MILLION MAKERS
Over the past 16 years, over 700 teams have taken on the challenge, collectively raising £19 million to transform young people’s lives. Last year, our Million Makers teams raised funds to support nearly 2,000 young people. We can’t wait for you to join the Million Makers challenge and make an impact.
This resource outlines the business benefits of taking part in Million Makers 2024, leaving you inspired and confident to take on the challenge.
CONTENTS
- How Million Makers can provide accredited development opportunities for your employees
- How Million Makers can help you achieve your EDI objectives
- How Million Makers fundraising can help to build your brand
- How Million Makers can improve your culture and boost staff well-being
- How Million Makers can bring your colleagues, partners, suppliers and clients together
We know that staff turnover can often be attributed to a lack of development opportunities, and employees with access to continuous learning and development programmes are 47% more motivated and engaged for work (Harvard Business).
The Million Makers challenge offers a unique development tool that combines hands on experience, workshops and events, enabling your employees to develop key skills.
From creating their own project, networking, developing their leadership skills, refining their pitching and sales abilities – employees will gain an opportunity for professional growth with the support of The Prince’s Trust team, whilst gaining a CPD accreditation and the chance to showcase their talent internally.
BUSINESS BENEFITS
- CPD accreditation and free training for your employees
- Identify top talent within your company
- Bring together your employees across departments to collaborate
- Improve staff retention by giving staff purpose through supporting a cause
- Improve the skillset of your workforce
- Provide networking opportunities internally
- Providing opportunities that will boost staff morale and well-being
- Add an exciting new layer to graduate schemes and apprenticeships
“It’s been an absolute career highlight for me, being part of the Million Makers team. I’ve been in the world of work now for 25 years and Million Makers is definitely one of my favourite things that I’ve ever done” – Paul Coxhill, CEO, Ascential.
CASE STUDIES
SHONA PANCHOLI, WINCANTON
Million Makers pushed Shona out of her comfort zone and helped her to gain valuable skills such as leadership, teamwork, negotiation skills, as well as budgeting and project management.
"I believe in the values of The Prince's Trust and the amazing work they do in helping young people. It's been a great journey, and I'm grateful for the growth and development that this programme has brought into my life."
WILL D'ARCY, ATOS
"Participating in the Million Makers competition has been hugely beneficial to me both personally and professionally.
Personally, I was able to develop key skills, shape my style of leadership, make fantastic friendships, and give something back.
Professionally, the Million Makers offers a unique experience to network, raise your professional profile, and access all different areas of the business that you wouldn’t normally interact with in your day job.
This is invaluable experience as it inspires confidence within yourself, helps you understand your business and its people more, and importantly get to grips with “how stuff is done”.
Fast forward 3 more years of competition, I continue to mentor the Atos teams."
CAMERON MILLER, WOOD
"Million Makers allowed me to take on a project from start to finish, and be involved in various disciplines which I don't typically encounter in my day job.
I learnt to build a website, a feat I never imagined I could accomplish. I also gained experience in taking initiative and making prompt decisions, which was essential in the competition.
The Million Makers Challenge significantly contributed to my personal development and all of the skills I developed from this challenge positively impacted my career, ultimately leading to a promotion."
Million Makers provides the chance to give under-represented colleagues a development opportunity that can lead to career progression, where they may have previously experienced barriers in the workplace.
Businesses that want to become more diverse and inclusive should be looking for ways to empower individuals from under-represented groups, giving them the tools they need to access senior positions of management and leadership. Million Makers is the perfect opportunity to provide mentoring and development opportunities to these targeted demographics.
In 2022, 90% of Team Chair roles across the Construction sector teams identified as female, an industry where less than 15% of the entire workforce is represented by women.
With young men holding most apprenticeship programME spaces across the industry, Million Makers has been used as a development tool for young women in this sector, elevating their skills and allowing them to climb the career ladder.
THE NEED FOR AN EDI FOCUS
- YouGov show that only 11.1% of workers from mixed ethnic groups were in "manager, director or senior official" jobs – the occupation associated with the highest socio-economic circumstances. For black, this is as low a 4.6%.
- Research by CIPD has found that some groups, for example women and LGBT people, are more likely to be disproportionately subject to "push" factors such as discrimination, exclusion and barriers at work.
- The Harvey Nash Tech Survey found that despite the growing number of women working tech in the UK, more than half (54%) of female tech professionals feel the industry is not doing enough to promote female participation in technology.
SO HOW CAN MILLION MAKERS SUPPORT YOU TO BE MORE EQUAL, DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE?
- Use Million Makers as a targeted development tool. Do you have a scheme for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds or those who didn't attend university and could do with an opportunity to kickstart their careers? Do you want to focus on getting more women into leadership positions and provide them with an initiative to promote themselves more internally?
- Use Million Makers to celebrate the diverse talent within your company. Your Million Makers team could develop a product or event that celebrates the diverse cultures across your staff.
