Who: Invictus and Sage

Objective: Accounting software company, Sage, partnered with the Invictus Games Foundation, the international Paralympic-style multi-sport event, created by Prince Harry for servicemen and ex-servicemen. The multi-year partnership makes Sage the games’ biggest British sponsor.

The games, which this year took place in Orlando, Florida, use sport to help wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women with their recovery and rehabilitation. Sage aims to apply its area of expertise by extending its mentoring and work placement programme to former military service personnel. It is hoped that this will help ex-servicemen apply their unique skills to new careers and adjust to life outside of the armed forces.

Strategy: Lee Perkins, managing director at Sage UK and Ireland, says, “We are passionate about our communities and we want to give our colleagues the tools and encouragement to go out and work with the organisations and causes they really care about. We want employees to bring their values and passions into work with them.”

A team of employees from Sage volunteered during the Invictus Games in 2016. The Sage Foundation, launched in 2015, allows for Sage employees to donate five working days a year towards the philanthropic cause of their choice. Days spent volunteering for Invictus are deducted from this allowance.

Rationale: Vicky Gosling OBE, CEO of the Invictus Games 2016, says, “We’re so pleased to have had Sage on board as a sponsor of the 2016 Invictus Games. Just as sport is a vehicle for recovery from mental and physical wounds for so many military service men or women, turning their unique skills to new careers can provide a similar kind of rehabilitation. As a multi-year partner for the Invictus Games Foundation, Sage will help provide that support for those looking to unlock the potential of the experience and skills they’ve gained from active service. In Orlando, they showed this commitment in creative and heartfelt ways, from the volunteers that helped us run the event, to the handwritten post cards to the friends and families of our competitors. There’s even more Sage and the Invictus Games Foundation can do together as they work towards Toronto 2017 and beyond.”