Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business. A step-by-step guide for not-for-profit community organisations

Transcription

1 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business A step-by-step guide for not-for-profit community organisations

2 The Offi ce for the Community Sector (OCS) was established in 2008 in the Department of Planning and Community Development to support the Victorian not-for-profi t (NFP) community sector to be sustainable into the future. The OCS has two key responsibilities: driving cross-government activity that reduces unnecessary burden related to government accountability and compliance requirements; and supporting the sector to build capacity to continue to be responsive to the needs of Victorians. This guide has been established to assist not-for-profi t (NFP) community organisations with long term sustainability. The guide aims to assist organisations better position themselves to receive donations from business and their employees through a work place giving scheme. The guide is designed to make it easier and more effective for employees to donate to charitable organisations. and thus develop relationships that will enable the organisation to thrive for years to come. Thanks go to the following organisations that provided information and feedback on this document: Footscray Community Arts Centre International Women s Development Agency Melbourne Community Foundation Ozchild Oxfam Australia Special Olympics Australia Travellers Aid Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) Western Chances WIRE Women s Information Referral Exchange Inc.

3 Contents Workplace giving 3 What is workplace giving? 3 How workplace giving benefi ts NFP community organisations 4 How workplace giving benefi ts business/donors 5 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business 6 Step one: Set yourself up as a recipient of workplace giving 6 Step two: Establish the workplace giving relationship 8 Step three: Maintain the relationship 14 Additional resources 17 Appendix A 18 Appendix B 19 Appendix C 20

4 Preface The Victorian Offi ce for the Community Sector (OCS) seeks to support not-forprofi t (NFP) community organisations in establishing and maintaining strong relationships with government agencies, business and philanthropic organisations. In 2010, the OCS undertook a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening such relationships, including research into corporate workplace giving as a potential stable income source for the NFP community sector. This publication is intended as a step-by-step guide to help NFP community organisations benefi t from workplace giving partnerships with business donors. The development of the guide involved: Desktop research Targeted consultation with 10 NFP community organisations, companies and supporting intermediary organisations to develop real life case studies Collation of feedback on the draft guide from NFP community organisations and others interested in workplace giving. This guide answers the following questions: What is workplace giving? How can NFP community organisations, businesses and donors benefi t from workplace giving? What are the steps to establish and maintain workplace giving? It also includes case studies of NFP community organisations and how they maximise their workplace giving partnerships with business as well as an additional list of resources and contacts, and some tools to help develop supporting documentation (Appendix A and B).

5 Workplace giving What is workplace giving? Workplace giving is a simple and effective way for NFP community organisations that are eligible to receive tax deductible gifts to raise funds from businesses and their employees. The NFP community organisations must be endorsed by the Australian Taxation Offi ce (ATO) as having deductible gift recipient (DGR) status. Workplace giving is also known as payroll giving or pre-tax giving, and involves employees consenting to make regular donations to a NFP community organisation out of their pre-tax income. Workplace giving can be even more effective if the business agrees to match employee donations dollar for dollar, thus maximising donations and building workplace giving into the workplace culture. Workplace giving involves NFP community organisations building a funding relationship with corporate and individual donors. For those NFP community organisations that have existing relationships with business, approaching these businesses should be the fi rst step. Workplace giving is well established in countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada, where a much higher proportion of NFP community organisation funding is generated through workplace giving than in Australia. Experiences in these countries suggest there is substantial potential to further develop workplace giving in Australia. Important NFP community organisations can receive donations through workplace giving if they are endorsed by the Australian Taxation Offi ce (ATO) as a deductable gift recipient (DGR). The ATO describes the entities eligible for DGR status as eligible charities or organisations. Examples of types of organisations with DGR status include public benevolent institutions, public universities, public hospitals, school building funds, public libraries and funds on the register of cultural organisations or register of environmental organisations. NFP community organisations can apply to the ATO for endorsement as a DGR using an ATO endorsement application pack. Visit the ATO website at nonprofit to download or order copies of the publication GiftPack. For further information on how to be endorsed by the ATO as a DGR see Step One: Ensuring deductable gift recipient status. 3 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

