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Brighter Futures' vision is for “all families in Jersey to live safe, happy and healthy lives, supporting them in times of challenge to realise their full potential”.
Achieving that requires support, and the charity is turning lunch breaks into opportunities to help spread the word about their work to support some families in Jersey.
Did you know that donations account for more than 90% of income? Every year, Brighter Futures works with businesses and organisations to align their CSR objectives with its essential work.
One of the ways businesses can find out more about the charity and its programmes is by inviting its team in for a lively ‘Lunch and Learn’ session.
Charity representatives head into places of work when employees are on their lunch breaks and hold an interactive quiz about what the organisation does and how it functions within Jersey.
Pictured: The 'Lunch and Learn' sessions assist firms to align their CSR objectives with the charity
The charity said these sessions, which take around 40 to 50 minutes, are delivered to many industries and workforces, and are particularly helpful when looking for support or community partners who can demonstrate an alignment between the values of their organisation and those the charity and programmes support.
Around this time of year, corporate companies in particular are in the process of deciding who their charity of choice will be for the following year.
Input is minimal from the companies themselves and all they need to do is provide lunch for their staff and Brighter Futures colleagues who rock up and present.
Usually, the quiz is presented via a PowerPoint and is an interactive session where questions are open for discussion and the answers provided along the way give essential knowledge about their work.
Matthew Le Bourgeois, Senior Manager in Fund Controlling at Nordic Capital, invited Brighter Futures into their office to find out more.
The firm had previously worked with the charity on their Christmas Appeal by providing advent calendars, but Mr Le Bourgeois said he and his colleagues wanted to know what else the charity did as they decide how to spend their community budget for the year.
He said: “The quiz went through the common myths about Brighter Futures, about how it’s not just for children but for families as well. It got people at work a bit more in tune with what the charity is and does.
“I found that the number of people they support was quite shocking, as well as the cost to run a local charity.”
Mr Le Bourgeois said there was also some more fun components, such as guessing where the charity’s clients are based on the island and what that might represent.
What has stayed with him the most from the session, though, was their monthly Dads’ Club programme which he had not known about.
“That piece around family and mental health was really nice, and I think something that should be highlighted more, in terms of men having someone to speak to and a common environment," he said.
After the session, he and a colleague sat down with the presenters for a bit longer to discuss how Nordic could help.
“We’re a small firm of people but we do what we can to help," he said.
“I absolutely would encourage corporates to invite Brighter Futures in for these sessions. While we knew about some of their work anyway, it is a really good opportunity to find out more about a local charity which is trying to make the community better and support families who are often not supported.”
If you or your place of work wish to discuss how you could get involved in Brighter Futures, the charity would really love to hear from you. The Brighter Futures team can be contacted via fundraising@brighterfuturees.org.je.
Anyone who wishes to make a donation to support the charity's vital work can do so here.
Brighter Futures has been the charity partner of Bailiwick Express and CONNECT Magazine throughout 2024.
This article from the charity first appeared in the November edition of CONNECT, which you can read in full below, or catch up on previous editions here...
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