Corporate responsibility

At Orcare we care deeply about our impact on the community in and around Rushmoor.  We live here, work here, and passionately believe that we can and should have a strong positive impact on the community.

To this end, we help to found the Community Matters Partnership (CMP) in Rushmoor.

CMP is a partnership of 11 companies, charities and government organisations based in Rushmoor, who are working together to improve the local community and to improve the lives of those that live here.

Each partner has committed in 2012 to deliver a Corporate Responsibility plan which focusses on volunteering, fundraising and capacity building.

Our CR plan is targetted at the strategic needs of the people of Rushmoor, with a specific focus on the needs of the homeless in the borough.

About Rushmoor

On an annual basis the Community Matters Strategy Board for Rushmoor identifies the strategic needs for the borough and agrees a Community Plan for the year ahead.  In 2011 this was led by the Chief Executive of the Borough Council who outlined the areas of deprivation in the borough.   

Using comparisons of data from the English Indeces of Deprivation Study 2007 and 2010 the Council showed that while Rushmoor is by and large an affluent borough with super output areas - with 13 Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) in the 10% least deprived in the country - this affluence tends to hide from the publics attention, three wards with small pockets of multiple deprivation which are among the 20% most deprived LSOAs in the country, namely Mayfield, North Town and Heron Wood - indeed Denmark Square in North Town is in the 10% most deprived in England. 

People living in these disadvantaged areas may face many challenges:

• Likely to have fewer educational qualifications
• Employment is lower
• If employed then likely to be lower paid than elsewhere in the borough
• Higher rates of 
• • Teenage pregnancy
  • Crime
  • Ill health 

The Boroughs strategy for neighbourhood renewal is based on these priciples:

• Responding to local needs
• Creating opportunities for people to fulfil their aspirations
• Supporting the development of sustainable communities

Within this context Orcare have invested in Community Matters such that it is able to deliver a programme of community fundraising, volunteering and capacity building to support the needs of young people, the elderly, the unemployed and homeless and those with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Furthermore Orcare made a commitment to the Community Matters Strategic Board to deliver a CR programme of fundraising and capacity building projects supporting the homeless, the unemployed and young people in Rushmoor.

Targets

In 2011 our target was to deliver:

• Capacity building projects worth £5000, and
• Fundraising projects worth £500

In 2012 our target is to deliver

• Capacity building projects worth £2500,
• Fundraising projects with £6750, and
• Volunteering projects that deliver 10 additional volunteering days in Rushmoor

Outcomes

Orcare's investment in CMP has delivered an 85% return on investment.  Over 400 people from across the partnership engaged in volunteering during the first year, delivering nearly 4,000 hours of volunteering in Rushmoor. 

Capacity Building

Orcare's capacity building projects have delivered gifts in kind with a commercial value of £5,000.  

• Vine Centre Branding Project 
• • Outputs were a new logo, business cards, stationery and email signatures
• Vine Centre Email Project
• • Outputs were personalised emails for all staff using the charities own domain name
• Vine Centre Website Project
• • Outputs were a new bespoke designed website

• Provision of social media consultancy, and delivery of Facebook Fan Pages, for Step by Step
• • Provided skills development and coaching for charity fundraising team.
  • Outputs were development of a Facebook Fan Page.
• Student skills development project
• • Providing work experience, and skills development mentoring to 4 young people at local colleges, working on real world projects to benefit the charities targeted in Orcare's CR plan; 

The Orcare and Afflatus team provided a context for a real world communications problem for The Vine, and supported me to deliver a solution.  It has helped me to better understand real world marketing. I have used the experience in my UCAS university application.

Harriet Wade, student at Farnborough 6^th Form College

Fundraising

Our fundraising projects have delivered cash and gifts to the value of £350

• Christmas Gift Drive - We organised the collection and distribution of gifts for the homeless clients of The Vine, gifts were donated by our staff, clients, suppliers, and partners.  Gifts to the approximate value of £250 were collected for the clients of the Vine Day Centre;
• Pub Quizzes - Our staff, suppliers and customers took part in a series of pub quizzes organised by CMP, raising approximately £50 for the Vine Day Centre.  As well as fundraising this project has helped to improve team cohesion and also increase the company's profile.
• Tin Collections for Vine Day Centre - Orcare arranged for The Vine to become the nominated charity for a business networking group which we manage.  This project raised £50 to date with a target of raising £250 by the end of 2012.