Inaugural National Workplace Giving Awards
10 August 2016 at 11:04 am
The Australian Charities Fund (ACF) has launched national Workplace Giving Excellence Awards to celebrate and recognise the generosity of Australian workers.
“Australian workers are generous. In the financial year 2015 each workplace giving employee donated $262 to charity directly from their pay,” CEO of ACF Jenny Geddes said.
“We are calling on all employers who offer workplace giving to enter the awards and recognise the generosity of their teams. The power of workplace giving lies in its collective impact and we encourage organisations with successful and new programs to enter the awards.”
New figures released by the Australian Tax Office reveal that 162,500 Australians together donated $42.5 million to charity through workplace giving in the financial year 2015.
“When employer donation matching is added it is anticipated the figure would exceed over $63 million,” Geddes said.
“ACF research shows that when employees donate through the workplace it is typically in addition to what they already give, so this figure represents new funding for the community.”
The awards judging panel will be chaired by Dr. Andrew Young, CEO of the Centre for Social Impact (CSI).
“Workplace giving is a great way for working Australians to help create a stronger society by providing regular, reliable funding that charities so vitally need. Workplace giving is perhaps the most efficient and tax-effective way to donate, and enables charities to focus on what they do best – delivering services,” Young said.
“I’m looking forward to learning how employers across Australia are harnessing the power of workplace giving to deliver great outcomes.”
The awards are part of the One Million Donors campaign to see a million working Australians donating to charity through their pay by 2020. Spearheaded by ACF and launched by Prime Minister Turnbull in 2014, the campaign is now in its third year and supported by leading employers, charities and community organisations.
The award categories are for both established programs, as well as those new to workplace giving:
- Best Overall Program
- Best Program Launch or Refresh (small employers)
- Best Program Launch or Refresh (large employers)
- Best Public Sector Program
- Most Innovative Employer / Charity Partnership – to be nominated by the charity
Entries are open until 30 September here. The awards event will take place on 16 November 2016.
