Corporate Social Responsibility

The Thinking Cap’s Corporate Social Responsibility

Taking Corporate Social Responsibility seriously

Often CSR is an after-thought for small businesses. But it’s always meant a lot to me. As soon as I became a business owner, I knew I wanted to take action.

Any time there’s an opportunity to help the wider community with my social media and business skills, I endeavour to help.

The main ways I support local businesses and charities is through:

PR
Events support
Fundraising awareness
Social media management

Social media training
Logo/graphic design
Community engagement
Marketing strategy

Below, is how I've helped my local community.

Helping local Horsforth businesses to transition online through the pandemic

When others are struggling with their business, I will always try to help. With over 30 years commercial experience, I have both business and social media skills to share.

Suddenly, in 2020, many local businesses who operated from a physical building were forced to close due to the pandemic. The need to pivot their business to have an online presence became one of urgency. To make sure they made as much impact as possible, as quickly as possible, I hosted free sessions to educate the business owners on using social media and setting up online shops.

The Selby District Parkinson’s Support Group

Three years into my business, my stepdad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. To increase awareness and encourage support from the local community, I began to manage the Local Group’s Facebook page. I also helped out by organising speakers for their monthly coffee mornings, fundraising, and raising awareness by optimising PR opportunities to get the Group in the local press.

Helping the Horsforth Community Café

Horsforth Community Café hosts a ‘pay as you feel’ service. To lighten the load for Penny, a local volunteer, who was running everything alone, in 2019 I started helping them with their social media presence. I continue to design and post a weekly infographic, showcasing their weekly stats – for example, how much food they’ve saved from going to waste, etc. Below is an example of graphics I produce.

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Business connections for Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity

Whilst at a business networking event I met a local fundraiser, Nicki. I knew immediately that I wanted to help her increase her revenue streams and raise money for the charity and volunteer my marketing know-how. I provided a full marketing strategy for the charity and together we set up a new corporate membership called the Business Connections.

Below is a screen shot of the LinkedIn endorsement I received for this work

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Helping sixth-form students at my local High School

In partnership with a local high school, in 2023, I will be running ‘An Introduction to LinkedIn’ workshop for the sixth-form students. This will show them the importance of creating and maintaining a professional LinkedIn profile to support their job searches and stay ahead of their competition.