50 ways for business to give to the community this Christmas

Please feel free to reprint or quote from this list, providing attribution as follows: "Courtesy of www.givenow.com.au".

1. So give, already.
   Make a quick and secure donation without leaving your chair. More than 1400 appeals have been listed for donations online at the commission-free GiveNow.com.au. Join the more than 50,000 individuals and businesses who have already given more than $12 million to community groups using this service! You can browse for groups, or search for a group or cause you support.
2. Buy your Christmas tree from a community group.
   Consider buying your office Christmas tree this year from a local scouting group, CFA, service or community organisation selling trees. Try the list of community groups selling trees at www.givingweek.com.au/xmastrees.
3. Give as they earn.
   Set up a payroll deduction scheme to allow staff to make a regular donation to a community group (or organise for regular credit card payments to a community group through GiveNow.com.au). For more information on payroll giving, refer to this Australian Tax Office web page.
4. Put the bite on the boss (if you are the boss, bite yourself).
   Provide a matching gift for whatever your workplace can raise in a special Christmas fundraising effort for a community group. Consult your staff to select a group everyone supports.
5. Use your Christmas tree for good.
   Companies like Kmart have been running the Wishing Tree for some years, and the ABC has also set up Giving Trees to promote giving. Follow their example and do the same thing in your workplace. Find an organisation in your area that could benefit.
6. Staging a Christmas function?
   If your workplace is staging a Christmas function or office party, think about who you're going to get to cater it. In Melbourne, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre's Catering Service not only produces great food, but uses the money it generates through catering to support asylum seekers and their families. See if there's a similar group in your area that can cater for your party.
7. Re-use your cards.
   Donate used Christmas cards to a school or a kindergarten to use in their artwork, or recycle them along with their envelopes and any wrapping paper.
8. Rattle the tin.
   Put a donations tin on the reception desk for a Christmas appeal. Tell donors which community group/s their money will be used to help and why they're so worthy of support.
9. Give as you buy.
   Organise a group to go on a pre-Christmas shopping tour to warehouses and factory outlets. Charge people to take part, and donate the profits to a local community group.
10. Update the diaries.
    Does you business provide diaries for employees? If so, think about buying a diary or calendar from one of the many groups which use them to raise funds. Look locally, or choose a group by searching on the internet, or in the 2009 Good Gifts Guide.
11. "Fair" tea and coffee for the office.
    Consider buying Fair Trade tea and coffee for your office. The Fair Trade program aims to give a fair go to workers and farmers around the world by ensuring they get a fair return on their work rather than being exploited to cater for lower price pressures from the West. A number of organisations, including The Fair Trade Coffee Company, The Oxfam Shop and Tradewinds sell and/or deliver Fair Trade goods.
12. All about hampers.
    Many workplaces give hampers or Christmas bonuses at this time of year. Offer employees the option of giving the money to a community group instead. If you decide your company does want to give hampers, then get one that has a community payoff. Find out who's selling hampers in your local area, or join together a range of community products to create your own unique community hamper.
13. Don't forget the office pet!
    The benefits of having an office pet are becoming increasingly well-known. If your workplace is one which is lucky enough to have a "pet in residence", think about buying a gift for them and supporting an organisation like the RSPCA at the same time. Alternatively, why not buy an extra can of pet food at the supermarket and donate it to the local animal shelter on behalf of your office pet.
14. Adopt an animal.
    Convince your workplace to adopt or sponsor or a native animal. Koalas, Tasmanian Devils and other native creatures great and small are under threat from disease, introduced species or diminishing habitat. Consider sponsoring a native animal through GiveNow.com.au. A (sadly long) list of Australia's endangered species is available here.
15. Gold! Gold! Gold!
    Hold an Office Olympics - phone cable coiling, rubberband archery, CD-Rom discus. Charge a competition fee (for donating later to a community group) and hand out medals as each winner is decided.
16. Ask partygoers to donate a gift rather than a bottle.
    If you're holding a work Christmas party, ask guests to bring a gift that you can donate to a local community group or put under a giving tree to be distributed to disadvantaged people in your area.
17. I'll drink to that.
    If you're buying wine for the party, get a few dozen from a good cause - something like Oxfam wines or NCCNSW's Organic Wine Club.
18. Bid for the quid.
    Make an added attraction for your office Christmas party by donating items for an auction - a month in the Managing Director's parking spot, top spot on the computer replacement schedule, vanity email address, etc. Donate the proceeds to a nominated community group.
19. Christmas party giving.
    If your company is staging a Christmas party, it's well worth investigating the Streetsmart program. The program involves an increasing number of restaurants and eateries all over Australia and works on the understanding that customers agree to participating restaurants adding $2 to their table's bill any time they dine in the six weeks leading up to Christmas. The money is donated to crisis accomodation and homeless support programs. Almost $500,000 has been raised through the program since 2003.
20. Christmas non-party giving.
    If your company is saving money by not having a Christmas party, how about making people feel better about that by passing on a proportion to a good cause?
21. Sponsor Carols by Candlelight.
    Help out your community (and get exposure for your company as well) by supporting a local event - such as your local Carols by Candlelight. It doesn't have to be a major event, but it'll help build a relationship with your local community (and local customers).
22. Donate money on behalf of your clients or customers.
    If your business normally sends small trinkets to thank your valued clients or customers for their support during the year, why not appeal to a different part of their hearts and make a donation on their behalf to a local community group? Spread the word about the groups you support by telling your clients and customers who you've given to on their behalf and why.
