By Sini Rinne-Kerridge, independent strategy, learning and impact consultant
Connecting
Building meaningful business partnerships – Case study: Red Hen Project
Jennifer Rutter from the Red Hen Project, a grassroots charity in Cambridge that provides support to children aged 0-12 and their families, spoke to a member of Support Cambridgeshire’s development team about the charity’s experience of working with businesses.
Over the past three years, the Red Hen Project has evolved its approach to engaging businesses—from one-off donations to building long-term, meaningful partnerships.
Initially, engagement was limited. However, through strong relationships—particularly with the Cambridge Fruit Company—Red Hen unlocked the potential of working flexibly with businesses. As Jen explained:
it’s moved away from the transactional donations … really building genuine relationships.
Their approach has been organic and relationship-led:
- Partnerships often start small (a conversation, event, or volunteering day)
- Trust and mutual understanding are built over time
- Relationships naturally grow into deeper collaboration.
A key example of this journey is the partnership with Cambridge University Press and Assessment (CUP&A) where they are CUP&A’s charity of the year. This has now developed into a multi-year relationship, demonstrating the value of sustained engagement rather than short-term activity.
Red Hen takes a thoughtful approach to selecting and developing partnerships, focusing on fit, shared values, and mutual benefit rather than scale alone. As Jennifer put it:
You have to think, am I going to be able to work with this company and this person?
Key considerations include:
- Whether the organisation’s values align with Red Hen’s
- Whether the relationship feels collaborative and positive
- Whether expectations on both sides can be realistically met.
Rather than a one-size-fits-all model, Red Hen creates different types of relationships, including:
- Relationships not bound by any timeframe, with a sense of permanence, such as with Cambridge Fruit Company and The Bradfield Centre
- Long-term “partnership of the year” collaborations (e.g. CUP&A, which has extended into a third year)
- Ongoing but lighter-touch relationships with multiple businesses
- One-off or seasonal engagement opportunities.
They also carefully manage capacity. As a smaller charity, they recognise they cannot sustain too many intensive partnerships at once, so they prioritise depth over volume while making sure they can, in Jen’s words:
clearly demonstrate the impact we’re having locally.
Red Hen offers a range of volunteering opportunities to suit different business needs, ensuring accessibility and meaningful impact.
Fundraising and Events
For example, CUP&A supported Red Hen via:
- a fire walk event which they hosted providing the space and facilities
- by volunteering to collect donations at the Cambridge Beer Festival
- by running raffles, auctions, and craft activities
- running a comedy night at the Cambridge University Press bookshop, which also sold the Red Hen charity calendar.
These activities often combine fundraising with team building and awareness raising.
Skilled Volunteering
Businesses provide professional expertise that the charity would otherwise struggle to access:
- Marketing and communications support
- Digital campaign input
- HR advice
- Strategic planning
- Facilitation support for trustee subcommittees.
This type of volunteering is highly valued and enables long-term organisational development. As Jen noted:
- All of this is really, really valuable.
Team Volunteering
Practical, hands-on opportunities linked to key times of year:
- Preparing Easter activity packs for families
- Supporting summer community events and outdoor play activities
- Collecting and organising school supplies in September
- Sorting and preparing Christmas gifts.
These activities are designed to be engaging, flexible, and directly linked to community needs.
Mentoring, & Coaching and Trustees
Red Hen has benefited from:
- Coaching for staff, which has been described as “worth its weight in gold”
- Recruitment of trustees from business backgrounds, bringing skills and networks
- Mentoring relationships that strengthen leadership and governance.
These contributions not only support the charity but also offer valuable development opportunities for business employees.
Innovation and Collaboration
Through its partnership with CUP&A, Red Hen has been able to pilot new ideas, including:
- Delivering online parenting courses to employees
- Expanding their reach and developing confidence in digital delivery
- Exploring potential future income streams.
This demonstrates how partnerships can go beyond volunteering to enable innovation and growth, rooted in what Jen described as:
A real, mutual respect for one another.
