Why volunteering is important to purpose-led PR agency Seven Consultancy

SEVEN Consultancy, a PR Partner of UK Charity Week, is a purpose-led PR and communications agency, which works with organisations that are disrupting a sector for the better – whether that is to improve financial inclusion, enhance sustainability, or further social impact.

The team works with clients such as Challenge Works, which runs challenge prizes to incentivise social change; Creditspring, a responsible lender that makes borrowing more affordable and accessible for people who can’t access credit from a bank; and Cushon, the world’s first net zero pension provider.

Purpose is not just at the heart of client work but is a core part of how Seven operates. As part of this, all the team have one day a year to volunteer in their community on top of their annual leave allowance and this year everyone will be taking a day in December to support a cause close to their hearts.

Helping out and volunteering

When temperatures drop, the need to support the homeless is even more important. One team member will be using her day to volunteer for a homeless charity, whilst founder and CEO, Emma Harvey, will be continuing her annual tradition of handing out supplies and winter clothing – such as hats, scarves and coats – to people sleeping rough around London.

Another team member will be spending a day volunteering at Street Kitchens, which is a UK and Ireland grassroots group that works to help the homeless community. The charity works across twelve different locations and provides hot food and drink, warm clothing, as well as a safe space for those without a stable home to have access to a community.

Sustainability is also a core part of Seven’s business and so naturally one employee is volunteering to help tackle plastic pollution. She is going to be working with her local community to clean her local river in Kent which has recently seen an increase in people dumping plastic and rubbish.

Finally, the team will also be putting their comms expertise to good use. For example, the MD, Robyn Margetts, will spend her day giving PR advice to a local first-response medical charity where she lives in Essex. This will help the employees understand PR and give them the tools to raise awareness for the charity in future.

Charity Run

To limber up for their volunteering days, the team is also taking part in a run for charity at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Some will be running the half marathon distance while others will be doing 10km, and all have been training hard in recent months! The race is raising funds for Alzheimer’s Research UK, which researches the causes of dementia, as well as potential cures for the prevention of the disease.

The Seven team members who aren’t able to run will be supporting enthusiastically from the sidelines.