HITTING THE £1MILLION MARK: THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER AND PAYROLL GIVING 

So why has the scheme been so successful there, and why has it struck a chord with employees? We sat down with Vanessa Cowan, Reward and Benefits Advisor at the university, to uncover what their secret ingredient has been.

Q&A with Vanessa 

University of Manchester staff have donated an amazing £1,017,460.34 to charity over the last 14 years. Can you tell us why CAF Give As You Earn is so important to employees?

I think a big part of our success is that we have a focus on social responsibility – this fits in with our wider core goals and features heavily in our Manchester 2020 strategy. So giving back is at the forefront of our minds, not an afterthought.

Payroll Giving is one of many opportunities for staff to show they care for the community and their favourite causes.  I think it’s easy for university staff to also see how the tax benefits of Payroll Giving boosts their donations at no extra cost to them, and that donating via their pay helps small charities in particular to receive the full benefit of a donation. 

How have you linked  CAF Give As You Earn into the reward and benefits initiatives you run, and the broader employee culture at Manchester University?

The scheme is part of our staff benefits portfolio. Again this fits in with the University’s core goal of Social Responsibility which is strongly embedded through the organisation. 

We also boost Payroll Giving in the context of wellbeing. One of our Six Ways to Wellbeing is “give”. We promote that seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding – and good for your individual (and collective) sense of wellbeing.

What tips and advice would you give to other universities looking to promote Payroll Giving to staff?

When initially launching (or reboosting) your scheme we made sure there was a strong initial marketing campaign via payslips, intranet, posters (particularly where staff don’t have PCs), digital news items, email, office TV screens etc. At the time we were also supported by a professional fundraising organisation that boosted the first donation. Promotions need to continue and at least once a month have stories to share to staff on take up and/or personal stories of those who are giving (and why).