Funding Boost to Workplace Giving

Workplace Giving in Australia and NZ has been given a boost by private funding.

An Australian Not for Profit specialising in workplace giving has secured a major private donation which will allow the organisation to boost its services to the charity sector.

Charities Aid Foundation Australia (CAF) says that the multi-year donation will be used to enhance its services and the profile of Workplace Giving across Australia and New Zealand.

CAF, whose clients include National Australia Bank, Qantas, Vodafone, RailCorp, Telstra, Holden, as well as many private philanthropists, says that the funds will be used to employ three new staff and building the organisation’s IT and product development capabilities.

It says that major investment in the development of its Workplace Giving software will improve the user experience – from the employee donor through to the charities receiving the funds.

Chief executive of CAF Lisa Grinham said: “We will be challenging our past thinking and looking to innovate to engage more donors, more employers and more charities in Workplace Giving.”

“Part of that process will be to make it as easy as possible for employees to give to their favourite charities on a pre-tax basis”.

Grinham said that CAF is passionate about growing Workplace Giving both in Australia and New Zealand – as it is one of the lowest-cost fundraising channels for a charity.

“Charities report the administration cost of processing Workplace Giving donations from CAF is less than one percent,” she said.

CAF's Workplace Giving service allows corporate employees to make a lasting impact on the work of their preferred charity through a direct tax deductible donation from their pre-tax pay.

2012 marks the 10-year anniversary of Workplace Giving in Australia.

According to the Australian Taxation Office, the number of employees making charitable donations using Workplace Giving increased by 56.5% during the last financial year, with a 34% increase in donations to $37.5 million.

However Grinham said that while this is a reasonable amount of funds being donated to the charity sector, she believes the figure could be ten times that amount if more people knew how easy it was to make a donation to their favourite charity using Workplace Giving.

CAF chair Cynthia Nadai said: “CAF is committed to growing Workplace Giving donations to a level that will make it a significant fundraising channel for charities.”

“We are thrilled to find a benefactor who shares our vision and sees the value that CAF delivers in the form of reduced administration costs to charities and companies alike.”