Corporate Challenges - Case Studies

Berwin Leighton Paisner & their Charity of the Year

Leading firm of solicitors, BLP, has a charity of the year they support. They prefer to choose a smaller charity where the funds they raise will make a real difference. In past years they have chosen to support for example Treloar Trust and Haven’s Hospice, both small, single location charities relying entirely on donations.

As well as a range of events organised within the company during the year to generate funds for the charity, Tall Stories were asked to run a fundraising bike ride. The structure of the fundraising for this ride is such that the senior attendees are asked to pay in full for their place on the ride while a sliding scale of payments is applied to those less well off in the firm. This allows everyone in the firm to participate on the ride regardless of income or position.

The group was divided into groups of 10 led by a Tall Stories guide who has reccied the route previously, is a trained mechanic and has a first aid qualification, allowing the group to just relax, chat and peddle to the next stop without the worry of map reading, marker spotting or mechanical failure.

The end result is a win:win situation with an employee base:

• which sees the positive changes a corporate community can make to a small charity
• which is exposed to a charity they may not otherwise have heard of
• where they are involved and encouraged to fundraise for others less well off than themselves
• which is able to mix in a multi-hierarchal environment
• which enjoys a long weekend out of the office in an arena where hierarchy is secondary to cycling skills

The charity benefits from the funds and the additional awareness created for them within a high net worth and high profile environment.

Tesco & Action Medical Research

Seven years ago a group of senior directors from Tesco went on a London to Paris bike ride benefiting Action Medical Research. It dawned on them they could use the idea of a cycle ride raising funds for charity for their group of cycling peers. For six years Tall Stories has been operating a high end cycling event for Tesco and Action Medical Research where Tesco invite cyclists from within their own ranks and that of their suppliers, providers and commercial partners and AMR reap the fundraising rewards.

We get a huge percentage of repeat participants as we change the location of the ride each year. Every day there is a choice of 3 rides on offer to satisfy those who want to really bust a gut every day to those who are not every day cyclists and would prefer to enjoy the views, the countryside and the coffee. Each ride is guided in groups of 10 by a Tall Stories guide who has reccied the route previously, is a trained mechanic and has a first aid qualification, allowing the group to just relax, chat and peddle to the next stop without the worry of map reading, marker spotting or mechanical failure.

The end result is a win:win situation where the participants:

• network with peers across the industry at their higher levels and forge lasting relationships with people they would otherwise not have met
• are able to invite guests of similar standing in the knowledge that Tall Stories always deliver to the same high standard year after year.
• are exposed to the work of a major charity where one project is chosen as the beneficiary of the event so the participants are engaged in the project as well as with the charity
• have an excellent opportunity to try out some of the classic cycling locations across Europe in the comfort of good quality hotels and food.

The charity, Action Medical Research, benefits from the fundraised towards a particular given project targeted as the beneficiary of the event, and has excellent exposure to key decision makers within a breadth of industries.

Societe Generale & Care International

As part of their Citizenship Week, Societe Generale put in place a Europe-wide call to action over a period of 3 years to raise money for Care International, a global charity with offices and beneficiaries all over the world. As part of the employee engagement programme a Paris to London bike ride was put in place to link the 2 most important of Societe Generale’s hubs with a fundraising event cycling between their two country’s HQs.

Societe Generale’s integrated CSR policy means their employees benefit from matched giving, 2 charity days off per annum, subsidised event costs, etc. With all of these benefits, there is a no reason not to participate!

The group was divided into groups of 10 led by a Tall Stories guide who has reccied the route previously, is a trained mechanic and has a first aid qualification, allowing the group to just relax, chat and peddle to the next stop without the worry of map reading, marker spotting or mechanical failure.

The end result is a win:win situation where participants from various different countries across the globe were able to mix on a unique cycling event, meeting their international colleagues in the relaxed atmosphere of a bike challenge. They were exposed to a charity and cause they may not have come across before and were challenged to raise money in the same way the British challenge industry has developed, becoming ambassadors for the charity and the system of challenge led fundraising.

We can change many of the elements of our existing events to suit your requirements such as upgrading the accommodation, upgrading the celebration evening meal, changing the start and finish points and so on. Or we can tailor make a bespoke event for you. e.g. Deutsche Bank and their supporters thought that cycling from London to Barcelona was the best challenge they could think of – so we made it happen for them.

For ideas and to discuss requirements email or call Tina Makin on 020 8939 8739.