6 How workplace giving benefits NFP community organisations Partnership and engagement Workplace giving programs can help a NFP community organisation build partnerships with business and provide advocacy and opportunities to draw attention to the NFP community organisation s work. Donors who donate through workplace giving also tend to sustain their donations until they leave the workplace. Simple and efficient revenue collection Workplace giving allows a NFP community organisation to receive income without needing to issue individual receipts, saving time and money. NFP community organisations incur little administration cost and usually receive 100 per cent of donations. Workplace giving is also simple for the business partners to administer and can be likened to the process of making a social club contribution. Once a workplace giving relationship has been established, the NFP community organisation will need to focus effort on maintaining its relationship with donors and ensuring any new employees (and potential donors) are aware of its work. Alternative/stable income source Receiving regular donations through workplace giving provides NFP community organisations with a signifi cant and regular source of income. The benefi t of workplace giving is that the market is not as competitive as other means of fundraising and NFP community organisations are not as easily crowded out. International Women s Development Agency Other Benefits Other benefi ts include that there is minimal administration, allowing more resources to go towards the valuable community services NFPs deliver. This regular fl ow of income enables NFP community organisations to better plan activities, goals and budgets so that greater community outcomes can be achieved. Even small amounts donated on a regular basis by individual donors can amount to signifi cant sums when multiplied by many donors. Case Study: International Women s Development Agency (IWDA) In promoting workplace giving to companies, such as when shortlisted as a potential donation recipient, IWDA tries to highlight the alignment of its programs with the employer s corporate responsibility statement. It also focuses on engaging its largest donor group educated women. IWDA also focuses on targeting donors through mutual interests and many of its presentations and other promotional fundraising activity centre around International Women s Day. 4 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

7 How workplace giving benefits business/donors Easy way to donate Individual donors benefi t from workplace giving by receiving an immediate tax benefi t from their monthly wage. This means the donor doesn t have to wait until their tax return to receive the tax deduction for their donation and will not have to keep receipts for tax purposes. Donors only need to decide to support a NFP community organisation once, and donations can be automatically made from their pre-tax income. There is the added advantage that donors do not feel the money coming out of their pockets but know that they are regularly supporting the NFP community organisation. Regular donations by employees, no matter how small, can also build to make a signifi cant contribution to a NFP community organisation when a whole workplace is involved. Contribution to workplace of choice Workplace giving can help a business to demonstrate community benefi t, contribute to corporate social responsibility objectives, build business reputation and profi le, and achieve or maintain status as a workplace of choice. It can also build employee morale and loyalty and develop a corporate culture of giving. Partnership and engagement Workplace giving is an important means for business to build close relationships with NFP community organisations and the broader community. Donors also know they are making an important contribution to strengthening community, which increases their sense of collective achievement. Maximised donations By helping NFP community organisations keep their costs low, donors know that the impact of their contribution has increased. Businesses can also choose to match employee donations, maximising donations and further encouraging employees to donate. Important Employees can donate through workplace giving if their employer has an established workplace giving program. Setting up a workplace giving program requires: 1. Choosing NFP community organisations to donate to and checking that these organisations have DGR status 2. Establishing a process for payroll to either collect the donations and distribute to NFP community organisations themselves; or collect the donations and have an intermediary organisation distribute to NFPs. 3. Encouraging employees to donate. 5 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

8 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business Step one: Set yourself up as a recipient of workplace giving i. Ensure deductible gift recipient (DGR) status To be eligible to receive workplace giving donations, NFP community organisations must have DGR status through the Australian Taxation Offi ce (ATO). To be endorsed as a DGR, a NFP community organisation must: Have an Australian business number (ABN) Fall into a DGR general category Have acceptable rules dealing with the transfer of surplus gifts and deductible contributions on winding up or revocation of endorsement Satisfy gift fund requirements (if applicable) Be located in Australia. NFP community organisations that meet the requirements for endorsement can apply to the ATO using an endorsement application pack. For detailed information, visit the ATO website at nonprofit to download or order copies of the publication GiftPack. If you need expert advice to determine whether your organisation is eligible for DGR status or if you need legal/ fi nancial counsel or other information, phone the ATO non-profi t helpline on ii. Assign a person responsible for workplace giving in your organisation and prepare supporting documentation You will need to prepare information about your organisation and the type of work you do, as well as information for your potential business partner about how workplace giving works. This will include the following: Ensure your organisation s marketing material is up to date including business cards, brochures and program information. Develop an information pack promoting your organisation and the causes it supports. Create an employee workplace giving authorisation form (see Appendix B for an example). Copies of documents that show the Australian Taxation Offi ce has endorsed your NFP as a Deductable Gift Recipient. Use the information in this publication to customise your own organisational guide for business on the benefi ts of workplace giving and how it works. 6 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

