Donate

40 Stories of Impact: Celebrating our Pro Bono Programme

This week is Pro Bono Week, a time to celebrate the importance of pro bono support. As UK Pro Bono Week celebrates it’s 25th anniversary as we do our 40th, we take the opportunity to reflect on our own success and progress with the programme.

For many years, LandAid has championed pro bono support from the UK built environment, to frontline charities that urgently need property support. The programme, created with the idea that ending youth homelessness takes more that just funding, has allowed charities to access the specialist property knowledge, connections and expertise that can help them secure, improve and make the most of their spaces.

Throughout the years, LandAid’s Pro Bono Programme has been the bridge between charity’s needs and the extraordinary skills within the property industry, brokering millions of pounds and thousands of hours of free support that charities would otherwise not be able to afford.

Our Pro Bono Programme in numbers

Since the programme began, we have achieved amazing things, thanks to the generosity of our property partners, and the specialist expertise of the team.  N.B. These figures go back to October 2020. Our Pro Bono activity has existed since before this time, but 2020 marks the year our current approach to the programme began. Therefore, these figures represent our figures since October 2020.

  • 195

    charities supported

  • 349

    matches completes

  • £ 4,114,789

    worth of professional expertise contributed

  • 130

    property businesses involved

    and at least 307 professionals involved

A partnership in action

A partnership in action

Nadiya, one of LandAid’s charity partners, works to prevent homelessness among refugees and vulnerable families, many of them young people. When a corporate donor gave the charity £4 million worth of brand-new furniture, more than 40,000 items, the charity had the chance to furnish hundreds of homes. Unfortunately, they could not afford anywhere to store it. Commercial warehousing costs were so high that HomeStart, their furniture redeployment programme, faced complete closure.

After LandAid introduced the charity to our partner SEGRO, they were able to give them four units in Greenford rent-free. The stock is now safe, HomeStart is running again, and the donation will furnish around 200 homes for families who would otherwise be moving into empty rooms.

We spoke to Mohammed Khaled, Project Lead at Nadiya about their experience with the programme.

What challenge did Nadiya need help with? 

“We had been given £4 million of new furniture and nowhere affordable to put it. Warehousing on that scale was far beyond what a charity our size could pay, and the cost threatened to end HomeStart altogether. We were in crisis. Without space, the furniture could not reach families, and families would go without.”

What difference did having access to this expertise make? What will it enable you to do for young people? 

“It made a night and day difference. It changed our future. SEGRO’s space removed the single biggest cost standing between the donation and the people it was meant for. We can now keep distributing furniture to the most vulnerable families in the country, many of them young people setting up a home for the first time. A bed, a table and a sofa are what turn an empty flat into somewhere a young person can stay, and staying is what stops homelessness before it starts“.

What role did LandAid play in this? 

“The most critical role. LandAid made this happen entirely. They championed our situation across their network of pro bono partners, worked tirelessly to connect us with the right people, and kept going until a solution was found. No other organisation could have opened those doors for us. LandAid is, by a wide margin, the most impactful partner in our charity’s history, and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude”.

 

We were about to close our furniture programme. LandAid and SEGRO gave us four warehouses, and now 200 families will walk into a home rather than an empty room.
Anna Merchuk, Co-founder, Nadiya

We also spoke to Sabrina Beton, from SEGRO to hear about the other side of the partnership…

Why did you decide to offer your expertise through LandAid’s Pro Bono Programme?

“The opportunity with Nadiya really stood out because it was a situation where our property expertise could have a very direct impact. Through LandAid, we were introduced to a charity with an urgent need for warehouse space, and we could see there was an opportunity to use space within our portfolio in a way that worked for both sides. It was a great example of using what we do every day in a slightly different way to help solve a real problem”.

How did LandAid make this experience better for the SEGRO team?

“LandAid was really the connector. They brought together an organisation with a very specific property need and a business with the ability to help. Without that introduction, it is unlikely our paths would have crossed. It showed the real value of having LandAid in the middle, understanding what charities need and connecting them with property partners who may be able to provide a solution”.

What has been most rewarding or surprising about the experience? 

“The most rewarding part has been seeing the scale of impact that can come from what initially seemed like quite a straightforward property solution. For us it was about finding a good interim use for vacant warehouse space, but for Nadiya it meant being able to store and distribute furniture that will help furnish more than 200 homes for refugees and other vulnerable families. Seeing that connection between the work we do day to day and such a tangible social outcome has been really rewarding”.

Sometimes making a difference is simply about connecting the right people, property and opportunity. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see the impact that can have
Sabrina Beton, Manager, Asset management, at SEGRO
40 years of impact and beyond

40 years of impact and beyond

As we celebrate Pro Bono Week this year, we’re not only reflecting on the milestone the incorporation of our Pro Bono programme has been for the impact LandAid is able to make, but we are looking ahead too. This Pro Bono Week, we’re pleased to announce that LandAid will be collaborating with The National Pro Bono Centre to explore how we can secure more pro bono support for charities.

The National Pro Bono Centre brings organisations together and helps strengthen access to free legal expertise. Together, we share a belief in the power of professional skills to make a difference. Watch this space for exciting things to come.

There is an enormous amount of expertise across our industry. Through LandAid’s Pro Bono Programme, that expertise can help charities overcome property challenges, make their resources go further and create the spaces young people need.

This Pro Bono Week, we want to thank every organisation and individual who has already stepped up, and invite even more of the industry to join them.

Find out how you or your organisation can offer pro bono support through LandAid

LandAid Pro Bono Programme