Deloitte sees big benefits in pro bono consulting and continues its investment during the recession

Deloitte, the business advisory firm, has provided more than 500 days of management consultancy to 11 charities and NGOs on a pro bono basis in the last year. Its pro bono consulting programme had a combined value of over £650,000 in 2008/09. Deloitte has enhanced its commitment to pro bono support for charities in the last year, recognising that economic conditions hit the voluntary sector particularly hard and make expert, independent advice even more valuable. The firm’s leadership see it as a significant enhancement to its capacity to attract, retain and motivate talented individuals. Deloitte expect the number of pro bono consulting project days to exceed 1000 in 2009/10.

Skills transfer
Deloitte’s pro bono consulting programme is targeted at delivering sustainable benefits to third sector organisations. Services provided by Deloitte range from economic modelling, strategy and business case development to planning and implementing new programmes and initiatives. Projects always aim to transfer new skills and disciplines to the client organisation.

Marcus Boyle, the Deloitte partner leading the pro-bono consulting programme, said: “Being able to offer our people the chance to take on a pivotal role and really make a difference in an international relief charity, for example, is a very powerful tool to attract the best people then keep them interested and motivated. It enables them to work for a cause that isn’t purely financial and also make use of disciplines and skills developed in the private sector to great effect in the charity sector.

“As long we continue to reap the benefits and we believe we are making a long term difference to the causes we support, we will invest in our pro-bono consulting programme.”

Examples of pro bono consulting engagements undertaken by Deloitte in 2008/09

ARK – School Leaders
Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) is an international charity with a mission to transform the lives of children across the globe. ARK maximises its impact by creating and managing innovative, sustainable programmes. ARK’s School Leaders for India (SLI) programme was recently launched in India with the objective of training future leaders who will work in schools that cater for under-privileged children.

Jack Smith, a manager in Deloitte’s consulting practice, was seconded on a pro bono basis to ARK to formally establish the organisation in New Delhi. Jack used his project management experience to redesign the SLI programme. At the conclusion of the engagement, the SLI programme had successfully been set up with a revised curriculum, 30 schools on board and two of the six programme modules delivered.

Cancer Research UK – Open Ventures Challenge
Open Ventures Challenge (OVC) is a collaboration between Cancer Research UK, collaboration experts mo.jo and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA). It was designed to find new and innovative ways of fundraising. Cancer Research appealed to its supporters to help them come up with new ways to raise funds, they received over 600 responses from people who both put forward ideas and voted for other ones.

Six teams were then chosen as finalists. Deloitte were asked to support these teams to refine and improve the ideas, which would finally be assessed by the OVC committee. The teams were able to draw on Deloitte’s commercial acumen and experience of business case planning. Over six weeks, 12 Deloitte consultants worked alongside the teams to develop the initiatives by strengthening proposals, business modelling and developing presentations. From 60-page documents to emotive videos, the teams submitted their proposals to the OVC Committee. Four of the six ventures were given the green light and are expected to go on to raise a combined £10 million over the next three years.

MoJ – Battle Back
Battle Back is a UK military initiative, formally launched in July 2008, which aims to improve and formalise the use of Adventurous Training (AT) and Sport in the aftercare of seriously injured service personnel to aid their rehabilitation and return to an active life. Demand for Battle Back’s services has grown rapidly and it has been constrained by resources and procedures that pre date its current activity levels. As a consequence of its success Battle Back is now at a crossroads operating in a fast changing landscape.
Deloitte provided an analysis of potential options for its future operating model. And then financial and programme management skills so that its valuable resources could be more directly channelled to the end user.

Ends

Notes

About Deloitte’s pro bono consulting programme
Deloitte is interested in working on strategic, board level projects that make a material difference to eminent NGOs. The firm’s pro-bono consulting programme has a particular focus on international relief and development as well as education and employability themes. Organisations interested in discussing pro bono work with Deloitte should contact David Wright (dwright@deloitte.co.uk) or Joanne Coll (joannecoll@deloitte.co.uk) with a brief description of their organisation, the proposed initiative, the executive sponsorship for the initiative and an outline of the support that Deloitte could potentially provide.

About Deloitte’s corporate responsibility programmes
Further information about Deloitte’s corporate responsibility programmes can be found here: http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_GB/uk/about/corporate-responsibility/index.htm

About Deloitte
In this press release references to Deloitte are references to Deloitte LLP, which is among the country's leading professional services firms. Deloitte LLP is the United Kingdom member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (‘DTT’), a Swiss Verein, whose member firms are legally separate and independent entities. Please see www.deloitte.co.uk/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of DTT and its member firms.

The information contained in this press release is correct at the time of going to press. 

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