Our Communities 

Harpenden Building Society communities

Community engagement is at the heart of what we do at Harpenden Building Society. As a mutual building society that puts people over profits, we want to help those most in need, improve the quality of life of people in our local area (Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire) and boost overall community confidence.

This means more than just financial support from the Society; we work alongside charities, partner with social enterprises and help local initiatives in any way we can.

While we’ve come a long way since our inception in 1953, when our founders set out to help local people buy their homes, our dedication to supporting the community remains an ongoing commitment.

Endowment Fund

We’re committed to supporting a wide variety of community projects, from charities and local initiatives to organisations seeking to improve health, facilities and opportunities for people across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

As a mutual building society that values the importance of bringing confidence to the community, our Endowment Fund is just one of the many ways we do our bit to give back, offering grants to projects we believe can make a big difference.

Find out more about our fund.

Charity of the year

Every year, colleagues select a charity of the year to support, raising funds through activities such as sponsored events, raffles, tombolas, and bake sales.

Read more about our 2026 charity of the year Herts Young Homeless.

Volunteer programme development

Each colleague is entitled to two days of paid leave per year to volunteer for a charity either associated with the Society or one they personally support.

We are committed to increasing colleague volunteering hours year on year. Having exceeded our 2025 target, we have now set a target of 500 hours for 2026.

Alongside this, the Society has built strong partnerships with a number of local charities and community projects that benefit from the time, skills and commitment of our colleagues. We are committed to strengthening these relationships while continuing to explore new opportunities for colleagues to make a meaningful difference through volunteering and community support.

Our current community partners include Small Acts of Kindness, Keech Hospice, Sunnyside Rural Trust and Watling View School. If your organisation has an upcoming project that could benefit from volunteer support, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch to discuss how we can help.

Local partnership strategy

Beyond charitable grants and volunteering, we support our local communities through event sponsorship, including village fairs, sports, and music festivals. We also aim to partner with local education providers to enhance skills and career prospects by hosting money management sessions, work experience programs, and interview coaching. Additionally, we will continue educating members on financial resilience to support their long-term well-being.

Mutual

We publish a regular e-magazine called Mutual for our members, which provides details of our community engagement and support, inspiring local stories, engaging lifestyle content and finance-related tips, like how to avoid online scams.

Read the latest edition of Mutual magazine (Issue 8) or check out previous editions.

Community news

Explore our latest community news, including charitable grants, fundraising activities, sponsorships, volunteering initiatives, and charity of the year updates. Simply select Community within the topic filter below.