The managing director shares how CSS supports the community, and what led SRB to back it
Saunders Robinson Brown (SRB) recently announced that it had entered into a three-year sponsorship agreement with South Island cancer support organisation Cancer Society Southern. In the first part of this interview, managing director Jonathan Gillard talked to NZ Lawyer’s Jacqueline So about how the partnership came to be, and what it means to the firm as well as to him personally.
What led the firm to work with Cancer Society Southern?
Cancer Society Southern is the leading support organisation for people with diagnosis of cancer in Christchurch and in the South Island in particular – they provide support services for people in Canterbury/West Coast and Otago/Southland. They had established this new facility in Christchurch called the Canterbury Cancer Centre. It was one of the shovel-ready projects which came out of the ground post-COVID – a fantastic facility which had local funding, government funding and Kickstarter funding to get it up.
We had been asked to do some legal work for the society, and as a result of that they asked whether we would like to become more formally involved with them to build this alliance, to assist with some sponsorship – a mixture of volunteer work, legal work, and financial sponsorship. We looked at that opportunity and thought that it really aligned with our branding as well. It’s a very well-known local organisation, and we couldn't really see any reason not to become involved and support the cause. It had a really great opportunity for our staff to be involved as well.
Can you walk us through a little bit of what the firm will be doing with the organisation?
Right off the bat, we have the major fundraising which Cancer Society Southern does every year nationwide, which is Daffodil Day. We'll be involved in that – we'll be manning a booth at Merivale Mall for the full day.
In addition to that, the new Canterbury Cancer Centre is a residential facility for people coming from out of town to stay with the family while a family member’s having treatment. There's an opportunity to go and help with cooking meals, just being around the facility, providing home baking, and lending support. There’s also a driving programme helping people get from the cancer centre to the hospital or wherever they might be having treatment. So there’s all sorts of opportunities for us to be involved.
What legacy do you hope the firm leaves not just on Cancer Society Southern but on the community as a whole?
That we feel we've done the right thing, that we've contributed, and that Cancer Society Southern has received real value from us across those three aspects that we are providing and they feel well supported by us. The legacy for us as a firm I think is that we have provided that support.
The staff have got a lot out of it, and as a firm, we feel that we have met our social obligation to support a worthwhile community organisation. And just showing what can be done and laying the framework for other sponsorships and for other people to become involved as well.
As the one leading the firm through this initiative, what does this partnership mean to you personally?
I think it's just a great opportunity for us to demonstrate that we care about the wider community, and not just our clients and our own wellbeing. I suppose it's not so much the impact on us, but the impact on actually enabling Cancer Society Southern to provide better services for the people they serve and help them out at times of need, financially and with volunteering services, so that they can be more impactful on the community.
