Pro Bono Week 2024
We love Pro Bono Week because it gives us the chance to celebrate local Norfolk businesses achieving social impact by partnering with us. At the Foundation, we’ve been connecting local businesses with charities since 2018, encouraging companies to share their expertise, resources, and skills to make a difference to communities on their doorstep. Pro Bono Week shines a light on how these partnerships can make a meaningful impact, helping charities thrive, solve community challenges, and create long-lasting positive change across Norfolk.
This Pro Bono week, we are excited to launch a new initiative from Good for Good: the Skills Exchange.
Can you help?
This Pro Bono Week, we are calling on lawyers and solicitors to embed pro bono in their organisations with help from the Skills Exchange. We know many employers and employees struggle to know what to do with volunteering days – why not make them count, showing some love to local charities while also honing your skills?
Solicitors and lawyers play a critical role in providing pro bono support to charities. Many charities lack the financial resources to afford high-quality legal counsel, yet they face a variety of legal challenges, from drafting and reviewing contracts to managing property leases, handling governance reviews, and meeting regulatory compliance standards.
If you or your team have talent, skills and experience you want to share to make Norfolk a better place, we can help!
Contact Sophie Berry and start your journey today.
Since last Pro Bono Week…
Pro bono and beyond…
Pro Bono Week celebrates how the legal profession helps individuals and charities thrive, achieve justice, and make a difference. Pro bono legal assistance enables charities to address issues they are facing, and by volunteering their time and knowledge, solicitors and lawyers empower charities to focus on their missions while ensuring more of their funds end up on the frontlines.
Lease Checks with Howes Percival
Emmaus Norfolk wanted support to make sure leases they were singing were right for their charity and the clients they supported. They wanted to create a female-only accommodation and workshop space. They approached the Foundation, and we were able to pair them with a trainee solicitor from Howes Percival. This is what the charity had to say about the difference this advice made:
“The support we have received from Norfolk Prohelp has enabled us to proceed with the leases with confidence and without any concerns that we may encounter any unforeseen liabilities in the future. It has also saved us money which we are able to re-invest into an I.T. network to support the formerly homeless women in their learning and training as part of their support programme.”
Not only did this make a big difference to the charity and the people they support, but it also allowed a supervised trainee to gain valuable, practical experience while also embedding pro bono early in their career.
Trustee Change with Birketts
Harpley Village Hall wanted to refurbish their facility, but a legal conundrum needed unpicking before they could do so. After contacting the Foundation, we were able to pair them with Chris Coupland from Birketts, who helped them investigate a land ownership problem that was holding them back from appointing new trustees – essential to have in place before they could refurbish their village hall. With this resolved, they are ready to take the next steps to improve this community facility for all residents.
Through Good for Good, we collaborate with a wide range of Norfolk businesses to support the local charitable sector, helping by providing professional services, donating money and assets, and upskilling charity staff.
Supporting charities with assets
Norse Group have been supporting Nourishing Norfolk by providing warehouse space and logistics, helping to deliver over 124 tonnes of food to communities in Norfolk since 2023. The donation of these assets has helped tens of thousands of people across Norfolk struggling with the rising cost of living to save half-a-million pounds on groceries and household essentials collectively. They also offer print services to the Foundation through Interprint, helping us keep our costs down so our funding goes further.
Upskilling the Sector
This year, Creativity Unbound has continued to host their ‘Ask us about… Marketing’ sessions to give advice to charities one-to-one around strategy, websites, social media and any other queries around marketing. Likewise, Richard Felton from Felton Fundraising has been hosting breakfast workshops focusing on effectively seeking grant fundraising. Between them, they have helped 50 individuals from dozens of local charities since Pro Bono Week last year. Furthermore, Felton Fundraising and Creativity Unbound have also teamed up to offer the Together to Thrive fund through Norfolk Community Foundation, giving charities the opportunity for intensive mentorship to build their capacity to fundraise.
Events, workshops & more
Since Pro Bono Week last year, the Foundation has also hosted numerous in-person and online workshops, ranging from marketing tips with Nurture Marketing and media training with Kirsteen Thorne to leadership training with The Guru Code and EDI training with Leathes Prior Solicitors. Over 60 local organisations benefitted from these sessions, helping to build their skills and knowledge to improve their capacity and strive to achieve best practices.
“The Skills Exchange work is more community and people-focused, which I feel is very important work to do. Skills Excange has introduced me to a range of clients who I would not normally have the pleasure of working with. It has also allowed me to work on projects within areas I would potentially not have encountered so early in my career which has helped broaden my exposure to commercial property matters and allowed me to develop my personal and legal skills.”
We’re proud to continue to support the Skills Exchange here at Leathes Prior, whilst offering an opportunity to support our local community, it also offers the opportunity for our lawyers to gain exposure to a variety of different clients and challenges, which is invaluable to building their experience in the earlier stages of their career.
