WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE PART IN MILLION MAKERS The King's Trust

Teams who took part in Million Makers 2024

Take a look at what our 2024 teams got up to

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 King'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.

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.

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.

Creating a commercial product is a great opportunity to build skills, raise income and bring together your colleagues and networks to support The King'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

"Over 50% of consumers aged 18-34 would be more likely to buy a product advertised as donating part of the proceeds to charity"

- YouGov

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

"46% of employees want employers to demonstrate a commitment to ESG, while 20% have turned down a job with a company whose ESG commitments did not align with their value."

- KPMG

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 King'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 King's Trust
• Do something you have never done before as a company!

JOIN US FOR MILLION MAKERS 2025

Register your interest for Million Makers 2025 or 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@kingstrust.org.uk