10 Ways We Give Back to Charity at Search Seven

2025 has been one of the most memorable years in Search Seven’s history. 

We celebrated award wins and industry recognition, hit a fundraising record, and launched our new website and rebrand.  

There’s been plenty to celebrate and as a Search Marketing Agency for Social Good, it has been especially rewarding to deliver impact for our clients while also creating positive change for our community and the charities we support. 

Over the summer we paused as a team and realised something surprising: there are ten distinct ways we actively give back to charity at Search Seven. Below is a snapshot of what that looks like in practice. 

1.     Charity-owned events: Alongside organising our own fundraising events, we regularly take part in charity-led initiatives. These include the RISE Superheroes Run, Sussex Beacon relay events, and Rockinghorse activities such as beach cleans, quiz nights, and tennis tournaments. These events are a brilliant way to get the whole team involved and support causes directly. 

2.     Our 7% profit pledge: Since founding the agency in 2011, our goal has always been to use Search Seven as a vehicle for good. In the early years, we pledged up to 7% of profits to charity through donations and fundraising. Today, that commitment is a minimum of 7%, with the actual figure often significantly higher. 

3.     S7 hosted fundraising events: A big part of our fundraising comes from the events we run throughout the year. We usually host around five, including agency owner lunches, Ryder Cup-style golf competitions, Search Seven’s S7 Bowls Battle, and our flagship Autumn event, which typically brings together around 200 supporters! These events give our community a chance to come together and support the charities we care about, all united by a shared goal of making a difference. 

4.     Match funding for the team: We offer match funding to support the team’s individual fundraising efforts. In a team member’s first year, we match donations up to £250, then £150 in subsequent years. In 2025, this supported sponsored walks, charity bake sales, and participation in a charity relay race. 

5.     Charity referral scheme: We evolved our referral scheme to focus on giving back. When a referral turns into a client, 7% of the first year’s revenue is shared. 5% goes to the referrer, and 2% is donated to a charity of their choice. To date, the charity referral league has surpassed £12,000 for charity, all chosen by the referrers, bringing a extra feel-good-factor to our referral system all revolved around giving back!

6.     Charity referral league: To build on the referral scheme, we gamified it. The Charity Referral League uses football-style scoring, with one point for a qualified lead and three points for a deal that closes. Over the past two years, this initiative alone has raised and donated more than £10,000 to charity. 

7.     Charity event sponsorship: We love partnering with events that share our values. Last year, we sponsored the Charity Award at the Brighton City Girl Awards, and we will be doing so again in 2026. These partnerships allow us to support important initiatives while building meaningful relationships. 

8.     One-off donations: Each year, every team member at Search Seven chooses a charity to support, making the fundraising we do personal and supporting a broad range of causes, with Rockinghorse Children’s Charity as our flagship cause. Alongside this, we make one-off donations to other charities when causes are particularly meaningful, including supporting client-led fundraising events. 

9.     Charity day rate: Since day one, we have offered a discounted day rate for charities, because we know that beyond fundraising we have something to offer - the ability to elevate the online presence of charities through targeted marketing campaigns, to support their causes and engage witrh new audiences, whether that be supporters, new sponsors and funders, volunteers or donations. We apply a 25% reduction across our SEO and PPC services, recognising the financial pressures charities face while still delivering the same high-quality service.

10.     Volunteer days: The team is encouraged to volunteer their time, whether that is supporting charity events, helping with fundraising, or lending a hand where it is needed. For example, we’ve supported beach clean-ups in Brighton and last year, a team member helped clear a garden for Whoopsadaisy - a charity supporting children with movement disorders. 

Thanks to these combined efforts, we are now extremely close to our long-term fundraising target of £177,000 by the end of 2026 - a year ahead of schedule. With that milestone in sight, we have decided to set our ambitions even higher to £200,000 by the end of 2026, a year that also marks Search Seven’s 15th birthday!

Looking ahead to 2026

To celebrate 15 years of the agency, our community and the fundraising work we have done together, we’re putting together a busy events calendar that brings marketers, charities, founders, and leaders together. 

Highlights include the Rockinghorse Ryder Cup on April 23rd and 24th at East Sussex National, Bowls Battle 2026 on June 7th at Portslade Bowls Club, and a major 15th birthday celebration planned for the end of year. 

As always, each event will include a fundraising element, helping ensure our celebrations continue to support the community and charities that have been part of our journey from the start. 

If you’d like to get involved or learn more about building meaningful CSR initiatives, you can sign up to our newsletter for early access to events, download our CS7 guide with seven practical tips for giving back, or book a call with Gavin to explore a CSR session for your team and hear more about Search Seven’s story.