Media releases
Westpac Group and Good2Give launch new Giving Circles at Work trial
1 June 2019
Westpac Group is proud to announce it has partnered with not-for-profit organisation Good2Give to conduct a new collective giving trial amongst its thousands of employees. This new initiative, referred to as Giving Circles at Work will be the first of its kind in Australia, and builds on a successful private philanthropy model of collective giving.
Results from the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer showed that employees are increasingly looking to their employers to lead meaningful and sustainable change in the community. The Giving Circles at Work trial has the potential to increase employee participation in workplace giving and boost impact in local communities.
Funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services and supported by the Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership, this trial will determine the potential and effectiveness of collective giving in the workplace as a corporate philanthropy model. The Centre of Social Impact at Swinburne University of Technology will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the trial for wider benefit.
Lisa Grinham, CEO of Good2Give, said: “This is an exciting step forward for Australia’s charitable sector, further enabling Australian workplaces to make a difference to the world in which we all work and live. We have seen the huge impact collective giving can have in the private sphere and we’re eager to see how this impact can be strengthened by extending into the workplace.
“It has the power to not only increase giving from the corporate sector but also educate thousands of individuals on the needs underpinning some of society’s greatest challenges, and to be part of the solution.”
Siobhan Toohill, Westpac Group Head of Sustainability, said the trial provides employees with the opportunity to be involved in the development and testing of an innovative, sustainable and replicable model of collective giving in workplaces.
“Westpac Group has a long history of helping our employees support the charitable and grassroots organisations that strengthen our communities.
“We established our Matching Gifts workplace giving program in 1998, the first such program announced by any Australian bank. Since then, Westpac has matched employee donations to eligible Australian charities dollar for dollar.
In 2018 more than $6 million was collectively donated to more than 650 charities through our Matching Gifts program. Taking part in this trial helps us explore even more ways to support our employees to make a difference on the issues and causes that matter to them.”
The findings of the trial will be publicly released in mid-2020.
Email Good2Give on info@good2give.ngo to learn more about the Giving Circles at Work concept or workplace giving
For more information, please contact: Westpac Media Relations – westpacmediarelations@westpac.com.au. Interviews with Westpac Group Head of Sustainability, Siobhan Toohill, are available.