b'COMMUNITY| LEGAL SECTOR| 2022SUSTAINABILITY INSIGHTCHARITABLE GIVING2022 AusLSA Member PerformanceDisruptions to the work environment over the last two years have made it difficult for many law firms to deliver their regular giving programs. The ability to engage with staff who may be under personal and professional stress while also managing significant operational disruption has also been difficult. Likewise, the capacity to deliver firms planned programs, which are often designed around a physical presence in the workplace, has also significantly reduced.But members commitment to giving has been resilient. Eighty-eight per cent of AusLSAs reporting members have formal charitable giving programs in place, comprising corporate and workplace giving. Eighty-eight per cent of these members donatedthrough their businesses or related trusts.Seventy-six per cent operated a formal workplace giving program for staff, matching the payroll donations made by their employees. The continuation of these programs underlines the importance of regular matched workplace giving as a resilient and substantive way for firms and their employees to provide.This year, the number of firms that collected information about their employees participation in charitable giving programs increased from 26 per cent to 32 per cent, with a further 24 per cent reporting that they were developing new processes to collect this information. The average participation rates recorded by those participating firms were stable at 30 per cent this year. Firms with formal foundation-type structures or separate entities to plan and administer their charitable giving grew from 34 per cent to 41 per cent. Firms regularly undertook internal charity appeals and events also increased from 71per cent to 75 per cent. Ninety-three per cent of firms also reported participating in internal giving drives such as providing books, food and Christmas gifts.Challenges and Opportunities The needs of charitable organisations are likely to be higher in the next five years than at any other time in the last fifty years. At the same time the challenges and uncertainty for law firms and their employees could impact their ability to provide, maintain or increase levels of financial support.An increased focus on impact, strategy, and evaluation is needed if these donations and broader philanthropic supports are to meet the greatest social and environmental change. This can only be achieved when the partnerships between funders andcharities are substantive, well thought out and enduring. This is a commitment not just from charities, but also to funders who need to develop in- depth understandings of the issues that are funding and be willing to build the capacity of the charity to deliver their services in the most strategic ways. It involves funders of charities sharing in planning and building programs alongside charities and investing in defined outcomes rather than buying whatever outputs may be offered.There is undoubtedly a funding crunch for charities where the urgency and demand for their services are growing more quickly than Australias philanthropic communitys capacity to resource them. One way to increase the levels of the benefit provided by services faster than available funding is to provide better connections between resources and outcomes. Leading law firms and Australian businesses increasingly integrate their charitable giving programs with their core business strategies and delivery. This model combines management support, giving, pro bono and ties their investment and outcomes into achieving their broader business purpose. This approach leads to more significant and longer-term commitments to support charities addressing the longer-term issues of natural disasters, financial stresses and COVID recovery.There are more charitable giving programs that would benefit from this broader type of strategic partnership; however, establishing these types of partnerships takes time and work. Firms need to search for and develop relationships with willing organisations and develop agreed commitments and objectives. This will allow them to build partnerships that take full advantage of their special skills and resources.There is significant potential to increase participation in Payroll Giving. In Australia, the 6,590 employers who offer payroll giving employ almost four million workers. However, only 211,316 workers are currently donating, meaning that nearly ninety-five per cent of these employees are not donating. There are many variables that influence a workplace-giving programs success. In addition to matching donations from payroll giving, employers can lead by providing employees with compelling charities and clearly communicating the needs and benefits of being a donor. Workplace Giving Australia provides an extensive range of supporting materials and campaigns that help organisations grow their giving programs. The One Million Donors platform provides a range of specific workplace giving toolkits, resources and recognition.56'