CR&S Report 2009 - Stockland

STUDENTSMENTORED355EMPLOYEESINVOLVED INABCN MENTORPROGRAMS316Volunteering leaveIn FY09, we launched personal volunteeringleave. All Australian employees are entitledto two days per year to volunteer with a notfor-profitorganisation of their choice. Whilstsome employees have taken advantage ofthis, uptake has been slow. This could bedue to the economic environment and recentretrenchments, with employees perhapsnot wanting to be out of the office at thistime. Recognising that this could be a factor,senior management has been reinforcing thepersonal value of volunteering in employeecommunications.A volunteering leave policy was also launchedin our UK business, providing employeeswith one paid volunteering day a year.Volunteering days were organised in bothLondon and Scotland, with over 20 per centof our office-based employees choosing totake part. In the UK we also partnered withStarlight Children’s Foundation to ‘adopt’ thewish of a 14-year-old leukemia sufferer andsuccessfully raised the money to fund hiswish to meet the England rugby team.Mentoring studentsIn addition to the two days per year ofpersonal volunteering leave, employees areable to get involved in the local communityby mentoring students. In FY09, over 300employees mentored students from yearsone to 12 from 28 priority-funded schoolsin Australia. The mentoring is organised bythe Australian Business and CommunityNetwork, a partnership of business leadersand companies supporting mentoringand coaching programs. The studentsare mentored on topics including effectivecommunication, budgeting, career choices,literacy skills, and building confidence.Stockland contributions by category and contribution ($)Emergency Relief 177,950Environment 76,044How we measure ourcommunity investmentIn 2008, we began using the LondonBenchmarking Group (LBG) to measureand benchmark our community involvementthrough giving and volunteering, sponsorshipsand 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 wewould improve reporting on communitycontributions. The LBG tool enables us tounderstand and improve the measurementand management of our communityinvestment. LBG outcomes are reportedback to leaders in the business annually,giving them insight into our key areas ofsupport and where we can improve. Ourkey areas of support are in education andyouth, health, community development,local sporting clubs and arts and culture.Community Development 11,005Sporting 9,580Spirit Awards Arts & Entertainment 26,109Health 822Seniors 104,860Business Developement 158,223 Employee – Giving and Volunteering 170,189VALUE OF CASH,IN-KIND AND TIMECONTRIBUTIONFOR FY09Sponsorship policy and guidelinesWe introduced a sponsorship policy anda guidelines toolkit in 2008 to help ouremployees differentiate between thedifferent kinds of contributions we make.The toolkit distinguishes between:objective is brand exposure,no expectation of commercial return,objective is to deliver direct developmentor business return,employee initiatives that are aligned toour people and our brand strategy andsupport employee engagement.The toolkit provides guidance on choosinga sponsorship that is aligned with our brandand policies. This will help employees makeinformed decisions about the sponsorshipswe support.COMMUNITYCASE STUDYStockland volunteers at the Childhood Cancer Support, BrisbaneRENOVATING HOMES –PARTNERING WITH CHILDHOODCANCER SUPPORT, BRISBANEIn 2008, we partnered with ChildhoodCancer Support in Brisbane.Childhood Cancer Support is a notfor-profitorganisation which providesaccommodation, counselling andemotional and financial support tofamilies whose children are diagnosedwith cancer.Three teams of employees helpedrenovate four self-contained unitsat Childhood Cancer Support’ssite in inner Brisbane for families tostay during their child’s treatment.Over three days, 190 employeeshelped install new kitchens, upgradebathrooms, lay flooring and assemblefurniture. The garden also receiveda facelift with new plants, turf, abarbecue area and a cubby house.$3.4 m Stockland Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Report 30 June 2009 43Value of cash, in-kind and time contributionsFY09$3.4mFY08$1.7m