23. Make the Kris Kringle better for everyone.
    Many workplaces organise a Kris Kringle to exchange Christmas gifts. Instead of buying a $5 or $10 gift - usually of questionable quality or taste - ask everyone to nominate their favourite community group and donate money to them. The St Vincent de Paul Secret Santa makes it very easy to organise. Another alternative is to purchase your Kris Kringle presents from an online gift catalogue like those offered by Oxfam Australia. Check out the 2009 Good Gifts Guide.
24. Tempt your staff.
    At Christmas time everyone needs some extra goodies for the pantry - and a chocolate drive is an easy way to raise money for a community group. Invite a local school to come in and sell.
25. Give to or set up your own charitable foundation.
    Giving to an established charitable foundation or setting up your own can be a great way to make a difference to your community. Generally, foundations allow you to 'add' your donation to an existing pool so collectively you have a bigger impact than giving individually. Setting up your own foundation means you can grow the amount that is available for giving to charity every year, you can set up your own charitable grants program and you can have a say about where and how your money is used. Establishing your own charitable foundation can also be tax deductible.
26. It's not just about money.
    Your business may have goods that could be useful to a community group and a donation of this kind may be easier for your company to organise than a monetary donation. All kinds of goods are useful to community groups - if they can't use what you sell themselves, they can probably raffle it!
27. Give your brains out.
    Can your business provide pro bono assistance - legal advice, accounting, auditing, marketing, public relations, IT, landscaping, carpentry, or bricklaying - to a community group that needs it? Money saved is money earned for a community group.
28. Cents on the dollar.
    Offer community organisations a discount on the goods or services you provide.
29. Donate your old computers to a good cause.
    Planning a cleanout in the New Year? There are organisations that will take your old PCs, refurbish them and distribute them to disadvantaged schools, families and community groups. Visit GiveNow.com.au for details.
30. Stuff your envelopes.
    When you send out your firm's Christmas cards to your clients, include a flyer for a community group you're backing.
31. Donate blood.
    Organise a work "blood drive". The Red Cross is always looking for blood donors and Christmas and the New Year holiday period is no exception. See www.givenow.com.au/otherways/blood for all the details on what you need to do.
32. Goodwill to all sects.
    Don't pin everything to Christmas - be sensitive to people of other faiths (and none) and offer time and space and decorations to suit all holidays.
33. Think about how your company gives.
    Christmas is a great time to review how your company engages with the community in which it operates. Read through the Tips for Giving Wisely as a Business help sheet to help develop your company's giving plan for Christmas and the New Year.
34. Howdy, Partner.
    Make a Christmas/New Year's resolution to set up a community-business partnership with a community group. Check out the possibilities at the Australian Institute for Corporate Responsibility.
35. Pin them up.
    Let your staff put up community group material on the company noticeboard, or circulate it through internal email.
36. Show them off.
    Give a community group a spot in your company newsletter, with details of how to donate online through the GiveNow.com.au.
37. Show them up.
    Offer a community group space on your company's website, with cross-linking. Give them the services of your web designer for the basic look and feel.
38. Copycat.
    Allow nominated staff to sell community group fundraising items (buttons, scarves, etc.) in the canteen.
39. Harbour the board.
    Offer a community group the use of the boardroom for their meetings (when you're not using it).
40. Dressed for success.
    Hold a casual dress day or Christmas-themed dress-up day, and charge employees tins of food to take part. Donate the proceeds to a food bank, or the local animal shelter.
41. Share the good times.
    Host a Christmas party for your community partners at your office, or invite them to share yours (especially if you hold it somewhere swanky - it'll be a treat for a community group!).
42. That's the spirit.
    Give your community partners a present they'll never forget - a one-off donation to pay for their Christmas or end-of-year celebration party.
43. A ticket on yourself.
    If your business sponsors anything that involves getting free tickets to a show or sporting event, ask the Board to donate any tickets they're not using to a community group to raffle as a fundraiser.
44. 'Tis the season.
    For many people, Christmas provides an opportunity to take a breather from work and other stresses and reconnect with their family, friends and community. Find ways to make life easier for your employees this Christmas.
45. Support those your employees support.
    Give grants and supplies to schools and youth organisations that work with the children of your employees. Set up a scholarship.
46. Support those your employees support - part 2.
    Encourage your employees to join a community group's board by visiting the Board Matching Service and searching for a suitable spot.
47. Free time or extra time.
    Offer staff unpaid leave to volunteer for local community groups (including serving on boards and committees) or time in lieu to volunteer for local community groups.
48. Offer staff paid time.
    Investigate ways your workplace can offer staff paid leave to volunteer for local community groups.
49. Email this list to your business associates
    Email this list to your associates, suppliers, and subcontractors. Spread the joy around.
50. *Email your staff as well.*Email the '50 ways for Individuals to Give' list to your staff. Alternatively, post it on the office noticeboard or circulate it around the intranet as a way of encouraging people to think of their local communities at this time of year.

Remember, December is a very good month for pitching in to help the community - something, incidentally, that it has in common with the other 11 months.

Australian Giving Week is an initiative of the Our Community Foundation, which also supports the GiveNow.com.au giving website. GiveNow has been used by more than 50,000 individuals and corporates and has collected more than $12 million in online donations for Australian community groups. Both Australian Giving Week and GiveNow.com.au are proudly supported by Westpac.