By volunteering time, effort and money to their chosen causes generation Y has made charity cool. by Chris Sheedy.
Charities used to be all about the elderly – after all, who else had time to create a new business to help others when they were too busy creating a living for themselves? But with Generation Y’s need to feel they’re making a difference in the world they have brought new meaning to the word ‘charity’. In fact, many are more than happy to dedicate their entire careers to helping others.
STAR SUPPORT
On the night of the NSW state election in March this year, 650 celebrities, media personalities and socialites gathered at a black-tie ball at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, but the party they were attending had nothing to do with politics. As Morris Iemma and Peter Debnam were jostling for the position of state premier, these glammed-up party people had come together in the name of charity and would raise over $300,000 for juvenile diabetes and meningococcal research.
Celebrities at the ball included Megan Gale, Peter Morrissey, Sophie Falkiner, Jackie O, Mink Sadowsky, Adam Spencer and Laura Csortan. The ball itself, organised by Kids For Life, represented the efforts of a core group of young professionals who decided several years ago that it was high time they gave a little back to the community.
“In 2002, Nathan Davis, a friend of mine, rang me and said he wanted to organise a Las Vegas-style gambling night and wanted all of the proceeds to go to charity,” recalls 32-year-old Kate Dixon, vice chairman of Kids For Life. “I said I knew plenty of charities but because of their policies they wouldn’t accept gambling proceeds. A few days later he rang back and said, ‘What about a black-tie ball?’ So we got a group of people together to organise it.”
Davis’s main drive, he says, was the fact that he and his friends had great incomes but were blowing their money on all the wrong things. “I wanted to put the money we were spending towards something decent for a change, rather than towards restaurants, luxury goods, sporting venues and nightclub owners in the eastern suburbs,” explains the 31-year-old banker.
“This way, we get all our friends to come along to a ball once a year, learn about how they can help prevent these terrible diseases, contribute to the night’s success and, in doing so, help fund these great kids’ organisations.”
As a result of his inspiration, over the past four years Kids For Life has raised over $1 million for their chosen causes, which has included money put towards research and the purchase of expensive machinery for cash-strapped public hospitals. Rather than giving money to the hospitals’ fundraising committees, the Kids For Life team went straight to the coalface and asked doctorsand nurses what they needed.
“They named all this equipment they couldn’t afford, like a blood gas machine,” says Dixon. “They gave us a shopping list – a wish-list – and we went out and bought a piece of equipment or two for each of the three hospitals we’d met with.”
Being a part of the Kids For Life committee is challenging but massively satisfying, says Dixon. She describes the feeling as “phenomenal”, seeing how much the sick children suffer then realising how the Kids For Life money helps ease the suffering, even if only a little.
“It’s cool to be part of a cause,” says Dixon. “The problem is that a lot of people do it for the wrong reasons. If being a part of a charity becomes popular I want it to be for the right reason – not because you want to put on a ball, but because you want to help a cause.”
THE POWER OF TECHNOLOGY
While other boys his age were dreaming of being astronauts, professional surfers, or commandos, when he was only 14 Jonathan Nicholas knew he wanted to do a job where he was helping others. The youngster was particularly aware of the problems caused by mental illness since his father is a clinical psychologist. So when he found work at Inspire Foundation, a charity whose main aim was to use technology to help young people to help themselves and others, he knew he’d be staying for a while.
A decade later, the 31-year-old is still working with Inspire Foundation and is now the charity’s director of programs. It’s three web-based services – www.reachout.com.au, www.actnow.com.au (a V Festival partner) and www.beanbag.com.au – are designed to reach, assist and educate young people by exploiting technology the users are familiar with. The sites’ purposes are to help young people through tough times and mental illnesses such as depression, and to educate them about current issues like the water crisis.
“I’ve always loved the work that Inspire does and have always been really excited by the ways you can use technology to improve people’s lives,” says Nicholas. “My job and my teams are really about what goes on the websites and how we can continue to improve the services we offer.”
