Power to the people

Become part of the SolarAid story...

There are many ways in which corporate support can have a huge impact in some of the poorest communities in the world.

Here are just some ideas:

  1. Donate
    2. Make a donation or pledge to give a percentage of your profits as a core grant. A gift of £3,000 would pay for a solar installation on a school of 400 students. A gift of £10,000 would bring light to 400 homes in rural Africa.

  2. Work Place Giving
    3. Introduce a work place giving scheme for your staff to give a small portion of their salary to SolarAid each month in the most tax efficient way. You will need to register with a WPG agent if you have not already. Simply click here to learn more.

  3. Sponsored events
    4. Encourage staff to organise sponsored events. This can be very motivational, lead to effective team-building as well as offering staff a chance to have a lot of fun. Two positive outcomes include collective awareness-raising and significant and effective fundraising that does not cost your company or SolarAid anything. Simply click here to set up a JustGiving page for your staff's fundraising event.

  4. Gifts in Kind
    5. Perhaps you're a solar installer or supplier with excess stock. If so, why not donate PV panels, batteries or other technology to SolarAid's project work in rural Africa?

  5. Talk!
    6. Tell your clients and customers how you're supporting SolarAid by including our logo and website on your communications and marketing materials. Introduce us to affiliate or partner organisations who also may like to get involved. Or SolarAid in to present to your employees, during an informal 'learning lunch' session; we can tell them how we're having an impact on the ground and how your support is helping.

  6. Volunteer
    7. Your staff could volunteer for SolarAid at awareness-raising events throughout the year, for example at Big Chill Festival, where SolarAid is official charity partner. Alternatively, you may wish to offer your staff 'volunteering days' in addition to their annual leave, enabling them to take on and complete small projects for SolarAid within working hours.

  7. Charity of the year
    8. Make SolarAid your company's charity of the month or year, by holding special events that encourage collective fundraising, such as dinners or parties. Perhaps you could donate a proportion of ticket sales for your company's Christmas party, for example?


Invest in a brighter future. Become part of the SolarAid story!


The example of Solarcentury
Solarcentury, which was the key company behind the establishment of SolarAid, has carried out many of the above activities. It donated 5% of its operating profit to SolarAid in 2006 (£35,000), has encouraged its staff to volunteer for the organisation (with the Head of Project Management taking a sabbatical to go to Malawi to implement SolarAid's first project), has set up a payroll giving scheme, has offered technical advice and product design consultancy and has made SolarAid its official charity partner. Such a profitable and innovative partnership has led to numerous awards:

http://solar-aid.org/about/2009/09/solaraid-and-solarcentury-win-1.html

http://solar-aid.org/about/2009/07/solaraid-and-solarcentury-win.html

The partnership has also strengthened Solarcentury's brand, boosted staff motivation, and shown that the company is putting its money and resources where its mouth is.

Your company can do the same. For any questions about how your company could get involved in any of these areas, or if you have any other ideas, please contact SolarAid's Marketing Manager, Anna Wells on +44 20 7278 0400 or email info@solar-aid.org