Small Change Delivering a Big Increase in Donations

From the judges: “A high level of commitment shown and a strong focus on the role of leadership.”

Giving back to the community is firmly embedded in the culture of employment and education giant SEEK, with 62% of its 800 staff contributing to its ‘Small Change’ program. A 2017 internal survey revealed that 93% of employees believe the company’s commitment to Social Responsibility is genuine – with this demonstrated by an incredible 30% increase in the value of donations to SEEK’s charity partners in the last financial year, from $200,000 to $260,000. Staff now donate an average of $153 per person each year to their choice of ten charities nominated by the workforce.

Small Change has had an enormous impact on organisations such as STREAT, a Melbourne-based charity which aims to reduce youth homelessness. Since 2014, Small Change has contributed $60,000 to the charity, equating to 500 hours of training. The SEEK team appreciate seeing how the long-term nature of Workplace Giving can deliver genuine community change. The program has a dedicated full time employee running the program, who works closely with SEEK’s senior executives to ensure there is genuine buy-in to Workplace Giving activities. The leadership team recognise the importance of Small Change by matching employees’ contributions dollar-for dollar, with no cap on the amount, and by actively championing the program both internally as well as in the broader business community.

Small Change extends its impact through pro-bono services, inkind support, donation matching, fundraising events and one-off appeals. In partnership with Volunteering Australia, SEEK runs an online marketplace that connects volunteers to opportunities. SEEK employees are directly encouraged to volunteer with staff offered a days paid leave a year to work for a charitable organisation of their choice.

Small Change is frequently integrated into staff communications, meetings and events, often including QR codes that enable staff to instantly sign up to the program. Understanding that people choose to participate in Workplace Giving for a mix of emotional and rational reasons, a variety of messages are conveyed throughout the year. To gain the best insights into its employee’s Workplace Giving preferences and behaviours, SEEK has created a bespoke ‘dashboard’ that shows participation and donation data in real-time. This allows the team to identify interest areas and opportunities to enhance the program – creating better outcomes for SEEK’s culture, as well as a bigger impact in the community.