Our stories
Ten years of OFOD: A day with a difference
Every year we dedicate a day in our calendar to giving back to social initiatives and our local communities. We call it One Firm One Day (OFOD). And with this year marking the tenth anniversary of OFOD, our people took part in record-breaking numbers, having a bigger impact than ever.
Setting the scene
Caring for our communities is core to our firm’s purpose and values. One Firm One Day (OFOD) has become our flagship, firmwide annual volunteering event.
In the last ten years more than 20,000 of our people have contributed over 100,000 hours, and raised more than £800,000 through OFOD.
By dedicating a day in our calendar to giving back, our people get the support and time needed to use their skills and innovation for hundreds of social initiatives across the UK.
How we helped
The theme for the 2019 OFOD was Empowering Communities which saw us focus on supporting social mobility, and mental health and wellbeing initiatives. A record 270 teams took part this year carrying out a fun variety of projects.
Some of our people chose to work with social mobility organisations and schools local to their offices around the UK to deliver impact.
Two hundred of our people, including our Chairman and Senior Partner Kevin Ellis, ran Dragons’ Den style workshops in schools across the community, reaching 2,000 disadvantaged school students.
To support mental health and wellbeing, we held internal events and volunteered for programmes making a difference in our communities. These activities aligned to our Green Light to Talk initiative that encourages discussion and outreach, alongside fundraising for the Samaritans.
Other groups supported the likes of our Social Entrepreneurs Club members, such as Forty Hall Vineyard, who use their profits to deliver wellbeing ecotherapy, and St Andrews Healthcare, who provide specialist mental healthcare for patients with some of the most challenging mental health needs in the UK.
You can get a feel of the OFOD experience and take a look behind the scenes at the hundreds of activities our people signed up for by searching PwC OFOD on Twitter.
‘I thought the event was excellent and pupils really engaged with it and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I was really pleased to see all pupils (even those I know who lack in confidence) to get involved and participate in pitching their idea and I am sure the event will do wonders for their ambition and confidence. On that note a few asked if there were work experience opportunities…’
Making a difference
This year our people volunteered over 30,000 hours to directly support more than 4,000 beneficiaries. Their efforts raised more than £50,000, taking the total raised across the ten years of OFOD to over £800,000, with more than 100,000 hours volunteered. We’ve advised, painted, planted, cleaned, mentored, run, cycled and baked for our communities and charity partners.
OFOD is made possible through a united effort and desire to make a positive contribution and impact on the communities in which we operate.
The great initiatives we are proud to support and who help us extend our impact include UK Youth, Samaritans, Beyond Food and Wellbeing of Women.