9 Case Study: A Local Focus Inner North Community Foundation The Inner North Community Foundation was established in 2008 to fund projects to benefi t people living in Melbourne s inner northern suburbs. With a shared focus on the wellbeing of local communities, they approached the three Councils in their region about offering workplace giving opportunities to their staff. Approval took a bit of time, but once it was given they relied on the Communications and HR Managers at each Council to advise on the most effective promotion strategy to engage staff. In the most recent example, the workplace giving program was introduced via an from the CEO of Council to all staff explaining the opportunity and benefi ts. Information about the program is included in staff induction kits for all new employees and, at time of writing, a follow-up reminder was being sent out to all staff. The Council has agreed to put an article in their magazine which goes to every household to promote the benefi ts of local giving and to encourage other employers to offer the same opportunity to their staff. The Foundation received sign ups in the fi rst two weeks of the program having been introduced. Each person who signs up receives a personalised thank you card and is invited to attend Foundation events free of charge as a gesture of thanks. The Foundation s challenge now is to organise more promotional activities at regular intervals to grow the program and to sustain the level of interest by existing donors. 7 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

10 Step two: Establish the workplace giving relationship i. If you re seeking workplace giving with a business with which you already have a relationship NFPs seeking to establish a workplace giving relationship with business should first consider businesses with which they already have a relationship be it common interests or involvement with a particular part of the community. Larger businesses tend to have established workplace giving programs. Small and medium-sized businesses are less likely to be engaged in workplace giving. Checklist for establishing a workplace giving program with a business with which your NFP has a relationship. Actions required Establish a key contact within the business Find out who your organisation usually communicates with within the business and establish if it is appropriate for you to talk with them about workplace giving. Targeting a business with no existing workplace giving program Set up a meeting with the key business contact and bring this guide and other additional resources you find useful to the meeting. Describe how workplace giving works. Describe the potential benefits to the business of workplace giving, including the potential to be an employer of choice, raising the community engagement profile of the business and supporting donor loyalty. Emphasise that establishing a workplace giving program through payroll is a relatively simple process and that you can provide them with details of sources of assistance, such as: the ATO website payroll software packages (such as MYOB and Quicken QuickBooks). Targeting a business with existing workplace giving partnerships with other NFPs Set up a meeting with the key business contact and bring this guide and additional resources on your organisation to help illustrate your work and the potential impact of additional funding through workplace giving. Explain the additional benefits your NFP could provide to the business through a workplace giving partnership. Recommend ways that your NFP could help the business engage its employees to sign up to workplace giving, such as by showcasing your NFP at the business s premises during a lunchtime, or inviting the business and its staff to your NFP to show them how you operate and the valuable work you do. If possible, bring a beneficiary from the work of your NFP to the meeting to talk about how your organisation assisted them. 8 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

11 Actions required If the business says it has already chosen workplace giving recipients ask when their current selection of donation recipients will be reviewed and express your interest in being considered when the next opportunity for workplace giving arises. Also ask whether the employer has other types of fundraising activities and check whether your NFP could participate in these. If the business says it doesn t have the resources to develop a workplace giving program after noting the various types of low-cost/ free sources of assistance to establish workplace giving, express your interest in being considered, if their situation changes and/or if there are any other opportunities for your NFP to partner with them. Case Study: Special Olympics Australia Special Olympics Australia s (SOA) feedback to its donor companies operates across its online and print magazines with stories and information on how SOA continues to develop and transform the lives of the 500,000+ Australians living with an intellectual disability. It also sends birthday cards to its donors to add a personal touch to its workplace giving partnership. Invitations are extended to key events, family days and fundraising functions. SOA acknowledges its workplace giving partners in each year s annual report and places stories and thank you messages from the athletes and coaches into the donor company internal newsletters and annual reports. SOA actively manages its workplace giving programs and prefers a direct partnership with donor companies instead of using middlemen. It holds sports days and other events with its business partners and introduces the companies to athletes and members with an intellectual disability who are supported through its workplace giving program. It also provides direct feedback on SOA outcomes assisted by the workplace giving program. This includes progress at weekly local, state and national sports programs, competitions, coaching, volunteering, and projects. Participants are also provided with opportunities to get more involved in the development of local programs by joining a local sports club committee. Workplace giving donors have also volunteered at national and international levels, accompanied the team to national and international competitions and been involved in mentoring athletes for public speaking and ambassador roles. 9 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

