New "Share As You Earn" Campaign
14 November 2002 at 12:11 pm
It may just take the misfortunes of a TV wombat to encourage Australians to “Share As You Earn” in a new campaign by the Earth Share Australia Foundation.
Australians lag behind other nations in the area of workplace donations and it’s hoped that a clever Community Service Announcement may turn the situation around.
In the US more than $US3.5 billion is raised annually for charities through donations at work with companies matching their employees donations. This is 25 times the amount per capita that is raised in Australia.
In the UK, which has a similar charitable culture to Australia, workplace donation partnerships raise five times as much per capita as here.
Earth Share’s Chris Harris says part of the reason for the difference is government leadership.
Harris says that in the UK the Government has been matching each $100 donated with an additional $10 in government funding to charities.
He says in the US the official Federal Program has led to a forty percent staff participation rate among federal public servants raising $US250 million annually!
Harris says there is no Federal Program in Australia.
So back to the TV wombat! Ad agency FCB has created a Community Service Announcement designed to raise awareness of Earth Share and to promote payroll deductions at work. It features the acting talents of a wombat called Larry and the voice skills of Hugo Weaving.
Earth Share Director Tim Parker says the CSA shows a series of office scenes that are familiar except for the fact that various natural features and creatures are doing a bad job of trying to make a living!
The receptionist is a piece of coral, Graham the finance guy is a tree who is getting a going over from the marketing team and poor old Larry the wombat is being fired and escorted from the premises by security.
Park says the message in the voiceover is simple! “Nature can’t work to support itself, but you can and by donating to Earth Share you can help out our extraordinary environment!”
Channel Nine is set to broadcast the campaign in coming weeks. Good luck Larry!
But wait there’s more!
Hot on the heels of Earth Share, the Spastic Centres of SA Foundation have launched a new fundraising campaign to encourage all South Australian workers to donate just $2 each pay to the Spastic Centres.
The Spastic Centres of South Australia provides accommodation, respite and support services for over 500 children and adults with cerebral palsy and other severe and multiple disabilities
However, in recent years there has been an increase in both the number of children diagnosed with cerebral palsy and the life expectancy of adults – this has escalated demand for their services and consequently, the Spastic Centres now need more help than ever.
The Spastic Centres say the new “$2 for you” campaign is an easy, hassle free way of making a small, regular donation.
The concept is simple – each payday, workers in South Australia are invited to make the small donation straight from their wage, either through their company’s pay office, or their credit card if they’d prefer.
Hundreds of workers throughout South Australia have been contributing to the Spastic Centres for over 40 years, and earlier this year celebrated helping to raise $2.5 million.
Individuals, companies and organisations keen to get involved in “$2 for you” can call the Spastic Centres on (08) 8268 5000, or email 24U@SpasticCentresSA.com.au.