Red Hen value and recognise the value their partnerships bring.
They do this in simple but effective ways:
- Thanking individuals personally whenever possible
- Providing regular updates on how support has made a difference
- Sharing stories from families and frontline staff
- Inviting volunteers to visit activities and see the impact first-hand.
For example, Red Hen regularly visits CUP&A on-site, creating informal opportunities to:
- Thank staff face-to-face
- Share updates
- Maintain visibility within the organisation.
They also use social media (with permission) to publicly recognise contributions and raise awareness.
Importantly, recognition doesn’t rely on formal reporting—it is often personal, visible and relational. As Jen said:
It doesn’t have to be all singing and dancing, just popping in and having a coffee and catching up with people.
Tips to create successful voluntary/business partnerships
1. Build relationships, not transactions
Start small and allow partnerships to grow over time. A single conversation can evolve into a long-term collaboration.
2. Focus on mutual benefit
Recognise that businesses are not just helping charities—charities also provide value through:
- Employee wellbeing and engagement
- Skills development
- Purpose and connection to community.
3. Charities need to be clear about their needs
Clearly communicate:
- What support is helpful, and what is not
- When it is needed
- What impact it will have.
This helps businesses engage in meaningful ways, especially when charities are, as Jen put it:
Clear about what support is genuinely helpful.
4. Offer flexible opportunities
Provide a range of options—volunteering, skills-based support, fundraising—to suit different business interests and capacities.
5. Show impact regularly
Keep businesses engaged by demonstrating the difference they are making—this can be simple, timely, and personal.
6. Invest in long-term partnerships
The experience with CUP&A shows that extending partnerships beyond one year:
Builds momentum
Deepens engagement
Enables larger, more ambitious outcomes.
7. Embrace openness and trust
Strong partnerships rely on honest communication, flexibility, and mutual respect.
8. Stay visible and connected
Regular touchpoints—visits, updates, informal conversations—help maintain engagement and uncover new opportunities.
Red Hen’s experience shows that successful corporate volunteering is not about scale, but about relationships, trust, and shared purpose.
Their partnership with CUP&A demonstrates how businesses and charities can move beyond transactional support to create lasting, impactful collaboration—benefiting communities, employees, and organisations alike.
Building the right fit: How businesses and charities can create meaningful partnerships
One of our development team spoke to Heidi Mulvey, Head of Community Engagement at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, about her colleagues’ experience of volunteering with charity partners.
This blog shares highlights from their conversation
For many organisations, supporting charities and communities is about building genuine, mutually beneficial relationships. These relationships are built on shared purpose, mutual respect, and a willingness to explore different ways of working together.
At Cambridge University Press & Assessment (CUP&A), employee supported volunteering (ESV) is not just about giving time — it’s about building meaningful, long-term relationships that benefit both communities and the organisation itself.
Why CUP&A engages in employee supported volunteering
We see this as part of our educational mission — a contribution we can make that goes beyond our products and services.
Volunteering enables colleagues to extend that mission beyond their day-to-day roles by supporting local schools, charities, and community initiatives.
This creates real benefits for communities — but also for the organisation:
- Colleagues develop skills in new environments
- Teams can build stronger relationships through shared experiences
- Employees feel more engaged and connected to the organisation
- The organisation gains deeper insight into the communities it serves.
The main purpose is to help organisations achieve their aims — but it’s also good for us …It’s good for people’s sense of wellbeing and how they feel about their employer.
Working together in a completely different context is great for teams.
It helps us attract and retain talent — people’s attitudes towards this kind of work have a significant influence on how they feel about us.
For example, CUP&A colleagues working with a youth organisation have helped support programmes designed to keep young people engaged in education and away from risky pathways — directly aligning with the organisation’s wider mission.
How CUP&A selects partners and the relationships it builds
A key principle at CUP&A is that partnerships should be meaningful.
It’s about going beyond the transactional and building genuine relationships.
