The Kite Foundation (Kite) uses app technology and is designed to engage and motivate employees at all levels, cut training budget wastage, and generate sizeable donations to charity. With a fundraising target of £300 million, Kite aims to support good causes at home and abroad through partner charities nominated by its patrons.
Despite global expenditure on training in excess of £420 billion, only 5%-20% of what is learned in the classroom is transferred and applied to the workplace, leaving behaviour virtually unchanged and performance unimproved. As a result, businesses are losing more than three-quarters of their investment in training each year.
Kite enables a personal development dialogue through a bespoke in-built app, and supports learners in applying newly acquired capabilities within the workplace. Learners are motivated to transfer their skills and take part in a sustained nine-month learning programme through the pledge of donations in their name to a good cause, funded by their organisation.
Donations can also be 'earned' by line managers, who are known to play a pivotal role in the learning transfer process, creating an open environment where learner and manager are jointly inspired. Their progress and donations are logged in a personal 'passport' as a record of their achievements.
Commenting on the potential of the initiative to boost CSR within the workplace and the subsequent impact on learning transfer, Kite founder, Robert Terry, said: "Through Kite, organisations can demonstrate their commitment to CSR in a manner that enhances their corporate and brand reputation.
"Over time, their workforce will re-energise, performance will improve, managers will reconnect with teams and significant cost savings will be made. To date, the initiative has had a tremendous response, with 100% take-up across the board and I predict it will revolutionise the way businesses participate in CSR programmes in the future."
