Some of my colleagues at the Greater Building Society found an innovative way for our business to give back to the community this month. They turned some bonus equipment from a procurement purchase into a bigger gift for sick kids.
One of our staff members, Craig Tye, presented a Sony Playstation PS4, games, additional controller and charging station as well as a cheque for $1,189.40 (to be precise) to the Camp Quality team at John Hunter Children’s Hospital to help make the lives of kids with cancer a little brighter.
The Greater received some bonus PS4s for ordering audiovisual equipment for our head office. We decided to donate some of the systems to local charities and auction and raffle off others to raise additional funds for those charities.
Camp Quality was a logical choice because it is a charity our Greater Charitable Foundation has supported. The equipment and money will be used by Camp Quality play therapists to teach coping strategies to children to help them better deal with their illness and pain inside and outside hospital.
The Greater will repeat the process to help other charities in the coming months including another Greater Charitable Foundation partner, Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Does your company give back to the communities from which it makes profits?
Here are my five tips to help you to benefit from being more philanthropic.
- Pick a charity(s) or organisation(s) that align with your business or business goals.
- You don’t have to give money. You can give bonus equipment like we did or give old equipment such as pre-loved computers or office furniture. Your staff can also donate their time or expertise.
- Involve your staff. Another way for businesses to give is to match donations that staff raise. You can also set up payroll deductions for staff to contribute to charities. Coming together to help others can be a great team building or staff development exercise.
- Claim a tax deduction where possible. Most donations to registered charities over $2 are tax deductible. Obtain an official tax receipt.
- Share and celebrate your giving with staff and customers. They need to know that their involvement in your organisation helps others. Potential customers and employees are often looking to support businesses and organisations that give back to their community.
IMAGE | Camp Quality Play Specialist Cara Dahl receives a Playstation and other gifts from Greater Building Society’s Craig Tye