12 ii. If you re seeking workplace giving with a business you do not have an existing relationship with Establishing a new relationship with an employer will take time and resources. Small and medium NFP community organisations might wish to focus their efforts on extending an existing relationship to include workplace giving, rather than establishing a new relationship. It is easier to target an organisation whose area of corporate social responsibility is aligned with your area of work. If your NFP does not have a relationship with a business, consider an area of mutual interest with the target business. Checklist for establishing a new relationship with a business Actions required If you re targeting large businesses Target businesses that might have an area of mutual interest with your NFP. Large businesses tend to have established workplace giving programs and information on their website about these programs, their corporate responsibility strategy and their approach to community engagement. Check each business s website for information on any existing workplace giving programs, the corporate responsibility strategy and approach to community engagement. Check whether there is any information on how each business chooses its community partners or workplace giving recipients or any areas of mutual interest and whether any of this information would help your NFP to promote itself to each company. After checking all your target businesses websites and their workplace giving information, choose a selection of potential organisations to contact. The selection may be based on the type of work that they do, where they are located or it may be a random selection across several industries and locations. Contact each potential organisation and ask to speak to the person who manages community engagement, organisational development or human resources. Set up a meeting with each potential organisation. If you re targeting small and medium businesses Small and medium businesses are less likely to have established workplace giving programs and community engagement strategies. Target businesses on the basis of their type of work relative to your NFP s area of work (for example, businesses specialising in veterinary services might be more likely to donate to an animal welfare NFP) or their location (for example, businesses might be more likely to donate to a NFP targeting issues in their community). Choose a selection of businesses and ask to speak to the person who manages community engagement, organisational development or human resources. Set up a meeting with each potential organisation. 10 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

13 Actions required If the business you are meeting with does not have a workplace giving program in place Bring this guide and any other additional resources you fi nd useful to your meeting. Describe how workplace giving works. Describe the potential benefi ts to the business of workplace giving including, ease and impact of donating, raising the community engagement profi le of the business and supporting donor loyalty. Emphasise that establishing a workplace giving program through payroll is a relatively simple and free process and that there are many sources of assistance, such as: the ATO website payroll software packages (such as MYOB and Quicken QuickBooks). If you re meeting with a business which already has a workplace giving program in place Bring this guide and additional resources on your organisation to help illustrate your work and the potential impact of additional funding through workplace giving. Explain the additional benefi ts your NFP could provide to the business through a workplace giving partnership. Recommend ways that your NFP could help the business engage its employees to sign up to workplace giving, such as by showcasing your NFP at the business s premises during a lunchtime, or inviting the business and its staff to your NFP to show them how you operate and the valuable work you do. If possible, bring a benefi ciary (such as a scholarship recipient) along to the organisation to talk about how your organisation helped them. If the business does not choose your NFP for workplace giving, thank them for their time and ask what it was that led to the decision not to participate If the business says it has already chosen workplace giving recipients ask when their current selection of donation recipients will be reviewed and express your interest in being considered when the next opportunity for workplace giving arises. Also ask whether the employer has other types of fundraising activities and check whether your NFP could participate in these. If the business says it doesn t have the resources to develop a workplace giving program after noting the various types of low-cost/ free sources of assistance to establish workplace giving, express your interest in being considered, if their situation changes and/or if there are any other opportunities for your NFP to partner with them. 11 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