- Use Million Makers to create inclusive opportunities for all staff. Create an initiative that is accessible to all abilities and provide a way to engage staff irrespective of where they are based, including those working from home and across the regions.
CASE STUDIES
THE PRINCE'S TRUST
Team Aspire to Inspire raised £4,103 by selling a t-shirt which celebrated diversity and inclusion, something which is core to the organisation's ethos and values.
Through running a design competition, the team selected Ash from Northern Ireland, a young person who previously completed The Prince’s Trust Making it in Media course, to design their product. Ash created an amazing design, celebrating diversity and recognising that we are strong in our differences.
Colleagues wear the t-shirt in the office to show that they celebrate and support diversity.
NATWEST
Team Earth EnCOMPASS, wanted to build a more inclusive workplace for their colleagues, and their customers in 2020 so hosted a series of virtual masterclasses.
The team created a series of sessions on British Sign Language for beginners, with a focus on the topic of banking and finance for their colleagues at NatWest.
The team charged employees to attend to raise funds for The Prince’s Trust.
WOOD PLC
Team Meliora aimed to use Million Makers to promote their new EDI strategy, along with their company values of bringing people together.
The team brought together colleagues from across the organisation by asking employees to contribute homemade recipes from across their diverse cultural backgrounds to develop a company cookbook.
The team celebrated the diversity across the organisation, as well as raising £5,000 for The Prince’s Trust.
ATOS
Team Dream Builders wanted to create an opportunity for female undergraduates to explore careers across the tech industry.
By securing sponsorship from across their tech partnerships, the team created “IT Meets High Tea”, a careers fair with skills workshops, panel events, networking and afternoon tea.
Creating a commercial product is a great opportunity to build skills, raise income and bring together your colleagues and networks to support The Prince’s Trust. Your company does not have to be in retail or e-commerce, just bring your passion and enthusiasm to try something new.
BUSINESS BENEFITS
- Grow your sales with a charity initiative
- Build your brand awareness
- Raise your company's profile
- Engage staff across your stores
- Promote entrepreneurialism across your staff
- Give your team experience in product design and audience engagement
- Promote team collaboration and the opportunity to work with different departments
- Diversify your audience and expand your reach
- Offer staff a unique opportunity to create an idea and bring it to market
CASE STUDIES
NEW LOOK
In 2022, Team New Look Nine embarked on a journey to create an inspiring clothing line, aligning with New Look and The Prince's Trust core values to bring their customers on the partnership journey.
The 'All We Need Is Love' range was born, selling t-shirts and sweatshirts brandishing this slogan from July through to December, raising an incredible £222k of vital funds to support young people.
For some of the team, comprising of colleagues from all areas of the business, this was the first opportunity they had to design a clothing line for the brand - providing great professional development opportunities for those involved.
MULBERRY
In their first year of the competition, Team Mulberry Million wanted to offer an experience of a lifetime to their most committed and long-standing customers.
Through their Million Makers initiative, they showcased a limited unique experience for their top clients only, which included a luxury hotel stay, dinner and drinks, a personal chauffer, and the opportunity to create a bespoke Mulberry bag after having a behind the scenes tour of the factory!
This initiative allowed the team to raise an impressive fundraising total of £12,962.59
UTILITA ENERGY
Team Pay as you Go aspired to create an initiative which benefited their business goals whilst engaging more people with The Prince’s Trust.
The business was able to commit to making a charitable donation for every new customer sign up to the energy provider. The Million Makers team then worked with their website and marketing teams, to promote customer sign ups.
The team raised a phenomenal £44,500 whilst broadening their audience across the UK and engaging more people with an important cause.
TATA STEEL
Team Steel Legion wanted to focus their Million Makers experience on representing their industry and promoting sustainability so the team developed steel straws and steel cups, to highlight the recyclability of steel and discourage the use of plastic.
The team promoted their products on social media, partner calls, internal comms and through word of mouth.
HERMES
In their first year, the Hermes team created an innovative and lucrative idea, capitalising on their own resource. The team sold sought after advertising space on the back of the Hermes’ delivery trailers, promoting both their clients and the Million Makers challenge.
Million Makers can provide you with a great opportunity to enhance employee engagement, workplace culture, and create an environment for employees to feel connected, valued and have fun.
Workplace culture can have a significant impact on well-being, and by creating a positive culture, you can reduce stress, improve job satisfaction and boost productivity. One element which has notably worsened since the pandemic and is now impacting the mental health of employees, is the low sense of connection in the workplace (Harvard Business Review).
Do you have a people strategy that includes KPIs or objectives to improve employee experience? Work with your HR team to see what the most important issues are to tackle, or the survey results that they want to improve. If getting employees back into the office is a big focus for you, why not give your Million Makers team the objective to achieve this through their initiatives? Giving the team a focus, and a people objective to meet, will ensure more support from the business as well.
