Business advisory firm Deloitte UK has completed a range of random acts of kindness to charities in Birmingham as part of its largest corporate impact event.

Delivered by the firm’s transaction services team, over 300 colleagues from across the UK joined forces to make an impact that matters as part of its ‘One Million Futures’ campaign.

Working with over 20 charities and schools in and around Birmingham, the team delivered 1,000 volunteer hours, impacting on more than 500 lives.

Split into 20 teams, charitable activities included random acts of kindness such as the delivery of food donations, packing bags to raise essential funds and spending time with students in schools, the elderly and young families to provide much needed support.

Members of the team also provided an ‘Expert Crowd’ whereby three charities talked about the challenges each encountered with Deloitte providing tangible solutions to help overcome the barriers each currently face.

Pauline Biddle, practice senior partner for Deloitte in the Midlands, says:

“Unlike traditional CSR activity, we wanted to give something back to the communities we work within that immediately made a difference.

“Funding only goes so far, but acts of kindness are personal and rewarding for both the individuals and those in need of support. It is the first time Deloitte has hosted an impact event of this size and we chose Birmingham due to our existing relationships within the community and central location.

“The rewards for all has been phenomenal. From the outset we have needed to think innovatively to come up with activities which truly make a difference.

“Rather than focusing our energies on one or two large projects, we chose several of the city’s smaller charities including City Mission, John Taylor Hospice and Father Hudson charity.”

To help source charities which would benefit most from the day, Deloitte worked with Volunteering Matters who provide volunteer-led solutions for charities across the UK.

One charity to receive support on the day was St Basil’s, which provides homeless prevention services to the city’s youngsters.

Azim Salam, a learning and skills worker at St Basil’s, says:

“The support and advice Deloitte provided led to a successful and informative session with our young people.

“A key part of the work we do is equipping individuals with the skills to either enter education or secure a job. Deloitte’s volunteers provided useful insights into the workplace, hints and tips for interviews as well as mock job interviews - all of which we found incredibly helpful.”

One Million Futures is Deloitte’s new social impact strategy which aims to help one million people over the next five years to get to where they want to be. Launched in 2016, Deloitte has had an impact on almost 140,000 lives within its first year.