Accessing good advice and services can be difficult for disadvantaged and low‑income individuals and groups within our communities. Pro bono services are offered by many, if not most, professional service providers these days. This allows those working in professional services to use their skills to assist and engage with individuals and community organisations in need.

If you offer pro bono services, do you have a great programme and are you leveraging this when advertising for staff? With a little creativity and a sharper pitch, programme coordinators can lure in more senior staff with intellectually engaging or high-profile work, while still servicing more basic matters that can make a real impact on underserved communities. Well-run programmes can do a better job of promoting the social benefits or flexibility of the work and match pro bono work to staff's individual interests.

Most pro bono programmes focus on advice for the not‑for‑profits and charities that support members of the community who are low income or disadvantaged and provide them with quality service on a free basis or at a substantially reduced fee.

Many law and accounting firms now have pro bono partners and credit their legal staff with their pro bono legal time in the same way as chargeable work. This is now recognised as global best practice, and it encourages everyone to participate.

Practices offering pro bono work realise that it is important to be engaged with their communities and that it is what staff want them to do and be involved with today – they want their clients, their people and their communities to thrive. Pro bono practice is a key part of achieving this. For accounting firms, with lots of financial experts, it may be about leveraging that financial skill capability for the benefit of their communities. For law firms, it will be their legal skill capability.

Having institutional pro bono clients raises the variety of the work on offer as they often have a lot of different projects that they need support with. They can provide stimulating and challenging work for your staff while still providing a much-needed service. As an added benefit, a firm’s long-term relationship with a well-known institution helps promote the firm through its network. It also sends an internal message at the firm that institutional pro bono opportunities are valuable.

Encourage your staff to take part in pro bono work by making it easy for them to do this. It may be by treating it equally with their chargeable work or by providing short-term limited scope opportunities that allow them to feel part of the pro bono programme but not overwhelmed by it.

Often people want to be involved in community service but don’t know how to begin. Figure out what people in your firm are interested in and build expertise around that. Offer pro bono in areas where you know you can add value – don’t try to do something that isn’t in your organisation’s skill set. Leverage what you and your people are good at!

Remember that pro bono work is about donating unique professional skills to those who couldn’t otherwise afford. This work is valuable, so remember to acknowledge the work your staff do – give credit where credit is due. Those you provide these services to, will do likewise.

Make sure you cover your pro bono work on your website and in your social media. Celebrate this work along with your other successes. Your clients, your staff, prospective staff and the community all want to know and to celebrate and help where they can.