Charity partners are selected through a colleague-led process:
- Employees nominate local, education-focused charities
- Shortlisted organisations are invited to outline how a partnership would make a difference
- Employees vote on the final choice.
It’s transparent, it’s fair, and it involves people — which is really important for buy-in.
It introduces you to organisations you might not otherwise know about, who are doing incredible work, often with very little resource.
This ensures strong alignment and ownership across the organisation.
Flexibility in partnerships
Although partnerships are typically planned for two years, CUP&A recently chose to extend several relationships for an additional year because they were delivering strong impact and momentum.
This reflects a broader mindset of being responsive to what is working — and prioritising outcomes over rigid timelines.
The breadth of volunteering at CUP&A
One of the most striking aspects of CUP&A’s approach is the range of ways colleagues can get involved. The organisation offers colleagues two paid volunteer days a year, which can be broken down into hours if required.
There are many, flexible ways our people can volunteer. They can join centrally organised team volunteering, but they can also use their time to support local initiatives they’re personally passionate about.
Team volunteering
Teams often support events or community initiatives together.
Example:
At the Cambridge Beer Festival, around 20 CUP&A volunteers spent time engaging with attendees and encouraging them to donate their glass deposits to the Red Hen Project in 2025 and the Samaritans in 2026. This simple activity helped raise a significant amount for both charities.
Fundraising and practical support
Fundraising activities range from informal to large-scale.
Examples:
- Hosting a fire walk event to raise funds
- Running bake sales and craft fairs internally
- Producing a charity calendar sold through CUP&A’s bookshop
- Providing meeting space for charity activities.
These activities often combine financial support with awareness-raising.
Skilled volunteering
Employees use their professional expertise to support charities in targeted ways.
Examples:
- A data specialist helped a youth charity better analyse and use its information
- An employee provided IT support to a charity, offering expertise that would otherwise have been costly
- A designer created branding for a charity anniversary campaign.
Sometimes the most valuable thing is expertise that charities would otherwise have to pay for.
Trustee and governance roles
Employees are encouraged to take on trustee roles, contributing to governance and strategy while building their own leadership and problem-solving skills.
Mentoring
Mentoring takes many forms and is mutually beneficial.
Example:
Senior leaders at CUP&A have mentored school leaders, shared leadership experience while also learning from those working in high-pressure service delivery environments.
We learn as much from the charity as they benefit from our support.
It’s not one-sided — going in on an equal footing makes for much better conversations about how we can work together.
In-kind and creative support
Some of the most impactful contributions are unexpected and arise through relationships.
Examples:
- Offering office space for events or meetings
- Hosting creative workshops or awareness sessions.
Some of the best opportunities are not planned for and evolve through conversations you have as part of an ongoing relationship.
How volunteering is communicated and celebrated within CUP&A
CUP&A takes a proactive, multi-channel approach to engagement.
Communication
- Internal platforms share opportunities
- Targeted staff networks promote relevant activities
- Presentations at team meetings and leadership forums highlight opportunities.
Example:
Volunteering opportunities for family-focused charities are shared through staff networks for parents and carers, ensuring they reach the most relevant audiences.
Celebration
Celebration plays a key role in building momentum.
- Stories are shared internally and externally
- Activities are promoted through social media and corporate channels
- Success is highlighted to inspire others.
This helps create a culture where volunteering is visible, valued, and encouraged.
Tips for creating successful business–charity partnerships
CUP&A’s experience highlights several principles that are key to making partnerships work.
1. Prioritise relationships over transactions
The most effective partnerships go beyond simply giving money or hours. They are built on understanding, dialogue, and shared purpose.
2. Be open, flexible, and responsive
Some of the best outcomes are unplanned. Regular communication helps identify new opportunities as they arise.
Be open to regular discussion — that’s how you spot where you can really help.
3. Recognise mutual value
This is not a one-way exchange. Businesses and charities both bring expertise and insight — and both learn from each other.
Be humble — and remember you’ll learn as much as you give.
