Double screens, double impact: local firm boosts charity efficiency

A Good Thing is an online platform that allows businesses to give things away to their local charities. Less to landfill, more to a good cause! The case study below is an example of the wonderful impact that can be made through these matches.

“I would like to take this chance to thank you for your support through A Good Thing. The two additional PC split screens that we received from you have enabled our office staff to have more flexibility when working on spreadsheets and other work.”

That was the reaction from a member of staff at The Princes Centre, one of three charities in Buckinghamshire to receive surplus monitors via A Good Thing. The donor behind the screens? Chandler Garvey, a Buckinghamshire property firm that had recently upgraded its office setup and found itself with eight surplus dual monitors. Instead of letting them gather dust, the company listed them on the A Good Thing platform. Within days, three charities had claimed them to support their day-to-day work.

We love to hear about a win–win situation, and for Chandler Garvey that’s exactly what this was:

“Donating our monitors was mutually beneficial, as it saved us having to destroy perfectly good working technology. This is one of the hardest things to recycle and has a big environmental impact. Knowing that we’ve helped even just a little was a win–win for us.”

Productivity with purpose

As more and more of us embrace flexible working styles, having the right equipment makes all the difference. At Youth Concern in Aylesbury, staff hope the monitors will make home-working more comfortable and efficient. As one colleague explained, their finance lead often juggles multiple spreadsheets and platforms at once, and a split-screen monitor will make tasks like monthly payroll far easier.

Not only do these monitors make things more efficient, but the charity Been There feels that the right tech is essential to enable the charity to carry out its work effectively. This admirable work consists of providing peer support for people struggling with body-image issues and eating disorders. We heard from the team that the monitors donated have helped them “to work more effectively and efficiently, therefore be able to do an even better job!”

At the Princes Centre, which supports older people and adults with disabilities, the equipment is helping staff to update their office space and carry out care-planning and risk assessments with greater ease.

We were delighted to hear that the Princes Centre has had success with A Good Thing in the past. The feedback we received this time was just as positive: “it was great to be able to update our office and help save good items going to waste”.

A business with community at its heart

For Chandler Garvey, this donation was a straightforward way to ensure useful equipment found a second home. It also reflects the company’s wider commitment to the communities it serves. Alongside its property work, Chandler Garvey sponsors the ‘Community Champions Award’ at the Buckinghamshire Business First Awards, a category that celebrates businesses that give back to local people.

As one colleague put it: “one of our core values is helping the local community. It’s never about profit margins or a CSR tickbox for us – it’s about seeing a need and asking ourselves: can we help here?”

Sharing surplus through A Good Thing is just another way of putting that ethos into action.

Small items, big impact

In a world where a new iPhone gets released every year, it’s reassuring to hear about perfectly-functioning technology getting a second chance at life. A dual monitor might seem like a small thing, but for these charities it represents time saved and less strain for staff, with a more productive working day.

That efficiency means more energy for what really matters: supporting the people who rely on them. By passing on its surplus tech, Chandler Garvey has helped three local charities work smarter.