in where the money is spent.
For more information on the Danbro Foundation and its members, click below.
Sam Wright
Sam Wright is Danbro’s Marketing Manager. He produces regular content and feature articles on our digital and non-digital channels – and social platforms – for the Danbro Group and its subsidiaries, as well as having responsibility for the Company’s internal and external communications.
His background is in Journalism and Creative Writing, having previously contributed to publications such as The Daily Post, The Lancashire Evening Post, and The Blackpool Gazette.
He is a keen swimmer and avid Manchester United fan (but don’t hold that against him), and he lives in Lancashire with his wife, Sarah.
