JB Hi-Fi: Making Noise for a Cause

As Australia’s largest home entertainment retailer, JB Hi-Fi is used to making noise. By collaborating creatively with charity organisations through its workplace giving program, Helping Hands, the company has raised over $8 million and can boast almost 70 percent staff participation rate. Now that’s something to shout about.

JB’s approach has been to involve its young workforce in decision-making and match payroll deductions dollar for dollar.

For us it really was a no-brainer… you see that the giving program starts to take on a life of its own!  Our staff are now so motivated and proud of our Workplace Giving program that is has really become self-propelling; It’s almost impossible to put a price on the sense of purpose it gives our team.

Jay Hinton, General Manager Store Operations, JB Hi-Fi

Creative Charity Campaigns

Redkite

To raise money for children’s cancer charity Redkite, the company held an internal competition asking staff to design their own superhero.

They partnered with movie companies to provide prize packs to encourage participation. “I have to say, we were absolutely flooded with entries from the team,” says Jay Hinton, JB’s General Manager of Store Operations. All staff, including executives, were encouraged to dress up as superheroes for the launch. The winning artworks were made into postcards and sold in store. “We sold out in two weeks.”

The Song Room

Likewise, JB, in conjunction with a creative agency, partnered with The Song Room to promote and sell its PlayAir campaign.

The Song Room is an organisation that brightens the futures of Australia’s most disadvantaged children through music and art. JB sold little packets of air in the shape of microphones and guitars for $2 in stores.“Because it has that association with music, which is obviously JB’s foundation, and it was a bit quirky and left of centre, it got staff talking about it and understanding that it could make a difference,” says Hinton. “One of our company’s mottos is servicing the community so workplace giving is really  just another way of doing that.”

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