The Australian Charities Fund Operations Limited

ACF congratulates the inaugural 2011 Australian Workplace Giving Awards Winners

Winners of the inaugural Australian Workplace Giving Awards were announced in September 2011 at the Awards Ceremony held at NSW Parliament House in Sydney.

The judges were impressed by the high quality of the submissions, and all applicants are to be congratulated for the fresh thinking, hard work, and unflagging commitment demonstrated in the work represented by their submissions.

The quality of submissions made choosing a winner in some categories very difficult. As a result there were a number of instances where the judges recommended issuing a Highly Commended Award in addition to naming a winner.

While the awards were initiated by ACF, entry was open to any employer with a workplace giving program or any charity with DGR status. We were delighted and encouraged by the number of award submissions received from both ACF and non-ACF organisations.

For awards purposes, workplace giving was defined as a program allowing employees to donate regularly from their pre-tax salary through their employer's payroll system to charities with DGR status.

Instigated by ACF to grow awareness of workplace giving and celebrate the difference it makes to the community, the Australian Workplace Giving Awards recognise leadership, innovation, collaboration and best practice in workplace giving by employers and charities.

Congratulations to all the finalists, highly commended, and the winners.

Edward Kerr
CEO, The Australian Charities Fund

Best Practice: Employer Organisation Award

Winner: PwC

Applicants were asked to provide an holistic description of their program, including how they promote it, how they engage staff, how they engage community partners and the program's outcomes.

The judges assessed best practice was demonstrated by:

• A consistent, visible commitment to workplace giving over an extended period of time

• A program embedded in the culture of the organization such that while individual people may come and go, the program continues to flourish. Committee oversight, a champion network and an effective communications strategy were highly valued.

• Direct senior leadership team involvement and participation

• Strong participation amongst employees across all levels of the organization

• Solid funds flow through to community groups from the workplace giving activities

• Matching (where possible) of employee donations by the employer

• Innovative techniques to achieve participation (such as the use of opt-out or opt-in mechanisms)
  
  

Best Practice: Employer Organisation Award

Highly Commended: Commonwealth Bank

Image: Simon McKeon, 2011 Australian of the Year and Trent Moy, General Manager Community, Commonwealth Bank

Best Practice: Community Organisation Award

Winner: Redkite

Image: Simon McKeon, 2011 Australian of the Year and Jenni Seton, CEO, Redkite

This award recognises overall best practice by a community organization in engaging in workplace giving.

Applicants were asked to provide an holistic description of their strategy for engaging in workplace giving, and how it fits with their organization's overall fundraising and development strategy.

The judges assessed best practice was demonstrated by:

• Commitment to growing workplace giving partnerships shown through senior leadership involvement and endorsement, internal and external advocacy and promotion, and attempts to leverage existing partnerships to gain workplace giving support
  

• A clear strategy for aligning the objectives, priorities and capabilities of the community organization with those of the employer organizations supporting it

• A regular and appealing communications strategy with their employer partners showing the impact of donations and how it is measured

• Activities promoting workplace giving developed and executed in partnership with the employer partner

• Evidence strategies employed stimulate increases in workplace giving funds flowing from employer partners

• Consistent execution of these strategies over time

Organisational Engagement Award

Winner: JB Hi-Fi

Image: Simon McKeon, 2011 Australian of the Year and Joanne Manley, Program Manager and Richard Murray, CFO, JB Hi-Fi

This award recognises excellence in engagement strategies across all levels of an organisation with regard to workplace giving.

In this award category, the judges assessed excellence was demonstrated by:

• Successfully reaching and effectively communicating with staff across the organization, at all levels and to all geographic locations

• Comprehensive engagement strategies sympathetic to employee diversity

• Innovation in addressing barriers to communication and engagement

• The engagement strategies demonstrably lead to increased staff participation levels, and increased funds flowing to community partners

• An ongoing commitment to program growth

Collaboration - Joint Award Employer/Community Organisations Award

Winner: Amalgamated Holdings Ltd/Camp Quality

Image:  Simon McKeon, 2011 Australian of the Year and Melinda King, Administrator AHL Charity, Amalgamated Holdings Ltd and Simon Rountree, CEO, Camp Quality

This award recognises excellence in a collaborative partnership between a community organisation and an employer organisation with respect to the employer's workplace giving program.

Applicants were asked to describe the attributes of the relationship between their two organisations that make it collaborative.

The judges assessed best practice was demonstrated by:

• Binding and passionate commitment to each other

• Real financial impact for the community organization - i.e. a collaboration that has generated a substantial amount of money for the community organization

• Engagement activities undertaken together aimed at deepening employees' understanding of the community organization and the workplace giving program

• Regular, quality communications to employees on how donations are impacting on the community organization in tangible ways, so donors know the difference their donations are making

Collaboration - Joint Award Employer/Community Organisations Award

Highly Commended: Palais Theatre/Save the Children

Image: Simon McKeon, 2011 Australian of the Year and Sally Roberts, Partnership Coordinator, Save the Children and Neil Croker, CEO, Palais Theatre

Innovation Award

Winner: PwC

Image: Simon McKeon, 2011 Australian of the Year and Mark Reading, Corporate Responsibility Partner, PwC

This award recognises an innovative workplace giving initiative undertaken by an employer.

Applicants were asked to describe their initiative and tell us what is innovative about it.

The judges assessed innovation was demonstrated by:

• An approach or idea which is new, impactful and effectively communicated

• The idea being affordable and sustainable

• The idea being scaleable and capable of being replicated at other organizations

• Tangible impact - increased employee participation, and increased dollars flowing to the community partner

Inspirational Leadership Award

Winner: Kevin Perkins, CEO, Collins Foods Group

Image: Simon McKeon, 2011 Australian of the Year and Kevin Perkins, CEO, Collins Foods Group

This award recognises an individual or group of individuals whose behaviour has been inspirational in driving the development of workplace giving in their organisation.

Applicants were asked to tell us about the individual or group of individuals in their organisation who have inspired other staff to learn about and participate in their workplace giving program.

The judges assessed inspirational leadership was demonstrated by:

• Leadership that has driven the development of, and participation in, workplace giving across all levels of the organization

• Significant levels of employee participation and funds being generated

• Significant ongoing investment of time, skills, and expertise

• Persistent and enduring effort to overcome barriers and obstacles

Inspirational Leadership Award

Highly Commended: Tracy McCully-Barker & Katrina O'Donnell, Ageing, Disability & Home Care

Inspirational Leadership Award

Highly Commended: Julianne Cowley, AusAID

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