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There is more to community involvement
than giving money…

Thriving local communities benefit us all – people and organisations alike. So, as a firm, we try to help prevent the social exclusion of young people through creative, active partnerships focused on education and employability.


Why this matters to PwC

A recent survey showed that 95% of our staff agree it is important for the firm to act responsibly and get involved in local communities. Through our PwC in the Community programme we recognise our broader responsibilities within society. Our programme enables us to contribute our time, skills and resources while also offering opportunities to everyone involved to gain new skills and personal fulfilment. The success of our programme also helps us to strengthen our business relationships and underpins our values of teamwork, leadership and excellence.

We have been a member of the PerCent Club for 19
consecutive years, committing us to giving at least 1%
of our relevant annual profits to the community.



What we do

PwC has had a commitment to supporting the community for over 19 years. And perhaps more than any other area of our sustainability efforts, this commitment is driven by you. In 2005-06, almost 2,900 of you across the country donated a total of 30,000 working hours to a wide range of national and regional activities with a focus on education and employability.

Across all our projects, our aim is to be fully integrated with our communities. A good example is our programme in Southwark, south London, where our wide-ranging efforts stretch back to the early 1990s. These include Our Theatre, a partnership with Shakespeare's Globe and Southwark Council that has involved over 4,000 students from 48 Southwark schools since 1997. And in December 2006 we celebrated the 20th year of our pantomime, in which nearly 200 of you donated skills and time to entertain 7,000 inner-city children.

'PwC views the needs of the community very thoughtfully and are not just handing out cheques – they want to know that the programmes they support are well thought-out and have a sustainable impact. It would have been much harder to achieve what we have without their support. It’s a really valuable association for Charles Dickens School.'
Liz Owens – Headteacher, Charles Dickens School

During the past year, volunteers from the Birmingham office supported unemployed young people on The Prince's Trust Team Programme, a 12-week personal development course. And many of you have helped deliver practical educational sessions in partnership with organisations including businessdynamics and Common Purpose.

£4.2m
our overall community contribution in 2005-06.


Also in the field of education, over 200 PwC employees, from Newcastle to Southampton, have undergone special training to work with Volunteer Reading Help in 19 schools throughout England since our partnership began in April 2004.

In Northern Ireland we are involved in local schools, providing support and encouragement to young people. Our offices in Scotland also organised several team volunteering days, mainly helping to improve the local environment.

Whilst much of the firm's community effort is channelled through our community partners, we also recognise your commitment to supporting charities in your own time. Through our Matched Giving Programme, you can have up to £250 per year donated to the charities for which you fundraise. In 2005-06, 670 of you took advantage of this, triggering donations totalling £135,000. We also donate through our Volunteering Awards Scheme, which is open to those who have a sustained involvement with a charity or community organisation. In 2005-06, awards totalling £74,000 were made to charities through this scheme.

30,000
hours contributed by our volunteers in 2005-06.



'We started working with PwC about two years ago as part of the Volunteer Reading Help programme. It inspires the children because they see people who are in good jobs giving up their own time to come in and work with them.

We've worked with a number of companies over the years, but I can honestly say that the commitment of the PwC staff is second to none. We really appreciate the effort they put in.'
Tony Phillips – Headmaster, St Marks C of E Primary School Miles Platting, Manchester



Where next


The key challenge facing our community programme is managing effectively the growing numbers of staff who are coming forward to volunteer. We are delighted that the number of you volunteering has nearly trebled over the past three years. Ensuring that these growing ranks of volunteers – and the charities that we will be supporting with our time, effort and skills – receive a worthwhile and positive experience is a significant task.

Our plans

Make more effective use of our professional skills – by placing even greater emphasis on utilising our people's specialist expertise in our community activities.



Play a leading role in the development of our global community programme – particularly by supporting the growing number of PwC territories seeking to adopt or emulate aspects of our approach in the UK.
Links with Environment – Integrate more closely our support for the community and the environment.
Increase the level of volunteering from 19% in 2005-06 to 21% in 2006-07.





What you can do

Collectively, you possess a huge array of skills – IT, mentoring and coaching, marketing, HR, secretarial, project management and many more. Offering your time and skills to worthwhile projects can create the greatest benefit for our communities.
Share your stories and experiences – so that these can be shared in turn with the global community.


Turn team-building events into community events – and help conserve the environment.

Contact Community Affairs to find out about opportunities for volunteering.

Inform the Community Affairs team if you fundraise or volunteer for a charity in your own time – you may be eligible for funding from the firm.