We have donated to charity on every mortgage since our inception, and also offer free advice to all NHS staff to help give back to all those who work so hard to keep us all healthy.
Planting trees on every mortgage was a later idea we had to help with our impact on the environment.
As most of our advisers work from home and our process is virtually paperless, making our footprint quite minimal, we feel technically the planting of more than 9,000 trees so far has had a net positive impact (or will do when the trees reach maturity).
Quantifying success
So, what do we get out of it? Well firstly, that was never the main aim or question behind our charity work and community giving back.
Secondly, it is very hard to quantify how many people contact us after seeing our logo on the shirts of a Sunday league team whilst stood on the sideline shivering in the rain.
Certainly our NHS discount attracts a lot of referrals, and many clients advise that they love the charity donation aspect.
I guess ultimately it gives everyone within the Yellow Brick family great satisfaction that what we do matters and has a positive impact on society around us.
It also sets us apart from many other brokerages; ultimately many will offer the same products, and also have many positive reviews, so this makes us unique.
And I think more so with the current and next generation, for whom the ethos of a company and their social conscience is becoming ever more prevalent in deciding where to do business.
Stephen Perkins is managing director of Yellow Brick Mortgages
