The Law Society aims to get the entire legal profession involved in its annual Calcutta Run event, a fundraising and corporate social responsibility initiative including solicitors, trainees, barristers, legal secretaries, paralegals, suppliers and clients, law students and more.

Our hope is that firms right across the country will get behind the Calcutta Run and pledge their support. Over 70 firms signed up last year, and this year we are hoping to increase that number to 100 firms. Our fundraising target this year is €400,000 – so we need your help!

How can your firm help?

Ideally, your firm will be very focused on maximising fundraising for the Calcutta Run and the children it supports in Calcutta and Dublin.  This can only be achieved through ‘support from the top’ within your firm, and a commitment to this being your main (or one of your main) corporate social responsibility initiatives for the year.  It involves:

• Commitment and awareness throughout your firm
• Participation in the run/walk
• Fundraising activities

In turn, the Law Society and the Calcutta Run Committee will publicise your support through the Calcutta Run website, Gazette and social media.

What can you do?

Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

1. Set a fundraising target for your firm (a total of monies raised by staff through sponsorship, fundraising events, firm donation, etc.)
2. Identify a ‘champion’ to promote the event in your firm
3. Provide senior-level support for the ‘champion’
4. Encourage staff to organise fundraising events
5. Sponsor internal team challenges/prizes/medals/competitions
6. Sponsor branded firm running t-shirts for participants. Post them out to your staff
7. Commit to staff to match any funds that they raise
8. Ask your clients and suppliers for support
9. Make a firm donation to Calcutta Run
10. Use the official ‘Calcutta Run Supporter Firm’ footer on the firm’s correspondence and emails
11. Highlight your involvement by putting a notice on your website

If you are interested in becoming a Supporter Firm, please email the following information to julie@calcuttarun.com:

• Subject: Supporter Firm
• Firm: name and address
• DX number (if available)
• Supporter Firm main contact: name and email address

If you have any questions, please call Julie: 01-6724939 and we’ll take it from there.