Community Affairs

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

• Community Affairs video
• Case studies
• Contacts