Corporate Support
We are extremely grateful to all of our partners for their generous support which enables the continuation and expansion of our services and programs.
RACV
In recent years Independence Australia has worked with the RACV on several projects, and the last year saw the relationship reach new levels. The RACV Community Foundation supported the purchase of our new community bus, and in November 2008, as part of Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week, thirty RACV employees worked part of their day in a wheelchair to raise awareness about the everyday challenges faced by people with a physical disability. In 2009 we were proud to be appointed an RACV Community Partner when they supported our new school speakers program. 'RACV SpinChat' involves young people with a spinal cord injury speaking to school groups across the state, taking in 5000 students over 12 months. The program concentrates on reducing risky behaviour with the speakers talking about their lives before and after their accidents. With 15 to 34 year olds sustaining the highest incidence of spinal cord injury, secondary school students were identified as the most important age group to target.
Slater & Gordon
RACV
Transport Accident Commission
In addition to the relationship that we have with the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) around the provision of services to our clients, we are extremely grateful of their support of some of our community initiatives. Primarily, Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week which sees the TAC not only assisting us with the funding we desperately need to take this campaign and our prevention message out into the community, but the creative and intellectual resources they allow us access from within their organisation. The continuity of this successful annual program would not be a reality without their involvement.
United Way Melbourne
The Pratt Foundation
How you can help
We would not be able to help people attain their independence without the support of our corporate partners There are many different ways your organisation can support Independence Australia:
- Donations in lieu of Christmas cards or presents
- Financial contribution
- In-kind contribution
- Professional advice, support and service
- Sponsorship
- Workplace giving
- Employee volunteer participation
- Company fundraising activities
- Recipient Charity
- Cause Related Marketing
A corporate partnership with Independence Australia offers a business or company the opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to the community, be seen as a model corporate citizen and, most importantly, contribute to the work of our organisation. It is also an excellent way to connect employees, customers, shareholders and suppliers with a cause.
Donations in lieu of Christmas cards or presents
Many people and companies are making a charitable donation instead of giving presents at Christmas time or for many companies sending out Christmas cards. We can identify a specific project of ours that you can donate to on behalf of a friend or loved one. For companies we are very happy to provide a message that can accompany an electronic Christmas card or item for your newsletter. Springvale based company Ultra-Plas have generously supported Independence Australia for several years at Christmas time and have raised over $16,000! A fantastic effort!
Financial Contribution
Many companies choose to support Independence Australia by making a cash donation. This method of giving can have immediate impact for our organisation. They are especially valuable because they provide the resources to cover the costs of those critical services that are not entirely financed by other support.
Donations are tax-deductible and are acknowledged by letter and receipt. Those of $1,000 and over are listed in our Annual Report. There are a number of other ways to acknowledge your company’s generosity, and we would be pleased to discuss them with you.
In-kind Contribution
While monetary donations are always welcome, Independence Australia also appreciates in-kind donations of product or services. When we receive an in-kind donation we can immediately free up funds allocated to the purchase of particular products and services, and assign these directly to the provision of more client-related services. In other words, receiving in-kind gifts keeps our administration and operational costs down. Examples of our specific needs include:
- Use of meeting rooms and training facilities
- Excess product or resources for our art centre
- Office equipment – new or second hand
- Design, Printing and stationery
- Training – management, computer
- Furniture and items for our client houses
- Auction Prizes
Independence Australia also hosts a number of special events each year that include a fundraising component. We're always interested in receiving items that can be used for the auctions, competitions, raffles and/or door prizes.
Professional advice, support and service
There are a number of areas within our organisation that could benefit from advice and support provided by talented professionals, particularly in the areas of human resources, IT, marketing, legal and business management.
Consider the following:
- Work with us to develop new products that deliver commercial value for your business and improve the quality of life of our clients.
- Mentor a Independence Australia staff member.
- Allow Independence Australia staff to access places on training courses or facilities used by your company.
- Share your networks and contacts to help us build relationships within the business and government sectors. We welcome introductions and recommendations to help us extend our work.
Sponsorship
Independence Australia hosts a number of events and activities each year that have sponsorship opportunities available:
- SCIAW
- Independence Australia Daddo Charity Golf Day
- Racing for the Roses
- Newsletters and Publications
- Disability training programs
Each event and/or activity is focused on raising awareness of spinal cord injury, raising funding for Independence Australia and /or providing opportunities for people living with disabilities. Alternatively, you may consider sponsoring one or more of our clients so that they can attend or participate in our events and/or training programs.
Workplace Giving
One of the most rewarding and morale boosting programs now growing in Australia is Workplace Giving. It’s a program whereby employees can choose to make regular contributions to a registered charity such as Independence Australia, through your organisation’s payroll system. (Refer to www.ato.gov.au)
Your employees can nominate an amount to give from their salary each pay period. A few dollars per pay can be considerably beneficial to a charity, especially when multiplied by a number of employees.
To a charity like Independence Australia, workplace giving means that the donations are constant, allowing us to more effectively plan ahead for vital services.
Hundreds of companies and organisations are taking the opportunity to introduce workplace giving to their business. They are seeing it as not just beneficial to the charities they select, but also rewarding to their employees, and to the under-lying community spirit of their organisations. Companies can also choose to match employees’ contributions if they wish.
Employee volunteer participation
Volunteers (link to volunteers pages) are a vital part of Independence Australia, and are involved at many levels with the organisation. The gift of your time or that of your employees is one of the most significant gifts you can give, and helps ensure the work of Independence Australia can continue.
The following areas are an example of the many opportunities that are available.
- Mates! - Many of our clients living with disabilities would like a friend to go out with eg shopping, the movies, sporting events, night clubbing or even a chat over coffee.
- Creative Talent - At Independence Australia we have an art and craft program called VaDA located in Croydon Hills. Volunteers are always welcome to work with our clients. If you have creative employees, ask them to volunteer their talents!
- Event Support - Independence Australia stages a number of events both for clients and to raise profile and funding for the organisation. Volunteers are often needed to assist with the tasks leading up to the day, and on-site at the events.
Host a Company Fundraising Activity
Fundraising for Independence Australia is a fun and rewarding way to make a difference for people with a disability. There are many ways you can raise funds and we are here to assist you in making your fundraising ideas as successful as possible.
Suggested ways of raising money could include:
- Wine tasting evening Trivia or bingo night
- Fun run Casual clothes day
- Cinema charity night Coffee morning
- Dances/Dinners/Bbq Raffle/Competition
Visit our pages on conducting a fundraiser for more information.
Recipient Charity
When you next stage a conference and/or dinner, think about selecting Independence Australia as your nominated charity. Then as part of the program, conduct a raffle, competition and / or an auction making our organisation recipient of any profits made on the night. We will gladly assist with any promotional material that you may be able to include in the proceedings.
Cause Related Marketing
Official meaning…
When a company with a product, image or service to market, builds a relationship or partnership with a cause or not for profit organisation for mutual benefit.
(Source: Business in the Community, UK)
Cause Related Marketing is about your company utilising the logo and goodwill of our organisation for a marketing purpose/campaign, ultimately to benefit both our organisations.
Independence Australia has the potential to win by gaining exposure and valuable funding, and your organisation can win by not only increasing sales, but also by being recognized as a company that has a community conscience and social responsibility.
Not only will this increase your consumers interest in your product, but it has been proven that such a campaign can boost interest of all your company’s key stakeholders eg employees, suppliers and clients.
Basically, it’s a win-win situation all round, and certainly worth your consideration.
For more information about Cause Related Marketing, refer to contact our Communications Manager.
