Impact in Islington: Celebrating CoRe 2025

By Forida Rahman, Project Manager, BIG Alliance 

After six months of intensive, hands-on collaboration, the CoRe 2025 cohort recently gathered to celebrate an incredible year of community transformation. The programme, which bridges the gap between corporate expertise and local need, showcased the profound difference that skilled volunteering can make across Islington’s voluntary sector.

Delivered by the BIG Alliance and supported by the Macquarie Group, Slaughter and May, and Expedia Group, CoRe embeds professional skills directly into the heart of community organisations by providing community partners with intensive high-level strategic support that is often out of reach for smaller charities. BIG matches dedicated corporate teams with local partners to meet specific organisational aims and needs over a six month period.

The celebration was a space for teams to share their wins, key learnings and the lasting relationships forged during the programme. One of the most resonant insights came from the community partner One in Four, who noted that their volunteers taught them the vital importance of “slowing down to speed up”, emphasising that taking the time to build a solid operational foundation is the only way to achieve sustainable growth.

In an era where grassroots charities face unprecedented financial and operational pressure, this support is a lifeline. The technical and strategic interventions provided by the volunteers have helped these organisations become significantly more resilient.

The scale of this year’s contribution highlights the dedication of everyone involved:

• 8 community organisations empowered.
• 34 dedicated professional volunteers.
• 2,159 total hours of high-impact volunteering.
• 28 new strategies developed, spanning marketing, governance and financial sustainability.
• 20 practical products delivered, including CRM systems, websites and corporate pitch decks.

We are incredibly proud of the CoRe 2025 cohort and remain deeply grateful to the partners and volunteers who make this vital work possible.

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