TAS Foundation

Since 2005, The TAS Foundation strives to improve the lives of others.

We seek opportunities to do this in our local neighborhoods as well as reaching out into the global community by leveraging the talent, technology and financial assets of The TAS Group.

Our commitment to The TAS Foundation translates to 1% of company equity, 1% of profits in perpetuity, and 1% of employees' time. The TAS Group encourages charitable activities in our local communities; providing not only financial support, but also paid time-off for volunteering.

Through financial contributions, in-kind donations and volunteerism, The TAS Foundation supports charitable initiatives including the following:

• Witness
• The Irish Handicap Children's Pilgrimage Trust
• The Bainbridge Schools Foundation

Read how The TAS Group employees are making a difference

The TAS Foundation allows employees to put 1% of their time – or 3 days per year – back into society in the form of charitable work. In my case, for the charitable organizations I have worked with, this equates to free marketing and sales enablement help. Many organizations have established marketing departments, but they tend to welcome an extra pair of eyes on their strategy and an extra pair of hands executing projects or initiatives.

I have worked for 2 charities during my career with The TAS Group.

Age Action (www.ageaction.ie) is a charity which promotes positive ageing and better policies and services for older people. Working with, and on behalf of, older people, Age Action aims to make Ireland the best place in the world in which to grow older.

Age Action's Getting Started program helps thousands of older people across Ireland to embrace technology that can enhance their lives for decades to come. Age Action is Ireland's leading organization focused on the welfare of the country's ageing citizens. It concentrates on providing courses which introduce older people to using mobile phones, sending and receiving email and surfing, buying and self-servicing on the web. Getting Started Program works with over 500 volunteers and 200 local partners to deliver the most established and regionally comprehensive technology-focused volunteer-delivered training for older people.

I worked with Age Action to help improve their ongoing efforts to secure funding to keep the Getting Started programs running throughout the country. I provided advice on how they should segment and target the sponsorship market, and how they should position the program to the target audience. I also drafted collateral to support their sponsorship drive.

COPE Galway (www.copegalway.ie) is a local Galway charity focusing on issues of isolation. It works with the local community to support people to live independently and safely in their own homes and neighborhoods, thereby reducing isolation. They provide services to people experiencing homelessness, women and children experiencing domestic violence and services to older people.

COPE Galway organizes research, events, campaigns and other activities throughout the year to raise awareness of the issues of isolation and raise funds for their ongoing work.

COPE Galway were looking to increase the contribution to their funding income from people donating annually by the Standing Order mechanism, which is an automated annual deduction from the donor's bank to the charity. I established an enablement framework for COPE Galway's volunteer fund-raisers to secure Standing Order commitments from potential donors at COPE Galway events and campaigns. I also worked with the volunteers to develop and practice a process for engaging with potential donors, including scripting the conversation and handling objections.

I have been very fortunate in the opportunities that have been presented to me in my career and my life, and The TAS Foundation gives me the platform on which to 'pay it forward'

Paul Dilger is Director, Product Marketing for The TAS Group