Deloitte & Just Like Us: Championing LGBTQ+ inclusion through collaboration
Purpose-driven learning combining professional development and social impact.
About the project
Deloitte partnered with Pilotlight to co-create a bespoke programme that would connect its Proud Network with charities championing LGBTQIA+ inclusion. The goal was to mark LGBT+ History Month with a purpose-driven experience that combined professional development with social impact.
Just Like Us, a charity empowering LGBTQIA+ young people through education and role modelling, joined the programme with a clear challenge: to rethink income generation and partnership strategy while staying true to its mission.
What followed was a high-energy day of collaboration, where cross-functional teams from Deloitte worked side-by-side with charity leaders to explore ideas, test solutions and co-develop practical recommendations. Guided by Pilotlight facilitators, the experience delivered real-world learning, inclusive leadership and mutual impact.
“Our work with Pilotlight is a core part of how we support our people to use the knowledge and skills they have to make a meaningful impact on charities, including many of our charity partners. The Pilotlight session with Just Like Us was a great example of how skills-based volunteering and employee engagement around ED&I can come together to make a lasting difference”
– Clare Taalab, Head of Volunteering & Societal Partnerships, Deloitte LLP
The challenge
Just Like Us sought fresh thinking on how to diversify income and strengthen partnerships. Like many small charities, it faced the ongoing challenge of securing sustainable funding while staying true to its mission.
At the same time, Deloitte’s Proud Network wanted to mark LGBT+ History Month by connecting their colleagues to causes that matter, and creating a real-world opportunity for inclusive leadership, collaboration and insight.
The collaboration
Working together, Pilotlight and Deloitte co-designed a one-day, in-person event as part of Deloitte’s Social Impact programme. The format matched cross-functional teams of Deloitte professionals with the leadership teams of three LGBTQIA+ charities and social enterprises.
Just Like Us was one of them.
Throughout the day, charity and business participants worked side-by-side to explore the challenge. They listened. They asked questions. They tested ideas. And by the end of the session, they had co-developed a set of clear, practical recommendations the charity could take forward.
The experienced Pilotlight facilitators supported every step, creating the conditions for innovative thinking, inclusive collaboration and mutual respect.
“Coming into the day you may have some anxiety about whether you will have valuable things to contribute, but at the end of the journey you feel quite different. Everyone was so supportive and aligned with the same end goals.”
– Deloitte participant
The outcome
For Deloitte
For the Deloitte team, this was learning in action.
- They practised inclusive leadership in a real-world context
- Strengthened collaboration across departments and grades
- Deepened their understanding of LGBTQIA+ issues
- Celebrated and amplified the work of the Proud Network
It was professional development with purpose, grounded in empathy and real impact.
For Just Like Us
The charity left the day with:
- Fresh insight into income generation and partnership strategy
- Actionable ideas to explore and refine
- Greater clarity and confidence in its next steps
Perhaps just as important, the team felt seen and energised by the process
“We felt very heard and understood – the [Deloitte] teams captured our values and ethics and creatively and organically explored potential routes of funding for us. The experience was very clarifying and pragmatically useful – thank you!”
– Just Like Us participant
Mutual learning
This wasn’t just about solving a challenge. It was about building connection.
The charity gained tangible tools and insight. The business gained fresh perspective and practical experience. And both walked away with a deeper commitment to inclusive leadership.
Wrap-up
This Impact Day showed what’s possible when business and charity work side-by-side. With shared purpose and mutual respect, Deloitte and Just Like Us created practical progress - and lived out the Pilotlight promise of 'Learning by doing good'.