Voices of the Community
asUgoVoicesoftheCommunity:SocialAid
At asUgo, we love showcasing the incredible work of the social profit organizations we partner with It’s a great way to hear their stories and see how they’re making a difference Today, we’re hearing from Catherine Tricot from United Fund for Belgium
What does United Fund for Belgium do United Fund for Belgium helps companies in Belgium, wishing to support social causes Our ultimate go is to build a society in which everyone socially integrated and where the wellbeing of every child is ensured As a tr connector and enabler between charit organizations and the corporate world United Fund for Belgium is committed providing the most vulnerable with the help they need We therefore prefer to support small or medium-sized local associations, addressing a public in a situation of isolation, poverty and/or disability
What do you like most in your organisation?
with great projects Over time, this has created a lot of small thank-yous They make a huge difference Also, I can’t stress enough the value of our team It is an amazing team, with very engaged people
On the one hand, social inclusion is a very motivating cause It concerns a lot of people in Belgium: kids, children, youngsters, adults, disabled, all fragile people As we are in a period where the support from the state is under pressure, our role will unfortunately become more and more important.
At the same time, we are really seen as a catalyst between companies that want to provide support and organisations
We are 53 years young Since 1972, the focus has always been on supporting social inclusion through corporate support It has always been about financing organisations that improve life of beneficiaries It has also always been about focusing on concrete and tangible projects and on small and medium-sized organizations The need continues to be there
Corporate fundraising as such has gone through evolutions over the years Before, companies gave a grant They trusted UFB to make good use of funds, based on due diligence Nowadays, the trust is still there, but companies want to choose themselves from a preselected pool of organisations and projects
How did your reality evolve over time?
Companies are focusing on longer term impact, and are willing to enable it with higher, multi-year financial support.
Also, the angle is changing Companies are focusing on longer term impact, and are willing to enable it with higher, multiyear financial support Exchanges encompass also more and more reflections on qualitative and quantitative impact, KPIs, CSRD and the likes
What fuels the motivation of the UFB team?
There are many Of course, it is an amazing feeling to see suddenly many donations come in on the 23rd of December It is so much extra money for projects Also, the human exchanges make it a rich journey The organisation of events takes a lot of energy and time But it makes our day when we can exchange with the community in person, and when people leave with a huge smile - and a lot of thank yous Earlier this year, for example, we had an event on AI with the Degroof Petercam There was a lot of interest, and the event itself was filled with a lot of reflections Lastly, we regularly receive support from companies It is very precious!
What are your concerns?
The general atmosphere is very morose As you might have seen through the joint campaign in the sector, this risk gets further heightened by the plans of the government to reduce tax deductibility from gifts from 45% to 30% That would be a real disaster for many people, especially for the most fragile ones The social profit sector in Belgium represents roughly 150 000 organisations This represents a lot of employment, and a lot of societal impact We hope that communication and dialogue will provide the necessary results
How do you see the future?
We would love to further strengthen United Fund for Belgium’s position as ideal partner for companies in corporate donation projects. Currently, we already have a very solid governance, tailored to the B2B experience: our board is composed of CxOs of large companies, we have an audit committee, an HR committee for employment matters etc. That really creates trust
People see us really as a connector
There is still a lot to do about impact driven support in B2B
Moreover, there is still a lot to do about impact-driven support in B2B As such, impact is hard to measure Foundations are specialized in this
If you would have a dream, what would it be?
Scaling further to enable companies and organisations to have even more impact! Currently, we offer a solid experience and impact with a budget of roughly 1 million € per year Over time, we would love to help even more people, by growing towards a budget of 2-3 million € per year Reaching this next level is the challenge Fundraising is a competitive space, as there are so many causes to defend: health, climate, social and more We see it as a stimulus to continue our efforts, grow our brand, and keep learning to help our stakeholders with their ambitions
Catherine Tricot Executive Director at United Fund for Belgium
For more information on United Fund for Belgium visit: https://ufb be/en/
