Reading: IPI travels to Uganda to see impact of £20,000 fundraising

IPI, the digital contact centre specialist, has returned from a trip to Uganda to see the valuable work undertaken by chosen charity Restless Development. IPI has supported the charity since 2018, raising £20,000 through fundraising initiatives and driving additional corporate sponsorship through networking events and running dedicated training workshops.

Restless Development partners with organisations around the world to provide young people with the resources they need to take the lead and solve challenges that face the communities in which they live. IPI’s Mick Lee and Carrie Stultz travelled to Uganda for a week to see the types of work that IPI’s fundraising is supporting. Projects include equipping young people with the skills to set up their own business – such as making and selling soap, education programmes around the protection of citizen rights and workshops designed to remove the stigma surrounding menstruation.

Over the past year, IPI has run numerous staff-led fundraising initiatives that have seen team members running through mud and storms, volunteering at weekends, as well as CEO, Joe Prentis, jumping out of a plane, all to raise money for the charity. In addition, the team has also usedhigh-profile platforms – such as the Co-op’s dedicated IT supplier event to highlight the valuable work of the charity and increase its profile to new stakeholders. In fact, the work undertaken with Restless Development has seen IPI win a coveted Co-op ‘Show You Care’ award at the end of 2018.

Perry Maddox, chief executive of Restless Development, commented: “IPI’s vital support enables Restless Development to unleash the power of young people to achieve change on a far greater scale than we could do alone. In our first year of partnership, IPI has raised enough to support 170 young entrepreneurs to set up their own businesses and ensure that they have the necessary skills to make a decent and sustainable living. We are excited to see this partnership become increasingly strategic and leading in the sector.”

The partnership with Restless Development is about more than fundraising. IPI’s team also has leant its expertise to the charity to provide training on how to attract, retain and nurture additional corporate sponsorship. IPI has highlighted the charity at numerous networking events, and in the Autumn will attend an event at the House of Lords alongside country directors of Restless Development, to further raise the charity’s profile.

“As an organisation, what defines us is our unwavering commitment to driving change. We apply this day-to-day in our work with clients starting their journey of digital transformation, but more importantly we strive to help foster change through valuable social initiatives,” said Mike Ing, managing director at IPI. “This is what our work with Restless Development is all about, driving meaningful change to help young people have better opportunities in the world. We are so proud to be associated with such a great cause, and are thankful for all the work undertaken by our team to promote it.”