Barratt Homes – Corporate Partner case study 

When Barratt Homes Southern Counties announced Worthing hospice St Barnabas House as their 2023 Charity of the Year, they wanted to shine a light on palliative and end-of-life care. But at the time, they didn’t realise how many of the people they worked with had been touched by the hospice and its work. They certainly couldn’t have predicted the sum they would end up donating – a record-breaking £138,982.

Making fundraising fun and competitive

Speaking at a cheque presentation at St Barnabas House, managing director Julian Hodder said: “I’ve spoken to sub-contractors at events, and everybody has their own story about St Barnabas House. They have all been very positive in terms of their experience. It was a senior member of staff who made the nomination, and she had a personal connection to the hospice. But in addition to that, we have a site literally five minutes down the road, so we knew we would see the benefit.”

Julian makes no bones about instilling a healthy sense of competition among his teams when it comes to fundraising. “Each department was allocated a month to fundraise, and they come up with their own ideas,” he says. “We’ve had a mini-Olympics, a pub quiz, marathons and a barbecue. Larger-scale events include our golf day and charity auction.

“It’s become a bit of a tradition for me to offer myself as one of the auction lots at our fundraising ball,” Julian continues. “This year, three of our on-site contractors teamed up and paid £18,000 across three days for me, which in the past, has involved me doing landscaping maintenance, bricklaying, laying patios, even learning how to drive a digger and dig a trench – it’s good fun.

“Previous office fundraising activities have even involved staff paying £50 to pie me in the face, which I think everyone enjoyed!”

Deeper engagement with the cause

“All staff members have two paid days each year to volunteer with any charity. Last year, the commercial and technical teams worked with a landscaping sub-contractor to clear ditches on the hospice’s land. “That was a great case of everyone pulling together,” says Julian. “Some of our sub-contractors came a long way and everyone chipped in.”

Other members of staff helped in shops, while still others volunteered with the gardening team.

“Of course, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is also about engagement,” says Julian. “It’s good for Barratt Homes to be seen as a force for good in the community, but it’s also brilliant for staff morale. For me, the highlight has been seeing the guys really throw themselves into it.”