Bournemouth based Independent Chartered Financial Planners, Strategic Solutions have reached a milestone of over £100,000 worth of donations from within their Community Foundation. The growing amount has been injected back into the local community, helping many small and medium sized charities and organisations to thrive in the South of England.
Helping My Time, an organisation that helps young carers, has taken the company over its £100,000 target. The charities mission is to level the playing field for young carers by providing them with the support, friendship, and opportunities that every child deserves.
Strategic Solutions has long been committed to supporting its local community and has set up a dedicated community fund which is financed not only by the company but the advisers too. Every year the foundation offers Advisers at Strategic Solutions a voluntary scheme to give up part of their gross income to contribute to the fund, which in turn is matched by Strategic Solutions.
Allan Cruse, Partner at Strategic Solutions comments,
“Local people have trusted and supported Strategic Solutions as we have grown and become successful over the last eleven years. We really appreciate that support and are committed to giving something back to help our local community.”
The Community Foundation is committed to supporting financial education, well-being and giving back to the communities where our customers and employees live, work and play. Donations are therefore prioritised to those based in Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, or Devon and most recently Kent. Those from other regions will be considered only where there is substantial evidence of significant geographical reach to our clients’ community.
Over the last three years from its establishment, the Community Foundation has helped over 50 charities and organisations- even a pandemic couldn’t stop them! Some of the great work that the committee have helped to support has been highlighted below.
Strategic Solutions have an ongoing relationship with local charity Hope for Food, whose mission is to assist families in Bournemouth and the surrounding areas, who are either homeless or living in poverty. Hope For Food provide fresh food and hampers of food, good quality clothing, bedding, and household goods, where needed. Families with financial problems are being housed but to empty accommodation with no white goods. Strategic Solutions are happy to have donated four washing machines to this amazing cause, purchased from and delivered by local company Graham’s Electrical.
Discovering that the East Dorset Beekeepers Association has outgrown its area and needed to expand seemed like a great a cause. The team are pleased to have donated £2,000 that will help the EDBKA in buying more land to allow them to expand.
The committee are also working closely with the Dorset Wildlife Trust to reintroduce beavers back into Dorset. They have bought various items on their wish list including a new boat, trail cameras, torches and thermal imaging equipment.
Downright perfect is a charity that supports children who have Down Syndrome. In 2021, due to the pandemic they were unable to attend their annual party to celebrate Down Syndrome Day. Strategic Solutions donated 50 x £20 amazon vouchers that were sent out to all the children to buy a toy in place of the party. The Financial Planners have also paid for 4 therapy sessions at a cost of £250 each which the children will really benefit from.
A large sum of the donations has helped to fund working with David Thomas, helping educate local children in schools with their studies. Their 2019 and 2021 tours consisted of memory man David Thomas visiting state schools on the south coast to coach students on how to train their mind using powerful techniques to improve speed, retention, concentration, and comprehension when studying for exams.
Strategic Solutions is also committed to working with the Shine Project, a local Dorset charity whose mission is supporting young people to improve their physical and mental health. The project partners with schools, youth clubs and other charities to offer a choice of wellbeing courses.
The Committee are on track for helping lots more charities over the coming year. Our new office in Folkstone has a dedicated Community Manager that will be working closely with organisations in the area to expand our community funds to the region.
If you would like to know more about how our community funding process works and would like to resister for charity for support please contact www.ssfs.co.uk