Public Library

FROM THE JUDGES:

Thorough planning and an innovative concept sees potential for significant impact. Good to see validated outcomes and partnership in place.

KEY RESULTS + FEATURES

• Over $45,000 was raised for nine charities
• 82% of participants responded positively to the statement ‘Participating in a Giving Circle in my workplace made me feel that my work environment
  enables me to make a positive contribution to the community’
• Donations were matched
• Employees felt their giving was making a significant difference because they heard directly from the charity and could see what was needed

OVERVIEW + HIGHLIGHTS

• Westpac is Australia’s first bank and oldest company, and one of the largest banks in New Zealand.
• Westpac Group was looking to find new ways to engage its employees in workplace giving (wpg) and to bring people together who are passionate about a cause. Research published in 2017 recognised the growth in collective giving in Australia.
• The challenge was to transform these findings to actionable strategies with tangible outcomes to grow giving in Australia. The Giving Circles at Work trial was developed to address this need.
• Giving Circles at Work (developed in conjunction with Good2Give and The Centre for Social Impact Swinburne) offers organisations an innovative solution to further engage employees in wpg and address the needs in the community that they care about.
• The Giving Circles at Work trial was an Australian first program for the workplace. The solution was to use technology to enable Giving Circles in the workplace without detracting from the rich experience of participating in a grant making process. It provides a different channel of income for the charities and a unique learning experience for participants.
• Participants could set up regular payroll donations and the Giving Circles’ fundraising activities could also be channelled through Good2Give and attract company matching.
• The Giving Circles provided positive outcomes for both Corporate Social Responsibility and HR strategies. In the future, Giving Circles could run across partner companies, creating networks of people with a passion to bring about social change. Participants could provide pro bono services to their charities and volunteering opportunities could also be linked to the giving cycle.