The power of business - what our charity learnt in 2023 

In 2023 we supported over 250 women, children and families experiencing homelessness, domestic abuse, financial hardships and relationship breakdowns.   

We did this through specialist teams and strong partnerships across Rotherham, Doncaster and Sheffield. The accommodation, training and support we deliver is vital, as are our partnerships with local businesses and community groups.  

The businesses that supported us in 2023 brought with them skills, products, time, money, and networks; they’ve made a real impact on people’s lives – and they’ve done this because they genuinely care about the communities that they work in. 

The more businesses we’ve worked with, the more we’ve come to understand the power of employee engagement. Sometimes it’s the work that we do supporting people who have experienced domestic abuse that really touches the hearts of staff teams. Sometimes it’s the support of young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, that provokes people into action. Often what unites teams is the compassion they feel when they consider what it must be like not to have the comfort of family or friends to fall back on in hard times. We make sure that our business partners understand the impact they are having, and we thank the staff teams that are driving this activity and pulling others together around our shared goals. 

In 2023 we were announced as Charity Of The Year by S2S Group who have tirelessly supported our work with women, children and families at Green Gables in Doncaster. They've donated time, tech, gifts and skills - and we are thrilled to continue our partnership with the team.   

We have ongoing partnerships with Tesco in Rotherham, Sheffield and Doncaster - the support from their Community Champions helps us to deliver essential food, school items, health and self-care products to our families.   

Our work with businesses last year also resulted in a cash donation from Next thanks to the support of Heavenly Hairspray who also rallied the local community to collect gifts. This amazing effort meant we were able to give presents to 199 children in Doncaster at Christmas. 

2023 was also the year we joined forced with Premier Partnerships - The UK’s largest independent nationwide learning and development organisation. Thanks to their specialist expertise, additional funding and their development teams, we’ll be launching a bespoke in-house education platform with them later this year. This partnership will have a huge impact on the people we support; ensuring that the training and qualifications we deliver are accessible to all. 

Through our Employer Supported Volunteer scheme four members of staff from Trelleborg Sealing Solutions worked with Green Gables painting fences and wrapping Christmas presents for our families. And we received similar support from volunteer teams through Voluntary Action Rotherham.   

YWCA Yorkshire has a longstanding relationship with Rotherham’s branch of United Carpets and Beds who supply carpets, beds and mattresses for our housing projects at charity rates. 

Thanks to Vodafone charities connected initiative we’ve benefited from free mobile phone connectivity helping us to coordinate and deliver services in the community.  

Many of the businesses that have supported us over the year also came together at Christmas to help wrap presents and prepare hampers for people we support; this alongside the Sheffield Shoebox appeal and donations from Diane at Progress Rail and Julian McFarlane from Staff One, ensured that none of the families we work with, no matter their circumstance, were forgotten. 

And of course, we’ve been working closely with businesses through Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber and Sheffield Chamber, culminating in the prestigious ‘highly commended’ accolade for our Charity of the Year nomination in the 2023 Barnsley and Rotherham Business Awards.  

As a charity, we rely on the goodwill and generosity of our communities and this year we want to build more of these essential relationships. 

There are many ways that we can partner with businesses and teams; working together to support people to make positive change. We’ve put some ideas together in our Corporate Partnership Pack. 

If you are looking to make an impact locally - we have lots of experience working well with businesses and would love to talk to you more about opportunities to partner with us this year. Please get in touch: rowan.hall@ywcayorkshire.org.uk