MONY Group

The PMAs judges hailed the Moneysupermarket.com Group (MSMG) a “worthy winner of a very competitive category” thanks to its partnership with suicide-prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (Calm).

The partnership began in 2022, when 46 per cent of MSMG staff voted to partner the charity. Initially a two-year collaboration, a goal was set to raise £150,000 and spread Calm’s message to as many people as possible. Given the cost-of-living crisis and the link between financial hardship and suicidal thoughts, the partnership aimed to combine Calm’s expertise with MSMG’s money-saving experience. 

The activity has involved fundraising activities and the launch of the Money Talks campaign. MSMG has donated more than £136,000 to Calm so far, 90 per cent of its two-year fundraising target, and has extended the partnership to three years, increasing the target to £225,000. 

The Money Talks campaign, launched in February this year, tackled the taboo of talking about money and highlighted the impact of money worries on mental health. Calm produced videos of three ambassadors, who shared their experiences of opening up about money worries and getting support, to help drive media coverage as well as online engagement. The campaign signposted the support available on MoneySuperMarket and Calm’s website and achieved national media coverage.

The PMAs judges said: “It shone through how the partnership manager and the Calm representative work well together as an effective team to deliver great results. This is definitely not a tick-box partnership! The management of the charity partnership is embedded in the people team with the partnership manager reporting directly to the chief people officer. The judges felt this shows ESG is part of the people strategy and a commitment from that team to embed it in the organisation.” 

Simon Gunning, the CEO of Calm, said of the partnership: “Calm has seen a 94 per cent increase in demand for our services since 2019, with money worries at the top of people’s concerns. We know that financial hardship is a key risk factor in suicidal ideation, and we also know that we need to be there for everyone that needs us. That is why the partnership with Moneysupermarket Group makes so much sense. And when partnerships make sense, we can save lives.”