14 iii. If your NFP organisation is approached by business to establish workplace giving If you are fortunate enough to be approached by a business, gain a good understanding of why the business is interested in your organisation and concentrate on maximising this interest. Checklist for when you are approached directly by a business to receive donations Actions required Find out who might be responsible for workplace giving in the business Establish a key contact within the business with whom you can regularly communicate, provide feedback and engage with staff. Find out why they are interested in your organisation and establish the business s expectations of the workplace giving partnership. Maximise the interest Suggest to the business that your NFP participates in a launch of the workplace giving partnership. Suggest to the business that you could make a presentation to potential donors at their premises with one of the NFP s benefi ciaries. Propose to the business that you could come and meet their senior management or staff. Tell the business that you will provide regular feedback to staff and/or senior management and discuss the format, frequency and type of feedback that you might provide. Ongoing and regular communication Communicate regularly with the nominated contact for the business, to enable feedback on your partnership and to continue the process of engagement. iv. If a business asks you to prepare a written submission NFP community organisations can be approached directly, or through an intermediary organisation to prepare a submission to enter into a workplace giving relationship. Preparing a submission is a formal process and while it requires effort and resources by the NFP, it also generally means the business has already considered workplace giving with your NFP community organisation, either due to employee interest or because your organisation meets their corporate social responsibility objectives. 12 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

15 Checklist for success when approached to make a submission Actions required Research the business s corporate social responsibility strategy This may be available on their website or you may need to discuss with the person who approached you. Respond to the request for submission Check what you need to provide in your submission, including: the information you have been asked to provide any criteria upon which your submission will be evaluated the closing date for submissions how to lodge the submission (do you need to post it or can you it?) whether a particular format is required for the submission. Describe your NFP, including: the history, vision/ mission and/or purpose of your organisation the group your NFP serves (possibly including case studies of success) the current programs and initiatives of your NFP (including geographic location and success factors) numbers of staff and volunteers. Provide: a copy of your NFP s most recent annual report, fi nancial statements, constitution (if applicable) and information on your NFP s management copies of documents that show the Australian Taxation Offi ce has endorsed your NFP as a deductible gift recipient (DGR). Describe the potential workplace giving program, including: objectives strategies target group the need your NFP addresses and why it s important (include data if possible) benefi ts and outcomes that your NFP will achieve with workplace giving donations describe how the business and its staff will be involved in workplace giving provide the names and experience of the individuals in your NFP who will manage the workplace giving donations. Respond to any specifi c submission evaluation criteria, which may include: capability to maintain a workplace giving program with the business and to engage staff experience in your NFP s area of work commitment to the environment work you may do in your local community work you may do to build the capacity of your stakeholders. 13 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

16 Step three: Maintain the relationship Maintaining the workplace giving relationship requires effort, but it is the most important aspect of workplace giving for the following reasons: Donors like to know how their donation is being spent and that their donation has made an impact. When employees leave the company your NFP community organisation needs to sign up new donors to maintain your income levels. Departing employees might consider maintaining personal donations if they know more about your organisation. Regular promotion of your NFP community organisation as a workplace giving option and opportunities for potential donors to sign up to workplace giving will increase your profi le. It will also help to increase the donations that you currently receive from a business and its employees. There are two ways to maintain a relationship with a business and donors: feedback and engagement. i. Providing feedback Feedback to donors about how their donations are being spent and how the organisation is operating is very important. This feedback might be quarterly, bi-annually or annually. It could be in the form of an , newsletter or letter. In some workplace giving programs, donors are encouraged to sign up to receive information directly from the NFP community organisation. This should be encouraged in order to continue the relationship with individual donors even when they leave the business. Checklist for providing feedback Actions required Clarify the frequency and format of feedback the business wishes to receive. Your feedback could include: defi ning the group your NFP assists explaining the need your NFP addresses and why it is important describing the benefi ts and outcomes that your NFP has achieved with workplace giving donations noting how many staff have been involved in workplace giving in a given year and dollar amounts donated. Ensure you provide regular feedback to the contact within the business. 14 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

