The Pan Livery Pro Bono Interest Group

All Livery Companies (along with Companies without Livery and Guilds) are invited to send one or more representatives to PLPB meetings. At our meetings to date, we have had attendees from over 40 Livery Companies, with some Companies sending two or more members. Most attendees are already involved in philanthropic activity within their Company; for example, playing a role in volunteer or pro bono activity, or as a trustee with their charitable fund. However, we are happy for those new to this area to join us and learn about what others are doing.

Companies who have had representatives at one or more meetings are shown below.

Accountants		Entrepeneurs		Mercers
Actuaries		Environmental Cleaners		Needlemakers
Arbitrators		Firefighters		Nurses
Architects		Framework Knitters		Pattenmakers
Builders Merchants		Fuellers		Plumbers
Carpenters		Gardeners		Saddlers
Chartered Secretaries		Girdlers		Scientific Instrument Makers
Clockmakers		Glass Sellers		Skinners
Clothworkers		Glaziers		Solicitors
Coachmakers		Grocers		Stationers
Communicators		Horners		Tax Advisers
Constructors		HR Professionals		Water Conservators
Cutlers		Information Technologists		Wheelwrights
Distillers		Leathersellers		Woolmen
Educators		Management Consultants		World Traders
Engineers		Marketors

If you are interested in joining the PLPB group and would like to attend meetings, then please contact Bob Harris.

It is intended to cover all situations where our time is donated free of charge to help achieve a social or public benefit. This can range from informal support by a volunteer to an individual through to an assignment utilising professional expertise to support a charitable organisation, school or public body.

A more detailed list of examples of the nature and scope of volunteering and pro bono support is is shown here.

The 2024 survey of philanthropic giving reported in the Livery Impact Report 2025 estimates of the time donated by the livery movement in several categories:

Activity	Hours
As School Governors and Charity Trustees	25,000
As Trustees of Livery Charitable Funds	25,000
General volunteer support to front-line charities	43,900
Professional pro bono support to charities	32,200

The survey also estimated the value of the pro bono support (based on the valuation principles set out by the Charity Commission) as £4.5m in the previous year.

There is little doubt that the above figures are significant underestimates as many Livery Companies find it challenging to identify and record the full extent of their volunteer and pro bono support.

There is a small Steering Group chaired by Bob Harris that meets regularly to plan future meetings and drive the PLPB group forward.

Name	Livery Company	Role	Email
Steve Cant	Management Consultants	Past Master and Chair of Charitable Fund	steve.cant@changeagility.com
David Clifford	HR Professionals	Secretary of Pro Bono Committee	davidclifford@ymail.com
Bob Harris	Management Consultants	Pro Bono Committee	bob@harris30.myzen.co.uk
Vanella Jackson	Marketors	Co-Chair of Outreach Committee	me@vanellajackson.com
Alexandra Marks	Solicitors	Chair of Charity Committee	alexandra.marks@linklaters.com
Steve Smith	Information Technologists	Court Assistant & Panels Chair	steve.smith@member.wcit.org.uk

The provision of pro-bono support to charities and other not-for-profit organisations to tackle some of their key management and operational challenges has grown significantly over the last decade. Several of the modern Livery Companies have well-established programmes providing such pro-bono support to a wide range of charities across London and beyond. Such support may be combined with grant funding to ensure the most effective use of resources.

Four of the Companies currently involved would be pleased to discuss with Livery Grant Managers potential pro-bono support to charities who are applicants for and/or recipients of grants from other Livery Companies. An overview of the types of support that can be provided is shown below.

 

SERVICE	LIVERY COMPANY
	HR	IT	MC	MKT
Leadership & Strategy
Charity’s Strategy, Vision & Mission	x	x	x	x
Business Planning	x		x	x
Governance	x		x
Succession Planning & Development				x
Operations & Processes
Financial Controls & Reporting			x
Advice on funding		x	x	x
Information Technology		x
Process improvement		x	x
Measuring Impact & Outcomes			x	x
People Management
Organisation Culture & Design	x		x	x
Skills & Resourcing	x			x
Performance & Rewards	x			x
Training & Development	x
Volunteer Management	x
Communications & Marketing
Website construction		x		x
Social media presence		x		x
Staff & User Communications	x		x	x
Marketing				x
Personal Development
Employment and employability	x	x		x
Career guidance & support	x	x		x
Mentoring & Coaching	x	x	x	x
Support for Armed Services leavers	x	x		x
Dealing with Change
Project Management	x	x	x
Programme Management	x	x	x
Change Management	x	x	x
IT Development & Migration		x

 

Contacts in the four Companies are:

 

Company	Name	Email
HR Professionals	David Clifford	davidclifford@ymail.com
Information Technologists	Mark Elliott	mark.elliott@member.wcit.org.uk
Management Consultants	Bob Harris	bob@harris30.myzen.co.uk
Marketors	Vanella Jackson	me@vanellajackson.com