The security industry employs hundreds of thousands of people across the UK, all working to keep businesses and public spaces safe. It may have its issues – and I’m not shy to talk about them – but I believe that it is a positive and essential part of the economy and society.
Taking this industry to the next level means more than just clearing out the bad acts and filling gaps in regulations, it’s also about bringing out the best in the countless honest, hard-working companies that share the desire to make a difference.
That’s why I’m proud to announce my plans to set up an official charity for the security industry.
Nothing’s set in stone yet but I want to spread the news now, so that as many people can be involved as early as possible to create a charity that belongs to all of us. Please share this post wherever you can and feel free to contact me at [email] if you want to be involved.
So why does the security industry need its own charity?
Effective charity involves much more than just picking a cause and sending money. The time and effort it takes to integrate charity into a business isn’t much of a burden for larger scale operations such as Magenta, but it can be too much for smaller businesses to take on, even if they genuinely do want to contribute.
By setting up an official, industry-wide charity, companies who do have the resources to handle the logistics and bureaucracy can do so, while allowing everyone else to simply donate whatever money they can spare. It also allows us to arrange fundraising events that would otherwise be impossible.
An official charity will have the benefit of an elected board who will be dedicated to keep everything running professionally and transparently, so that everyone involved knows exactly where every penny is going.
What I’ve learned is that the security industry is anything but cut-throat. I had no idea what to expect when I first drafted my plans to set up a charity but the response has been incredibly positive. This industry is full of people who want to give, but if they can only give a little then they feel like they won’t make a difference.
By combining the efforts of the entire industry, how much an individual can give is no longer so important, instead every little donation pushes us all forward as a group to make a bigger impact than any of us could by ourselves.
Charity has always been important to me, especially children’s charities. If a child is deprived of food, water, education and shelter it can permanently damage them. Even if their situation improves in adulthood, they’ve missed years of vital development that they can never get back. I believe to make the biggest change, you need to support people as early as possible so that they can grow to their full potential.
Magenta has long term commitments to support children in war-torn countries all the way from the age of six to the age of 18. The quarterly reports we receive on how our donations are being used and the difference it’s made to the children are the best parts of the year for me. Nothing drives me to work harder than knowing my success can literally save lives.
Of course, the charities we donate to as an industry will be decided democratically. Perhaps it will be international or perhaps it will be local, perhaps focused on children or health or vital infrastructure. Perhaps it will be more than one. No matter what we decide on, I can’t wait until the security industry has a formalised charity so that all of us, big or small, can make a difference.
I hope you’re as excited as I am. Again, please share this post with your friends and if you have any questions or you want to be involved, get in touch with me directly at [email protected].
Thank you,
Abbey Petkar
