Our first basis.point day exceeds expectations
We are simply delighted with the success of our first ever basis.point day.
The idea for a basis.point day had first been mooted a number of years ago, but sadly it had been an early casualty of the pandemic. Eoin Fitzgerald, BBH and Chair of the basis.point Supporters Committee, was convinced that this year, the time was right and looked for volunteers amongst his committee to take it on. Luckily, Stephen Burke of Morgan Stanley raised his hand and took it upon himself to cajole and encourage as many Patron organisations as possible to get involved. And thankfully over thirty of you had the vision to say yes!
We have a lot to be grateful for. basis.point is where it is today thanks to the drive and commitment of so many volunteers from within the industry. Each of our committees are made up of team players who are willing to volunteer their time and expertise.
The day itself was conceived as a way to encourage engagement and raise awareness amongst the wider funds community. And it didn’t disappoint.
Almost thirty Champions embraced the idea and committed to host an event. And a further five, supported the idea by sending a team or two to the basis.point Battle of the Firms table quiz. In all, thirty-five Patron firms celebrated in one form or another the progress that basis.point has made and the impact achieved.
And it wasn’t simply our Patron organisations who embraced the idea. Many of our Education Partners joined in. Maples Group, who have been engaged with Business in the Community for a number of years invited them in to give an update on their programmes. And HSBC invited Foróige, to attend their breakfast meeting showcasing the work supporting HSBC’s strategic pillars of Future Skills, Community and Inclusion.
Four young people from Kilkenny and Cork talked about their journeys through Foróige. Peter and Michael from Project 21 in Kilkenny shared their experience and outlined how their participation had given them the opportunity to develop their skills in tech and digital as well as growing their leadership skills.
And Niamh and Sarah from our NFTE Youth entrepreneurship programme in Cork regaled the team with their successes as young entrepreneurs.
This was a learning curve for us. It is clear that our Patrons gain enormously from the opportunity to hear directly from young people who have benefitted from our programmes. Next year we hope to be able to coordinate more such presentations. Alumni from Teen-Turn, Foróige and Business in the Community have already mentioned they would be delighted to visit and speak of their experiences.
We are thrilled to see that the work of our charity partners can inspire so many to sign up at an individual level as Patrons and Supporters. And the success of this years event can be measured by the high level of engagement with thirty five firms participating, the number of fund industry colleagues that learnt about the work of basis.point (approximately 1000), and the high visibility that basis.point achieved through the social media posts of our Patrons. This level of endorsement by our Patrons is invaluable.
Please consider becoming a Supporter or Patron
And if hearing about the impact that you can have, has inspired you to get more involved, please consider becoming an individual Supporter or Patron. For as little as €5/week you can become a Supporter, which is enough to buy a set of books each month for a child participating in the ParentChild+ programme. It is easy to register here
Becoming a Patron is another option, so if you are in a position to give a little more, €21/week allows us to commit greater amounts and can provide mentorship for a teenager with either Business in the community or Teen-Turn. You can sign up here
It’s clear from the picture gallery below that there is a real appetite to share the success stories of our collective effort. Thank you to KPMG, Maples, Deloitte, The Panel, Morgan Stanley, BNP, Blackrock, EY, Quest, Caceis, Ocorian, Matheson, BBH, HSBC, Parva, Carne, Bridge, Walkers, BBH, Architas, Citi, Robert Walters, Lord Abbott, A&L Goodbody, Impax, William Fry, US Bank, Universal, Northern Trust and SEI. And to Camden Recruitment, Citco, Dechert, Grant Thornton, IQ-EQ and Russell Investments, who joined in with the basis.point Battle of the Firms table quiz this year and promise to host an event in their organisations next year.
Our community continues to grow stronger and whilst awareness at a corporate level is high, days like this are vital to ensure that employees at all levels across the funds industry understand and feel proud of the impact that the industry charity is having.
In short, a wonderfully uplifting and positive experience. Thank you. Take a bow!