4. Start small and build
You don’t need a large programme to begin. A single activity or connection can grow into a strong partnership over time.
5. Avoid being overly demanding
Businesses should be mindful of the capacity of smaller charities and ensure requests genuinely support — rather than burden — their work.
Don’t be inappropriately demanding — small charities don’t always have capacity for everything you might want to do.
6. Empower employees
Giving staff flexibility (such as volunteering days) and encouraging participation is critical to success.
7. For charities: be confident and proactive
Charities bring deep expertise and should:
- Be clear about their needs
- Suggest opportunities (including smaller or flexible ones)
- Maintain ongoing dialogue with potential partners.
Recognise your power — you are the experts in your field.
Be confident about saying when something won’t work.
Try things and share opportunities — even if nothing happens immediately, it gets you into people’s thinking.
Final thought
Partnerships grow through connection, openness, and shared intent.
Even a small opportunity can open the door to something impactful.
Just find one small thing you can do together and build from it.
Four trees do not make a forest: the small charity ecosystem
The small charity sector in Cambridgeshire is, quite honestly, amazing. It is resourceful, adaptive and normally ahead of the curve on statutory offer.
I could leave this blog there, to be honest, however I feel the team may have a few words to say about that. So instead I am going to continue to make the case for the small charity sector and really make sure you see how amazing you are and how forgotten you are by most people.
Some could say the society is a bit like a forest — stay with me. Our communities are the animals living together in that forest, all different, all connected, all trying to find their way. The statutory services are the big trees, the large charities are the established greenery, and the voluntary and community sector is the undergrowth, moss and fungi that fill the gaps and reach the places the bigger structures do not. Each part has a role, and the whole thing only works because it is all there together. Take away the smaller layers and the forest does not just look different, it stops working as it should. That’s what small charities do: they hold things together quietly, support what is around them, and make the whole ecosystem stronger.
The NHS, councils (in whatever form), businesses and education systems are all impacted in one way or another by elements of the small charity sector. They offer health services that keep us healthy, and they offer advice and guidance in navigating the bureaucracy of councils and education systems. They give volunteer placements for businesses and work experience for the next set of employees. And yet the closest the general public generally comes to really understanding the small charity sector is through watching Children in Need or Red Nose Day. It’s a shame, really, that when you stop someone in the street and ask them to explain charity, they go for the big hitters, that’s like saying the forest is only the pine and oak trees.
And it is not as if Cambridgeshire does small quietly either. The latest local data shows that, once national and non-traditional charities are removed, around 2,100 registered charities operate in Cambridgeshire. That figure does not include the far larger number of informal groups, community organisations and CIC’s that are also doing the work every day. Of those registered charities, more than 80% have an income of less than £100,000. In other words, the majority of the sector is small. Not niche. Not occasional. Not a nice little extra. The majority.
And this is where the forest metaphor really matters. Small charities are not simply decorating the landscape. They are often the first to notice when something is wrong. They see the family struggling before the referral is made, the older person becoming isolated before it becomes a health crisis, the young person losing confidence before they disappear from education, and the community tension before it becomes something bigger. They are close enough to notice, trusted enough to be let in, and flexible enough to respond.
That closeness is not accidental. It is built through years of turning up, listening, adapting and doing what is needed rather than what neatly fits a service specification, they are also run by those people they are helping. The volunteers are the ex-users, the leader is related to someone who went through that and there wasn’t the service or support out there. Small charities can be practical and relational at the same time. They can help someone fill in a form, sit with them while they make a difficult phone call, open a warm space, run a peer support group, give someone a volunteering role, or simply be the familiar face that makes a person feel able to try again. None of that sounds dramatic, but it is often the difference between coping and crisis.
The problem is that because small charities are so good at filling gaps, we sometimes forget the gaps were there in the first place. Their work becomes invisible precisely because it is preventative. If a crisis is avoided, there is no headline. This is both the beauty and the downfall of preventative work: if something does not happen, it does not appear to cost anything. And if it does not appear to cost anything, there is nothing obvious to pay for. When statutory services are often based on cost-recovery models, and the small charity sector prevents people from reaching crisis point in the first place, it can be incredibly hard to prove that something did not happen because a small charity stepped in early.
