Championing communities: the strategic evolution of Henry Boot's Charity Committee

The Charity Committee at Henry Boot has been supporting local communities for years, either through the community fund or ad hoc requests. As the new Chair for the committee, I was really interested in how we can evolve our approach to be more strategic, championing the communities we work and live in, and aligning our support with our purpose; creating great places today, to build a better tomorrow.

There was a famous economist, Milton Friedman, who has been quoted as saying ‘the only social responsibility of a business is to increase its profits’. He believed charitable contributions should be made by employees and not the business itself. Given my involvement in our committee I think its safe to say I disagree, but born from this is an interesting question: can we, as a business, benefit our communities through charitable giving more effectively than individuals?

The answer lies in us being strategic.

We are where great places start. Whether it’s a project that lasts two or twenty years, we are embedded within communities and have the opportunity to address local challenges. But we need to put in the work to understand what those challenges are and identify ways we can help.

Being strategic means looking at both the social and economic challenges at the same time. Take the Homeless Covenant for example, by changing our practices to make work more accessible for those without a home or at risk we are both filling jobs in the industry and supporting the person to change their life around.

We’ve also made the decision as a committee to hold our meetings across the country this year, inviting charities either local to our projects or offices in to talk to us about what really matters, and how we can be part of their journey. For example, we’ll be supporting HBD’s £1bn Golden Valley project, and working with Henry Boot Construction to continue their work with the Rotherham community.

For me, it’s about being proactive. We are starting to identify opportunities, and welcome interest from groups and charities. If we can offer help, we will do our best. This could be in the form of pro-bono work, consultancy, or monetary aid; we recently supported the Marylebone Project in London who sought advice on putting together a business case for one of their projects.

It’s important for us to build meaningful partnerships with charities and business partners alike to maximise our chances of making a difference. For example, our relationship with our charity partners Crisis has meant we can work with other businesses connected to them by offering expertise, ultimately supporting the charity’s aims. Moreover, through our partnership with Homewards, Prince William’s charity, we’ll provide property and planning advice to support efforts in addressing homelessness. 

If you have a project or cause that you think would benefit from our help, please reach out to through our charitable ask form.