Your Million Makers team can achieve their fullest potential by offering events and opportunities that are catered for your company.
BUSINESS BENEFITS
- Organise events and initiatives that boost well-being
- Improve colleague collaboration by recruiting a Million Makers team that represents different areas of the business, and therefore organises initiatives that bring teams together
- Create a positive culture internally where employees can gain access to additional benefits beyond their day job
- Advertise Million Makers as a fun opportunity to meet new people
- Improve job satisfaction by offering Million Makers as a development opportunity
CASE STUDIES
MOD DE&S
During a time when employees felt distant and with Christmas looking like it could have been cancelled in 2020, Team DEStinct pulled together a virtual expedition. In an environment where teams were working remotely and well-being was on the decline, Million Makers initiatives were used as a way to connect staff and bring back a sense of belonging.
Colleagues participated in the virtual expedition by racking up their steps, and aiming to travel the distance to Lapland before the 25th December.
In just 3 weeks, the expedition teams travelled a whopping 6,830km, raising £2,000 along the way. It brought teams together, boosted well-being across the organisation and got employees celebrating, just in time for Christmas.
WOOD PLC
Team Eleos wanted to use existing workplace procedures, to boost staff morale and recognition internally.
Wood’s internal Heart Card system allows unsafe behaviour, near misses and safe conditions to be captured in the system. As one of Wood’s core priorities is safety, the team wanted to build an awareness campaign whilst raising funds.
From every heart card raised above the usual threshold, Wood donated £1 to The Prince’s Trust. The team received endorsement from their senior leadership team and teams were celebrated throughout the fundraising period for prioritising safety.
Million Makers fundraising initiatives, organised by your team, can offer a fantastic opportunity to build relationships with your company’s partners, suppliers and clients, and bring them on your journey with The Prince’s Trust.
Whether it’s a gala dinner event that brings all your clients together for an evening of schmoozing, an active challenge that helps you build relationships whilst climbing mountains, or a celebration event that thanks your customers and suppliers whilst raising money collectively – your Million Makers team can provide platforms for your business network to thrive.
BUSINESS BENEFITS
- Bring your partners, suppliers and clients closer to your business and make them feel valued
- Provide an opportunity for senior leaders to get involved in fundraising for The Prince’s Trust, whilst providing opportunities to benefit the business
- Improve your stakeholder relationships
- Shout to your audiences about the amazing work your business does for charity
- Create opportunities for your networks to also support The Prince’s Trust
- Do something you have never done before as a company!
CASE STUDIES
CH&CO
Team Changemakers raised £50k+ for The Prince’s Trust by offering a once in a lifetime Gala experience to their clients and partners. The business invited them to join for a Michelin starred tasting menu, under the lunar landscape suspended against the unique Baroque backdrop of the Painted Hall.
Guests paid an individual ticket price for an unforgettable evening of exquisite food, entertainment, and auction prizes, in a spectacular setting and Team Changemakers were able to utilise this opportunity to build their partner relationships, seating senior leaders on tables with important clients, and taking the opportunity to thank them for their business.
HP
To celebrate 44 years of The Prince’s Trust, Team HP launched Challenge 44.
HP engaged hundreds of their colleagues and clients by challenging contacts to take on a personal challenge, then nominating 4 people from their network to also get involved.
Not only did the team raise £50k+ but this allowed the team to provide an opportunity to boost staff morale whilst working from home, build relationships by engaging clients in fun activities whilst working from home in the pandemic, and shout about what they were doing as a business to celebrate an achievement and milestone.
THOMSON REUTERS
Thomson Reuters looked at the resources available to them – tickets to music and sporting events. The team decided that if the business wasn’t using this resource, there would be a commercial way to raise funds for The Prince’s Trust.
The team created their own e-platform where they could upload available tickets and allow colleagues, clients and customers to bid for the tickets. Instead of using a third party platform for auctions and raffles, the Thomson Reuters team decided to develop their own platform.
Now known as TicketAid, this was a Million Makers idea which has become a social enterprise.
One of the team members later became the Founder and Director of Ticket Aid, an events platform where 100% of the proceeds go to charity, and is still used by the company today.
JOIN US FOR Million Makers 2024
To find out more about the challenge, fundraising ideas and how we can support you to use this initiative to benefit your business, contact us at millionmakers@princes-trust.org.uk
ABOUT THE PRINCE'S TRUST
The Prince's Trust believes that every young person should have the chance to succeed, no matter what their background or the challenges they are facing. We help those from disadvantaged communities and those facing the greatest adversity by supporting them to build the confidence and skills to live, learn and earn.
Since The Prince's Trust was founded in 1976, by HM King Charles II, when he was HRH The Prince of Wales, we have helped more than one million young people across the UK, and three in four of those we have supported over the last five years have moved into work, education or training.
We are committed to enabling even more young people to create a better future for themselves. By helping young people today, the benefits for them, their communities and the wider economy will be felt for years to come.