Hours employees contributed to community activities
Value of cash, in-kind and time contributions
Stockland contributions by category and contribution ($)
Community
Community involvement
Our community investment programs provide us with the opportunity to make a positive impact in the communities in which we operate. While our community development programs focus on our role in shaping the development of vibrant and sustainable communities, our community investment program has been developed by our people and is an important way for us to support their interests, as well as contribute to our local communities.
Our Giving and Volunteering program
Our Giving and Volunteering program includes employee donations to charitable organisations dollar matched by Stockland and participation of employees in volunteering and mentoring activities.
Volunteering
Over the past year we have emphasised the value of volunteering activities with our employees. They have responded well and participated in:
- Personal volunteering leave,
- Involvement in Australian Business and Community Network programs (ABCN) and other similar mentoring programs,
- Team volunteering activities.
In FY09, 44 per cent of our employees volunteered during Stockland time.
Volunteering leave
In FY09, we launched personal volunteering leave. All Australian employees are entitled to two days per year to volunteer with a not-for-profit organisation of their choice. Whilst some employees have taken advantage of this, uptake has been slow. This could be due to the economic environment and recent retrenchments, with employees perhaps not wanting to be out of the office at this time. Recognising that this could be a factor, senior management has been reinforcing the personal value of volunteering in employee communications.
A volunteering leave policy was also launched in our UK business, providing employees with one paid volunteering day a year. Volunteering days were organised in both London and Scotland, with over 20 per cent of our office-based employees choosing to take part. In the UK we also partnered with Starlight Children's Foundation to 'adopt' the wish of a 14-year-old leukemia sufferer and successfully raised the money to fund his wish to meet the England rugby team.
Mentoring students
In addition to the two days per year of personal volunteering leave, employees are able to get involved in the local community by mentoring students. In FY09, over 300 employees mentored students from years one to 12 from 28 priority-funded schools in Australia. The mentoring is organised by the Australian Business and Community Network, a partnership of business leaders and companies supporting mentoring and coaching programs. The students are mentored on topics including effective communication, budgeting, career choices, literacy skills, and building confidence.
Employees who volunteered during Stockland time - 44%
Employees who volunteered during Stockland time - 586
How we measure our community investment
In 2008 we began using the London Benchmarking Group (LBG) to measure and benchmark our community involvement through giving and volunteering, sponsorships and community development initiatives. We contributed more than 4,800 hours and $3.4 million in community investment in FY09.
In our 2008 CR&S report, we said we would improve reporting on community contributions. The LBG tool enables us to understand and improve the measurement and management of our community investment. LBG outcomes are reported back to leaders in the business annually, giving them insight into our key areas of support and where we can improve. Our key areas of support are in education and youth, health, community development, local sporting clubs and arts and culture.
Employees involved in ABCN mentor programs - 316
Students mentored - 355
Employees who took part in team volunteering days - 338
Team volunteering events - 11
Value of cash-in-kind and time contribution for FY09 - $3.4m
Number of hours employees contributed to community activities - 4,800hrs
Sponsorship policy and guidelines
We introduced a sponsorship policy and a guidelines toolkit in 2008 to help our employees differentiate between the different kinds of contributions we make. The toolkit distinguishes between:
- Brand sponsorship - the primary objective is brand exposure,
- Giving and volunteering - a gift made with no expectation of commercial return,
- Industry sponsorship - the primary objective is to deliver direct development or business return,
- Employee sponsorship - the delivery of employee initiatives that are aligned to our people and our brand strategy and support employee engagement.
The toolkit provides guidance on choosing a sponsorship that is aligned with our brand and policies. This will help employees make informed decisions about the sponsorships we support.
CASE STUDY
Partnering with Childhood Cancer Support to renovate homes
In 2008, we partnered with Childhood Cancer Support in Brisbane. Childhood Cancer Support is a not-for-profit organisation which provides accommodation, counselling and emotional and financial support to families whose children are diagnosed with cancer.
Three teams of employees helped renovate four self-contained units at Childhood Cancer Support's site in inner Brisbane for families to stay during their child's treatment. Over three days, 190 employees helped install new kitchens, upgrade bathrooms, lay flooring and assemble furniture. The garden also received a facelift with new plants, turf, a barbecue area and a cubby house.