BLOG: Getting to the heart of business
When you see a company’s logo on St Luke’s promotional materials – whether it’s a Tour de Moor tee-shirt, an Open Gardens brochure or a Neon Midnight Walk poster – what does it mean to you?
It would be easy to think the answer is simple. A business would only sponsor us and lend its logo if it boosted its own profits, right? Well, not exactly! While the bottom line has to be a crucial consideration in any business decision, from talking to the companies who get behind our charity through corporate sponsorship we know there’s more to their motives than you might think.
As well as citing increased profile and an upsurge in customers as a result of their involvement, what drives them is the pride they feel in being associated with such an outstanding local organisation; the urge to give something back to the charity that has cared for many people close to their staff and clients, and the swell of team spirit that working with us helps spread throughout their workforce.
Portcullis Legals sponsor our Open Gardens scheme, which raises vital funds. The company’s Chief Executive Trevor Worth said: “We’re a Plymouth firm with many local clients and as a charity here St Luke’s is iconic. It’s in our DNA because it touches many of our lives and those of our partners, so it’s important that in the round we provide this support.”
Many of the companies who get involved choose to give long-term support to St Luke’s by sponsoring the same event over consecutive years, recognising the momentum this helps build. One such company, Nash & Co Solicitors, has sponsored our Neon Midnight Walk for three years.
The company is quite literally ‘walking the talk’, too, with a big group of Nash & Co ladies joining together for the event on 21 July. Marketing Manager Dave Briggs said: “It’s something that helps bring our staff together and is a bit more fun rather than them doing it individually, and it helps drive up their enthusiasm and engagement in raising money for St Luke’s.”
Another long-term sponsor is IU Energy, who back our annual Men’s Day Out. Chief Executive Duncan Banks said: “Sponsoring St Luke’s ticks a lot of boxes for us. The charity services the community, and it’s a great team-building exercise for us as so many of our staff love taking part in the event. We raised over £86,000 for last year, and we’ve signed up for the next three years. Ultimately, it’s got to be one of the most fundamental corporate social responsibility activities we undertake as a business.”
So there you have it. When businesses work with St Luke’s, it’s definitely a case of both head and heart. Learn more how your business can benefit from a partnership with St Luke’s.