So if we are serious about healthy communities, we need to stop treating small charities as the undergrowth that can be cut back when budgets are tight. We need to see them as part of the root system. Fund them properly. Involve them earlier. Listen to what they are seeing. Value the informal, local and relational work as much as the large-scale programmes and the shiny strategies. Because a forest is not held up by the biggest trees alone. It survives because every layer is doing its job, often quietly, often unseen, but absolutely essentially.
Lights, Camera, Impact: How charities can use video and storytelling to connect and inspire
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, video stands out as one of the most effective tools available to charities and voluntary groups. It is engaging, accessible, and highly impactful. Whether the goal is to raise awareness, attract volunteers, or demonstrate outcomes to funders, video storytelling offers a dynamic way to communicate that often resonates more deeply than text alone.
Importantly, creating video content doesn’t require a large budget or a professional production team. With just a smartphone, a tripod, and a microphone, organisations can begin producing compelling videos that connect with audiences and showcase their work authentically.
Why video works for charities
Video drives web traffic and increases engagement. It’s widely shared across social media platforms and consistently outperforms other types of content.
Yet many organisations still hesitate. Common barriers include time, money, ideas, and confidence. But short, unedited videos can be just as effective. A few words to camera, a quick upload, and you’re done. You don’t need to provide lots of detail either—just a simple call to action at the end can direct viewers to your website, blog, or contact page.
Video can be used in countless ways to support your charity’s goals. It can:
- Promote your services and help signpost support
- Attract volunteers by showing what it’s really like to get involved
- Engage supporters with the faces and stories behind your work
- Demonstrate impact to funders and stakeholders
- Celebrate achievements and share positive experiences
- Build trust through transparency and authenticity
Case study: Sabr Arts and Crafts – creating a support network for a grassroots initiative
Introduction to the group
Sabr Arts and Crafts is a grassroots initiative to create a welcoming space that addresses mental health and well-being, particularly for women from the South Asian community, who experience a high level of need but a lack of provision locally. The founder herself is from this community and benefited from past provisions that are no longer available.
The need
The Sabr Arts committee had lots of brilliant ideas but needed some support putting governance, management and funding in place to realise their vision.
What was done?
Sabr Arts and Crafts were already providing an informal weekly session at a local community centre but they needed funding to continue. They asked CCVS for help.
We provided tailored one-to-one guidance on governance, including assistance with drafting policies and developing a constitution. This foundational support enabled Sabr Arts to formalise their structure and operate with greater confidence and clarity.
We then went on to create a network of support around the group:
Cambridge Online gave Sabr Arts a refurbished laptop to address the group’s limited access to digital resources. This significantly improved Sabr Arts and Crafts ability to look for funding and communicate with beneficiaries, volunteers and other stakeholders.
Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum. This connection provides the group with ongoing mentorship and support in managing finances, ensuring they can plan and sustain their activities effectively.
Our Community WhatsApp group which helped raise awareness of the group’s activities and attract new participants.
CPSL Mind. This partnership resulted in successful funding and training opportunities, equipping the group’s founder with the skills to support members’ well-being and provide appropriate signposting to mental health services.
Cambridgeshire County Council Community Team, which led to a successful small grant application, which enabled the group to host their first event, their Eid party.
Cambridge City Council. We provided support with Sabr Arts and Crafts small grants funding application. This application was successful and will fund the group’s operating costs for the next year.
Cambridge Women’s Resource Centre: has supported the founder with starting the group, signposting to CCVS, and ongoing support with session planning and grant funding applications.
Khidmat Sisters: A local social group supporting the local female Muslim community in another part of the City. Khidmat Sisters has been running for a number of years and has been able to mentor the founder and her group as they promote the group with the local community.
