COVID-19 has impacted organisations across the globe with charities falling into the category of who have been hardest hit. According to analysis by Pro Bono Economics the coronavirus crisis will trigger a £6.4bn loss of income for charities in the coming months.
While these are unprecedented times it is on occasions such as this when smaller charities, in particular, look to their corporate sponsors to help them negotiate the choppy waters. One such charity is Scotty’s Little Soldiers which aims to provide relief from the effects of bereavement to young people up to and including the age of 25 years who have suffered the loss of a parent who served with the British Armed Forces. Calteq has been providing Scotty’s with a full telephone system, broadband, remote working connectivity and mobile devices completely free of charge including all call charges for almost five years now.
The charity provides its beneficiaries with support and guidance throughout their childhood and offers a respite, however brief, from the daily ups and downs of coping with the loss of a parent. Much like other charities when the pandemic and subsequent lockdown hit in March 2020, Scotty’s had to be able to continue providing this support and guidance but in a remote capacity.
*Please note above picture taken in 2019
Dawn Whitear, who co-ordinates Corporate Partners at Scotty’s explains Calteq quickly stepped into support: “When lockdown happened the team at Scotty’s had to switch to working from home with just a few days’ notice. Ensuring that the technology was in place to make this possible was a priority. We needn’t have worried though as Calteq quickly swung into action. Calteq made sure that the whole team was set up for home-working almost immediately and that we could continue supporting our members as usual.”
Smaller locally based charities were especially vulnerable to the crisis, with nearly two-thirds reporting they have already made “significant” cuts to services and one in eight (13%) expecting to go to the wall within months. Two-thirds were unable to furlough staff because this would mean having to stop providing services showing what a perilous position, they find themselves in.
“Having Calteq supply all of our communication support and infrastructure free of charge is simply invaluable to a small charity such as ours. The team are reliable, patient and incredibly friendly. We are treated exactly as if we were a full, paying client. Nothing is too much trouble and we wouldn’t be without them,” continues Dawn. “
We know that if we have a technical support problem, Calteq is only a telephone call away and the problem will be solved,” adds Dawn.
During the pandemic Scotty’s has had to re-organise may of its events to be online, “our event schedule is currently online but thanks to Calteq’s support in providing reliable connectivity our virtual events which have included parties and a festival for our members have been able to go ahead. Staying connected and feeling part of a community means so much to the bereaved Forces children that we support,” said Dawn.
Stuart Robinson, CEO at Scotty’s also praised Calteq’s work with the charity: “We are lucky that some amazing businesses choose to support Scotty’s in a number of different ways. Some make financial contributions and others, like Calteq, provide us with top-class service and equipment free of charge which not only greatly enhances our capabilities but would otherwise add significantly to the charity’s running costs.”
Scotty’s Founder Nikki Scott added “Before Calteq came to the rescue we were passing a single handheld phone around the office, now we have a state-of-the-art connectivity!”
Mike Stephenson, director and co-founder at Calteq said “We are delighted to be able to support Scotty’s. We first heard about the fantastic work that the charity does, a number of years ago. We were inspired by hearing the founder, Nikki Scott speaks about her personal experiences and her journey which led to setting up this remarkable charity. We just knew we had to get involved and support them. The whole Calteq team feels so proud that we have been able to make a difference.”