Bob Paton from Accenture talks about their win-win partnership with Keyfund

Article by Rossie Ashton

Bob Paton, Senior Executive at Accenture has long been a fan of Keyfund. He talks to us about how our partnership is truly win-win.

Why did you get involved with Keyfund?
I have a real buy-in to the ethos of Keyfund and want the best for young people. Being a North East man and this being a charity based in the North East it’s something I wanted to be involved with. It’s important to me to work with an organisation that wants to see its community prosper and Keyfund gives just that opportunity.

What does Accenture do as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility to support the voluntary sector?
Our community investment focus, Skills to Succeed, is about leveraging the skills of our people and using our unique insights and expertise to help upskill and educate those with little or no access to key training. We work with community organisations across the UK to equip people with the skills to lead financially independent lives. The organisation offers three days’ paid leave to our employees to get involved in volunteering, delivering skills-building sessions to community groups. For our staff, seeing a project through and seeing the results, has a real impact on people’s self value. Essentially, if my staff members feel happy that they have done something to help, they feel happier and more fulfilled in their jobs, happier with Accenture and more fulfilled with their lives.

Do you have any particular highlights of the partnership?
The family fun day we jointly ran recently was very successful and great for our Accenture community. However, what I’ve really enjoyed has been sitting on some of the Keyfund interview panels. It’s great to interview a different type of person who wants to work for a charity and hear their motivations and attitudes whilst recognising that business acumen is also essential.

How do you think organisations getting involved with charities and voluntary organisations can make their relationship meaningful?
Doing something, like working with Keyfund, has a real buzz about it which makes you energised and want to talk about what support you have given. People feel really good about themselves knowing they have done something to ‘give back’, so essentially giving back is win-win. The absolute biggest turn off for me is when a charity asks for money, wants a photo holding a giant cheque, and we never hear from them again. We want to support a charity that can show us a commitment to partnership and development. We need a buy in, we want to be involved and we want to help you achieve common goals. Keyfund gets us involved.