All Sherwin-Williams employees were given an individual sustainability objective within their Annual Performance goal plan. The total target for actions completed by all employees was 600 actions.

Each employee had the objective of leading or contributing to two actions or projects that would have a positive impact on the company’s sustainability. However, there was no clear way to measure employees’ collective impact, which made it difficult to share success and build momentum. 

Employees were keen to get involved but struggled with ideas and with understanding the impact they were making with their actions. On top of this, collective action was difficult to co-ordinate across teams, with no clear understanding of the overall impact created by all employees.

Sherwin-Williams’ goals included:

• Making it easier for employees to find actions and get involved

• Building a collective approach to inspire group impact

• Finding ways to celebrate impact as an organisation 

• Moving the annual target of 600 total actions to 7,500 total actions

Sherwin-Williams’ employee engagement approach can be split into 4 pillars.

1. Introducing OnHand to all employees

By launching OnHand at their annual sales conference, Sherwin-Williams had the opportunity to share the message across a large number of employees at once. 

This launch was supported by a pre-launch teaser in a monthly all-employees call, and launch messaging as integrated into bite-sized recaps for all non-attendees.

Sherwin-Williams got their employees to immediately make an impact: they split employees into teams for a race in partnership with Re-Cycle. Teams had to complete challenges to win parts to build a bicycle, which Re-Cycle then re-distributed through Africa.

By launching with such an impactful activity, Sherwin-Williams ensured their partnership with OnHand would be memorable.

2. Building sustainability activity into all employee annual performance goals 

All employees were given the objective of signing up to OnHand and completing 25 actions within the first year.

Employees also had a collective goal of contributing 2,000 trees to the Sherwin-Williams forest. 

3. Leading from the top

Sherwin-Williams’ leadership team was key to launch activity, building and maintaining momentum, and integrating OnHand into employee annual goals. Leaders also used annual awards to reward top performers and incentivise employee impact.

4. Including employee across all regions, including non-English speaking areas

The OnHand launch was supported with live translations for attendees from France and Poland. All OnHand content post-launch was also translated into both languages to provide regular progress and news updates.

Baringa’s social value programme has delivered measurable, sustained impact at scale. Participation has grown steadily across roles, geographies, and seniority levels, demonstrating that volunteering is embedded into everyday working life rather than treated as a one-off initiative.

• 42% of employees engaged in volunteering (FY25)

• 862 volunteer days delivered (FY25)

• 47 organisations supported globally (FY25)

• £2m+ in pro bono consulting delivered since FY18 through the Baringa Community Fund

• 0.1% of annual revenue committed to pro bono work

These results reflect a programme that combines accessibility, relevance, and long-term commitment.

“It’s not just the numbers that tell the story, it’s the way volunteering has become part of how we work”

–  Baringa Senior Leader

Baringa’s most impactful outcomes have come from initiatives that combine clear objectives, alignment with employee skills or passions, and ease of participation.

1. Skills-led outcomes

Baringa’s people have applied specialist expertise to causes that would otherwise not have access to this level of support.

Cancer Research UK’s AI Legacy Income Model

Developed by Baringa’s AI team to help CRUK more accurately forecast and grow legacy income, directly improving the charity’s ability to plan and invest in future research.

Cyber 101 Workshops for Charity Boards

Delivered to organisations including CRUK’s Board of Trustees, strengthening cyber resilience and data protection capability.

• CRUK’s COO said the session “left people informed and asking for more.”

• Their CTO noted that trustees are now asking “sharper, more insightful questions.”

2. Capacity-building outcomes

St John’s Ambulance – Leadership Programme

Baringa designed and delivered a tailored leadership programme in close collaboration with St John’s Ambulance, supporting leaders operating in a complex, community-driven environment.

“Baringa has been an outstanding partner… our leaders are now better equipped to deliver their roles with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose.” — Director of Volunteer Experience, St John’s Ambulance

NSPCC – Long-term Strategic Partnership

Over three years, Baringa teams have supported NSPCC through a combination of fundraising and skills-based project work:

• £900,000+ raised through flagship events such as the Childline Ball and Childline Sports Day

• Four strategic projects addressing child online safety, including:

  • Development of a national child safety strategy

  • Creation of a data library and governance framework for NSPCC’s Voice of Youth work

  • Drafting a white paper to influence government and regulatory policy

3. Youth outcomes

Supporting young people into work has been a major focus of Baringa’s volunteering activity.

• Dozens of CV workshops, mock interviews, and university preparation days delivered

• Young people supported with practical skills, confidence, and professional insight

The students benefitted greatly from these sessions, giving overwhelmingly positive feedback: 

"Thank you for being so welcoming and giving personalised advice. You broke the sector down really well and explained how much variety there is." — Student 

"Thank you to all of the volunteers. You've all been really informative, and this has opened up my interest in consulting as a career path." — Student 

Alongside community impact, Baringa’s programme has delivered clear business benefits by embedding social value into culture and client relationships.

• Culture

  • Volunteering is embedded into onboarding, with new joiners participating in a CSR day within their first two weeks

  • Strong leadership role modelling, with Partners and senior leaders actively involved

  • DEI networks leading and shaping volunteering partnerships, increasing relevance and participation

  • Membership of B4SI, benchmarking Baringa’s community contribution against top-quartile organisations

• Clients

  • Joint CSR days with clients, from youth employability workshops to community and environmental projects

  • Shared volunteering experiences have deepened relationships, built trust, and embedded social value into commercial conversations