The Impact/change
Sabr Arts and Crafts are now set up with a formal structure and have secured funding enabling the running of their weekly workshops at a local community centre. The weekly sessions are well attended and a successful Eid celebration attracted more attendees. The group plans to host seasonal celebratory events regularly.
CPSL Mind training and support means the group can also do more to support participants and signpost to further mental health services.
As of the 15 September 2025, Sabr arts and craft sessions have been attended by 46 individuals since the group started.
Sabr Arts and Crafts has recently been successfully nominated as a community project for the Tesco Stronger Starts programme.
Centre for Warmth funding and how it’s helped C3 Impact (The C3 Church)
Support Cambridgeshire received a grant in 2024, administered by NAVCA and funded by Cadent under their Centres for Warmth Programme.
The Centre for Warmth Programme aims to support people who are living in vulnerable situations by keeping them warm, safe, and connected. The project is based on identifying and partnering with local charities in areas of high deprivation, fuel poverty, and risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, who are located close to areas where Cadent are carrying out mains replacement work.
Through this programme Support Cambridgeshire have been able to give small grants to community initiatives in Cambridge, Huntingdon and Wisbech.
This is the story of C3 Impact (The C3 Church), Cambridge, highlighting their important work and the difference this grant has made.
Who is C3?
C3 is a vital lifeline for many local residents—it’s grown into a place where practical support, kindness, and community go hand in hand. Over the past few years, its C3 Impact Programme has developed into a deeply trusted and much-needed service. The Programme, the social action arm of the C3 Church, offers help with everything from food insecurity to language learning, mental wellbeing, and support with everyday struggles.
What makes C3’s work so distinctive is the holistic way it supports people—not just in crisis moments, but by walking alongside them over a period of time. The church has become a warm, welcoming space where people can find food or advice, and also dignity, encouragement, and human connection.
How has the Centre for Warmth Programme supported and broadened the work of C3
In recent months, additional funding through the Cadent and NAVCA Warm Centre Grant has made a profound difference. Thanks to this support, C3 has been able to extend and strengthen many of its services. Crucially, the funding allowed the church to restart its Citizens Advice signposting service, helping residents access benefits, advice and personalised support at the moment they need it most. At a time when navigating the benefits system or finding accurate information about energy bills and debt can feel overwhelming, this one-to-one help is invaluable.
The grant has also enabled the church to continue running its free weekly community hubs, including Wednesday’s Impact Hub, Food Truck Fridays, and the new Evening Community Space. These aren’t just drop-ins—they are safe havens. On any given day, guests might arrive cold, hungry, isolated, or worried. But they leave having had a hot meal, a warm conversation, and a genuine sense of being cared for. Many say it’s the only place they truly feel seen.
The warm space element of C3’s offer is more than just physical comfort. It’s about emotional safety too. With energy costs still high and social isolation on the rise, having a welcoming space where people can simply sit, chat, and feel part of a community is now more vital than ever. The Warm Centre funding ensures these spaces can remain open and resourced—not only in the coldest months, but throughout the year.
C3 also offers a wide range of volunteering opportunities, where people can clearly see the positive impact they have on others’ lives and the wider community, while also building their own skills and confidence.
A quote from The Centre C3 Impact Team:
If you want a job done, ask a busy person! The story of the NEC Charity Hub
If you want a job done ask a busy person, or so the phrase goes.
In this case the person asking was Sarah Crick, the CEO of Red Hen, and the person she asked was me. Would CCVS (soon to be Support Cambridgeshire) be interested in taking on the management of some soon to be empty offices for a period until they were redeveloped? Doing so would give us the opportunity to rent them to Cambridge based charities who were looking for an affordable home. The answer from me was ‘no it won’t work, and we are too busy’ but we agreed to meet The Crown Estates anyway so we could definitively say it would never work.
Four months later CCVS were the lead tenants for the Northeast Cambridge Charity Hub based at Byron House on the Cambridge Business Park. Red Hen moved in as our first tenant and more have followed.