Workplace Giving Excellence Award Winner

Origin Energy Foundation

FROM THE JUDGES

A program that is authentic, relevant to the organisation’s mission, focused and always quietly growing. A consistent approach that is now clearly embedded in the company ethos.”

RESULTS + FEATURES :

  • Origin Energy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Australian integrated energy company, Origin. Its focus is supporting education programs that help break the cycle of disadvantage.
  • 4471 employees in Australia
  • 41.2% participate in pro bono/workplace volunteering
  • All employees are entitled to unlimited volunteer leave
  • Volunteer’s skills and interests are matched to the appropriate opportunities via a databaseOrigin has set a Corporate Objective to increase participation by 2.5% by FY25

OVERVIEW + HIGHLIGHTS :

Origin’s employees chose the Foundation’s focus on education, a strong commitment that has been in place now for over a decade. In FY22, 40% of their 7112 volunteering hours were directly aligned to the Foundation’s education focus, with the remainder supporting areas of need throughout the community.

Unlimited volunteer leave enables participation in programs such as long-term mentoring with at-risk youth, and ongoing provision of legal and technical support, communications, data visualisation, translation and many more.

Employees can volunteer regardless of where they live and work, with 22% of volunteers supporting regional schools and communities. Student mentoring programs are both short and long-term, through face-to-face interaction or on-line platforms. The Foundation’s school outreach programs bring industry professionals with real-world experience to classrooms in rural, regional or remote locations. Over half of the students supported identify as having First Nations heritage

In addition to a strong communications strategy, the Foundation has a network of Ambassadors who are representative of Origin’s diverse workforce. These Ambassadors are a valuable connection point promoting the program at all their touch points.

Forming deep connections with community through volunteering provides benefits for the employees as well, with 95% of staff feeling more connected, 84% experiencing increased pride in working at Origin, and 81% gaining a greater awareness of wider social issues.