17 Case Study: Guide Dogs Victoria As a relatively well known NFP organisation with a broad range of potential supporters, Guide Dogs Victoria focuses its workplace giving efforts on: providing information on their organisation and workplace giving opportunities via their website responding to requests for submissions from companies that have already shortlisted the Guide Dogs for their workplace giving program maintaining partnerships with current businesses by interacting with staff donors via updates, tours, volunteering, and workplace visits. ii. Ongoing engagement Engagement is important to keep donors and businesses interested and aware of your NFP community organisation. It can also encourage potential donors to donate. Maintaining your NFP s current level of workplace giving revenue and encouraging new workplace giving donors requires active engagement. Checklist for successful engagement Actions required Engaging a business and its staff Clarify the most effective means of engaging the business and staff and suggest ways your NFP can engage with staff, such as: and e-bulletins or social media posters on notice boards regular presentations/functions. Decide with the business how often they would like your NFP to interact with their employee donors and potential employee donors. Choose engaging ways to interact with donors and potential donors that are relevant to the type of work your NFP does the more potential donors are aware of your NFP and its work, the more likely they are to donate. Consider the following activities: showcase an example of the work you do organise an activity the donors and potential donors can do with your NFP (for example, if your NFP plants trees, suggest a planting morning) use visual, colourful ways to engage, such as videos, DVDs, PowerPoint presentations and pictures/photos. Ongoing and regular communication Communicate regularly with the nominated contact at the business. Suggest that you meet quarterly to provide and receive feedback on your workplace giving partnership. Suggest that your NFP visits the business twice a year to re-engage staff. 15 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

18 Case Study: Oxfam Oxfam focuses on maintaining a strong relationship with all its corporate partners engaging the human resources, payroll and corporate social responsibility areas within the companies to promote workplace giving. Oxfam also believes it is important to provide feedback to businesses and their employees as to how it is spending their donations; donors can also sign up to receive feedback directly from Oxfam. For companies that use intermediaries, Oxfam provides copy and an image explaining how it spends donations. This information is incorporated into quarterly newsletters or electronic intranet updates. Oxfam is always looking for alternative and creative ways to promote workplace giving, such as the use of social media networks. Oxfam also focuses on engaging donors through events. As an example, Oxfam hosted a special evening for corporate partners inviting Andrew Hewett (Oxfam s Executive Director) and Australian Philosopher Peter Singer to speak on the topic of the Ethics of Giving. Oxfam also recently held a fair trade café, offering fair trade coffee samples and encouraging donors to sign up to workplace giving. To continue to better promote workplace giving, Oxfam regularly evaluates and reviews its methods of promoting workplace giving to see what works and what doesn t and to develop more effective methods, based on these evaluations. 16 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

19 Additional resources A number of resources were used in the development of this guide which might be useful to NFP community organisations. Resource Author(s) Description Web address Guide to Workplace Giving Australian Taxation Offi ce This is an easy, practical guide for employers wanting to set up workplace giving. The guide includes software requirements. Obtaining DGR status Australian Taxation Offi ce Explains in detail how a NFP community organisation can go about obtaining DGR status and who is eligible. The Giving Business Australian Charities Fund, United Way, Charities Aid Foundation, Pricewaterhouse Coopers and the Centre for Social Impact Report on workplace giving to: understand the state of play in Australian workplace giving identify key factors in a successful workplace giving program identify barriers to extending existing workplace giving programs identify barriers to starting workplace giving programs. Cutting to the Heart of Workplace Giving Australian Charities Fund Report describing what motivates employees to become involved in workplace giving, in order to inspire greater participation. charitiesfund. org.au Workplace Giving Australia Australian Government Provides businesses with information and tools for implementing workplace giving. gov.au Guide to Giving ProBono Australia Directory of NFP organisations, organised by fi eld, that need fi nancial or in-kind support from business. NFPs could consider registering with Probono Australia in order to attract greater support from business or elsewhere. australia.com.au 17 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

