Helen's our D&I and Community Engagement Manager; in this blog, she explores what it means to be community-minded at Auto Trader.

Hello! I've been proud to be part of the Auto Trader community for several years now, working in our People and Culture team with a specific focus on Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement. I get to spend a large part of my role working with the incredible networks we have across the business, who play a huge part in forming our diversity and inclusion strategy and all the work we do to support the local communities in which we operate.

'Community Minded' is one of the six values that shape our culture and underpin what we stand for here at Auto Trader.

To us, being 'Community Minded' means that we look after each other, respect diversity and advocate inclusion. We are committed to making a difference in our communities and thinking of others before ourselves.

We strive to have a positive impact on the communities we operate in. Our Make a Difference Guild is made up of 15 wonderfully passionate individuals committed to empowering our employees to support our local communities and national charities in several ways.

These include:

Volunteering: Each of our employees has two volunteer days to take per year, this is on top of their holiday allowance, and everyone has the option to choose as and when they take them.

AT Sponsorships (match funding) - An chance for our employees to apply for up to £500 to support them with their fundraising goals. We help our customers with their own fundraising goals too! This means more money for the charities closest to our colleagues' hearts.

Give As You Earn (payroll giving) - A tax-efficient way to donate to a UK charity. With Auto Trader donating an extra £5 to our employee's chosen charities.

Sustainability: Our sustainability network is made up of different people from across the business. Each of them is on a different sustainability journey, and they are actively educating and raising awareness on how Auto Trader and our colleagues can do their bit to combat climate change.

**Auto Trader X Forever Manchester - ** a community fund that benefits community projects across Greater Manchester.

We also continue to work closely with our charity partners in London, including Camden Giving, New Horizons Youth Centre and the Felix Project.

We want to continue supporting our communities each year and always want to do more! This year, we'll launch a new community fund, allowing employees to apply for £500 on behalf of a local charity close to their hearts.

Earlier this year, we were shocked and deeply horrified at the terrible events in Ukraine and how they unfolded so quickly and brutally. The events inspired a massive outpour of support and sympathy from our communities. We promised that in the future, we would offer double fund matching and promote all DEC appeals, including the Ukraine and Afghanistan appeals.

We are so proud of all the incredible work our colleagues at Auto Trader do to help Make A Difference in our local communities, and we wanted to share just some of that in this infographic.