Nicholas says that while people don’t enter his industry for the money, it’s incorrect to assume that those who work in the not-for-profit field are lowly paid. He may not have the breadth of the financial benefits offered to somebody in the private industry, but Nicholas says not-for-profits are paying the right money for the right people.
However, the private, for-profit sector could never offer the immense satisfaction that Nicholas experiences on a daily basis on a number of levels. “You’ve got more opportunities working in the not-for-profit sector to engage in the real world,” explains Nicholas. “Part of that is the great privilege of hearing what’s important to people rather than trying to sell them a product – I find people’s lives endlessly fascinating. You also get an opportunity to help people and to be of service, which is great.”
Working at the coalface allows Nicholas to receive first-hand feedback from his public. He regularly hears from young people who have been able to use his websites to learn more about a particular issue and as a result have taken action in their own lives to help resolve the issue, as well as those who have overcome a possibly debilitating mental illness. It’s this feedback that constantly amazes him and the fact that he can use technology to help people help themselves, he says, is thrilling.
“I’ve had some really amazing opportunities to do some amazing things and work with amazing people. I don’t know if I could ever give this up.”
A BEAUTIFUL NATION
Every worker has a different motivation for the job they do. For many it’s money, for some it’s power, for others prestige. In the case of 26-year-old Peter McLean, NSW programs director at Keep Australia Beautiful, it’s all about having a close connection to the community, and being able to make a positive change on the environment in an age when too many people simply talk about it.
“An expensive company car and a corner office with a view certainly don’t feature high on my list,” smiles McLean, who has worked for Keep Australia Beautiful for three years. “Some of my friends who work for large corporates have a very different list of priorities, but they sometimes hate the idea of going to work. To me, being able to enjoy and feel challenged by my job is an important factor.”
McLean’s area of responsibility covers aspects of public relations, strategic planning, project management and sponsorship relations. It also involves a lot of travel around New South Wales to meet and work with volunteers and to check out new innovations in the battle to save the environment town by town. The opportunity to become proficient in various areas of business, he says, is one of the perks of working for a smaller organisation where staff are not pigeon-holed into a specific job.
Already possessing a degree in environmental management, McLean is now enrolled in a part-time MBA course, further enhancing his already broad knowledge of business affairs. But back in the office it’s the fact his work makes a direct and valuable impact that keeps the satisfaction levels high.
“I love being involved, actively seeing a positive change across the NSW environment,” he says. “I love watching environmental projects come to fruition and seeing the creativeness and innovation of some of the rural communities.
“Keep Australia Beautiful offers them recognition and support as well as resources for their projects. The Tidy Towns Awards give them something to look forward to and work towards every year. Without the people and drive there might be no trees planted, no litter picked up and no visitor infrastructure.”
Across various state offices of Keep Australia Beautiful, McLean estimates at least half of the staff are under the age of 30, indicating an enormous shift of the younger generation towards non-government organisations and charities that are making a difference.
“Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t go for everyone below a certain age,” explains McLean. “In fact, sometimes it feels like it can be quite a unique motivator. I have even been labelled a ‘greenie’ once or twice by my friends, but I actually see myself as an environmental realist. I help to promote easy ways to look after the environment and I can see through that there’s a big difference being made.”
CORPORATE GIVING
Recognising the need for staff to see that their company is making a difference, nearly three years ago the Virgin group set up an independent charity arm called Virgin Unite, its aim being to challenge the way social and business sectors work together.
Connecting the donations, time and expertise of the thousands of Virgin staff, Virgin Unite identifies charitable organisations that make a difference often at a grassroots level, and sets up sustainable relationships. Virgin Unite helps Virgin brands and businesses connect with charitable organisations in order to become a true partner, becoming a part of the change process rather than simply making donations.
Virgin Unite Australia brokered the valuable affiliation between Inspire Foundation’s ActNow and V Festival, and has set up relationships with other local charities including South Sydney Youth Services and Stretch-A-Family. Virgin Unite also operates in North America, UK, Europe and South Africa. (Credit: Voyeur Magazine)
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