20 Appendix A Setting up workplace giving tips for employers Together with other general information from this guide the following tips can help illustrate steps employers could take to help establish a workplace giving program. This list of steps can be customised by your organisation and given to the employer with which you seek to establish workplace giving. 1. Your workplace actively promotes the new workplace giving program and encourages employees to participate (<your NFP organisation> can provide you with further information or assist with communication materials). 2. Employees acknowledge their participation by filling in a workplace giving authorisation form (this can also be downloaded from the <your NFP organisation> website at Employees are able to nominate the amount to be regularly donated. 3. A nominated amount is deducted from the employees salaries as a pre-tax amount via the usual payroll process. 4. Money is deposited on a <monthly/ quarterly> basis to <your NFP organisation> (further details provided upon request) and a remittance advice provided. 5. <your NFP organisation> provides all donors involved in the workplace giving program with a tax receipt at the end of each financial year. 6. <your NPF organisation> provides interested employees with access to a bi-monthly e-newsletter which demonstrates programs and initiatives that <your NFP organisation> is involved with. 7. Workplace Giving Partners are acknowledged on the corporate support page of the <your NFP organisation> website (optional). 18 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

21 Appendix B Employee workplace giving authorisation form example To authorise regular donations to <your NFP organisation> please complete this form and return to your Payroll Manager. Full Name: Company: Employee Payroll Number: Business Unit: Address: Postal Address: Work Phone Number: Mobile Phone Number: I would like to donate the following amount each pay period to <your NFP organisation> $50 $30 $10 Other: Please deduct this amount from my regular pay and transmit to <your NFP organisation> I authorise deductions to commence on the fi rst pay date after receipt of this authorisation. This authority will remain in force until cancelled in writing. I understand that the above deductions will be made from my pre-tax salary and forwarded to <your NFP organisation>. My employer will provide me with a summary of my donation for each fi nancial year to record on my tax return. Information for Payroll Managers: Please completed forms to <insert organisations address> or post to: <insert organisations postal address> Each pay period please send <NFP organisation name> the information we require to process these donations. For payment and transfer of donor and donation details please contact us on <NFP organisations phone number> and we will send you all required information, including account and BSB details. Approval and declaration I authorise to implement the Workplace Giving arrangements as stated above. The arrangements will commence with my next available pay and until further notice. I understand that Workplace Giving deductions will be made from my pre-tax pay, so that I will receive the tax benefi t immediately. I acknowledge that small fortnightly donations may not have an impact on my fortnightly tax withheld. I understand that once a deduction has been made it cannot be recovered. I acknowledge that donations made under this arrangement are made voluntarily and unconditionally and I will not benefi t from the donation other than the benefi t of the deduction itself. A summary of all payroll deduction donations will show on your annual PAYG Payment Summary issued at the end of each fi nancial year, for inclusion in your Tax Return. This information is provided as a general guide only. If you require further assistance, it is recommended that you seek independent personal taxation or fi nancial advice, or visit for further information. Signature: Date: (your company name) 19 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

22 Appendix C The role of intermediary organisations Intermediaries are advisory organisations that provide assistance: to NFP community organisations by providing feedback to business, undertaking other communication and engagement, managing relationships with businesses, and monitoring and measuring the impact of donations. to businesses in developing, launching and managing workplace giving programs. Some intermediary organisations focus on managing business workplace giving programs and distributing donations from business to NFP community organisations. Others focus on providing services to encourage businesses and NFPs to maintain their own partnership. Engaging an intermediary organisation: can make workplace giving simpler can assist both the NFP community organisation and the business/donors to get the most out of their workplace giving partnership, through communication, training and advice can reduce the direct engagement the NFP community organisation has with the business/donors and limit opportunities to further promote the NFP may reduce the total workplace giving revenue received by the NFP community organisation, as intermediaries charge a fee for their services this is a disincentive for both the NFP and the business. There are three main intermediary organisations in Australia: Australian Charities Fund Charities Aid Foundation United Way 20 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

23 Published by the Office for the Community Sector Department of Planning and Community Development 1 Spring Street Melbourne Victoria 3000 Telephone May 2011 Copyright State Government of Victoria 2011 This publication is copyright. No part of it may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with provisions of the Copyright Act Authorised by the Victorian Government, Melbourne. Printed by Impact Digital Designed by The White Studio Printed on 50% recycled paper Accessibility If you would like to receive this publication in an accessible format, such as large print or audio, please telephone the Office for the Community Sector on , or communitysector@dpcd.vic.gov.au This publication is also published in PDF and Word formats on 21 Establishing a workplace giving relationship with business

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