We’re committed to supporting our local communities and working with smaller charities and organisations; those where we can make a tangible impact. Our ongoing partnership with US-based organisation BUILD, a charity committed to supporting entrepreneurial students through mentorship and funding, is proof of just that. As BUILD’s guiding purpose aligns heavily with the pillars of our charity arm, The Elixirr Foundation (education, entrepreneurship and technology), our team were particularly excited about launching the partnership.
- Outcome 1: $10,000 donated to fund student business and programming needs
- Outcome 2: volunteered at New York & San Francisco high schools
The challenge
Over the past year we partnered with US-based charity, BUILD, whose mission is to empower American youth through entrepreneurialism. It recognizes that opportunities for students are often limited by their zip code, race and class. The charity wants to ensure that all students, regardless of socioeconomic background, are prepared for the 21st century workforce.
To support students, BUILD runs a college readiness program. This uses entrepreneurship-based, experiential learning to ignite the potential of youth in under-resourced communities, equipping them for high school, college, and career success. By helping students develop and run their own small businesses, BUILD supplements traditional school with real-world business experiences and critical skill-building for the future, helping students to become the “CEO” of their own lives.
As our partnership began in peak-COVID times, BUILD’s ability to host virtual volunteering programs was another silver lining. London and Johannesburg based-employees were able to join US-based colleagues to participate in business plan competitions and mentoring virtually.
The approach
Our main goal was to make a considerable impact both on the volunteering and fundraising front for BUILD.
Through one of BUILD’s student mentorship programs, our volunteers are paired with a group of high school students who’re working together to build and launch a business. Our role is to support them with guided feedback, each session focusing on a different business-related topic that ranges from writing challenge statements, to building a business plan, through to creating websites. Apart from the student group mentoring, we also participate in a business pitch competition. Our volunteers act as judges during this live event where students pitch their business ideas to a panel.
Over the past year we raised $10k for BUILD, which was used to help build prototypes of the students’ business ideas and to help pay for the funding of BUILD program teachers as well as the cost of students’ enrolment in the program. We did this in a couple of ways: through a ‘race to the equator’ sports event, a virtual pub quiz and a live auction.
The Impact
Many of our employees now volunteer with BUILD on a regular basis. Creating long term relationships is really important to us, and means we can help students’ see through their ideas. We’ve helped these students see their potential and develop entrepreneurial skills that will equip them for the working world, creating opportunities for individuals that otherwise wouldn’t have had access to them. In the long run, this will help build a new, diverse generation of leaders.