WORKPLACE GIVING

Hi there, I’m Ricky Grace, CEO and Founder of The Girls Academy.Thanks for the opportunity to tell you about the Girls Academy and our Workplace Giving Program.

The Girls Academy is the leading provider of school based programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls in Australia. The program is community driven and works within the local school system to support girls to engage in education and pursue their goals through mentoring, sport, cultural and empowerment programs. The Girls Academy is undertaking a significant expansion, which aims to more than double the number of Indigenous Girls who benefit from our program to 2,500 girls nationwide by the end of 2017. Our program works to ‘close the gap’ for our Indigenous community as well as address the inequity in investment in educational support programs for girls.

Our program has support from Government but we depend on the generosity of the wider community to make it a reality. Workplace giving is your chance to get involved through donations directly from your salary. For as little as $2 per pay, you could make a profound difference to the lives of at risk girls.

Today, The Girls Academy program (the flagship program for Role Models and Leaders Australia) has reached thousands of Aboriginal girls across Australia and our results speak for themselves, but there is so much more to do and we need your help.

I got involved in this project when I was a pro basketballer for the Perth Wildcats and ran basketball clinics in schools around WA. Some of these schools had amazing mentoring programs for boys but the girls had no equivalent. Aboriginal elders approached me to set up a program for the girls. Having seen this inequity and as the father of daughters, I could not say no.

This program is my way to give back, as I started life as one of those kind of kids who could have gone either way. I was born and raised in a suburb of Dallas, Texas, where crime and drugs were rife on every street corner. At nine, my parents divorced and my mother worked two jobs to support the family. She was working 16 hours a day, so I was raised by the streets. I cannot praise my Mum highly enough, she worked so hard. I learnt how to be tough and how to survive. As a basketball-mad, street-wise 11-year-old, I was fortunate enough to meet a man who would change my life by taking me under his wing and becoming a role model and mentor to me. He was the one who said, ‘Ricky, you’ve got to plan your life. You’ve got to have goals’. I didn’t have a father figure and he became that

for me. He opened up possibilities beyond the dangerous Dallas streets; such is the power of a good mentor and role model.

If it weren’t for my mentor, I wouldn’t have set myself goals. I wouldn’t see life the way I now see it. I’d be doing a lot of things I probably shouldn’t be doing, things some of my old friends are doing.

I would not have realised my dreams of being a pro-basketballer and an Olympian. I had a 15-year career with the Perth Wildcats; I played in six grand finals and the team won four championship medallions. I would not have completed my Masters Degree in Education and Leadership. My mentor showed me that all of this was possible. This is why I’m so big on providing mentors for kids now, and I created Role Models and Leaders Australia.

I enjoyed my time playing basketball. For three hours, people could go and forget about every problem they had. Basketball was entertainment and I always wanted to win so the fans would be happy. But working to improve the next generation of Indigenous girls is a lot deeper than just entertaining someone for three hours. This has lifelong impacts.

I hope you will consider supporting The Girls Academy and becoming part of this program as we work toward Closing the Gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous measures of well-being, once and for all. Workplace Giving is easy and has benefits for employees and employers as well as the thousands of Aboriginal girls in the program. Thanks for taking the time to hear my story.

Ricky GraceCEO and FounderRole Models and Leaders Australia | Girls Academy

Workplace Giving is a program that is initiated by an employer so that their employees can donate to a charity directly from their salaries. The Girls Academy Workplace Giving program provides your company with an opportunity to engage your employees in working together towards a common goal of supporting Indigenous girls in Australia.It provides participants with a strong sense of purpose in making a contribution to the educational support programs we provide to Indigenous girls to help them overcome the barriers preventing them from completing their education.Workplace Giving enables employees to make a small pre-tax donation direct from their pay. Your employees may not even notice the difference in their pay but the girls enrolled in the Girls Academy will benefit greatly from your continued support.If we work together, as little as $2 per pay, less than the cost of a coffee, we can make a profound difference to the lives of at-risk Aboriginal girls.

WORKPLACE GIVING

“Business leaders are realising it’s good to give and Workplace Giving is a smart way to do that. Workplace Giving is when employees make

donations to charities direct from their salary.

Businesses have a very important role to play in the community and Workplace Giving is an easy way to show their employees and customers that they care about society. It’s good for your business, your employees

and for charities too. It’s a win for the whole community”.

- Tim Costello, CEO World Vision Australia -

HOW YOUR DONATION WILL HELP CLOSE THE GAP Through your generosity, we can change lives and communities.

Current Data for Indigenous Girls Girls Academy Typical Results• 47% do not proceed past Year 10.• Indigenous girls make up only 1% of the university population.• Year 12 graduation rates are 29% lower than the national

average.• Suicide rates are five times higher than the national average.• 50% of incarcerated women are Indigenous.• Teen pregnancy is five times higher than the average.• 48% of Indigenous mothers need access to support programs.• 40 times more likely to be victims of domestic violence.• One third of Aboriginal women die before they turn 45.• Unemployment is five times higher than non-Indigenous people.

• Over the past five years the Girls Academy has seenYear 12 enrolments increase by 276%.

• Since 2010, graduation rates have increased by76%.

• 41% of Academy girls surveyed indicated a desire topursue tertiary education pathways.

• In 2016, the Girls Academy attendance rate was11% higher than the all-Indigenous studentattendance rate across the country.

• Teen pregnancy rates reduced by 95% (anecdotaldata report – formal statistics are not recorded).

WHATS IN IT FOR YOU

FOR EMPLOYERS• Workplace Giving encourages employees to work together to

achieve a common goal.

• Enjoy greater staff engagement and a boost in employeemorale.

• It is of low burden to implement and administer.

• Customisable and detailed reporting on demand.

• Employees look favourably upon employers who show goodcorporate social responsibility.

• Over 85% of employees surveyed felt this form of communityengagement and generosity made their company a betterplace to work (Good2Give 2015).

• Consumers want to do business with companies that care.

• Promotion of your company’s achievements in workplacegiving on the Girls Academy website & social media channels.

• Offering further opportunities to engage in a volunteercapacity with the Girls Academy and foster long-termcollaboration and partnerships.

FOR EMPLOYEES• Only one simple form needs to be completed and given to

your Payroll Department.

• The automatic pre-tax deduction is simple and convenient.

• Provides an immediate tax benefit by reducing your taxableincome - no need to keep or find receipts.

• No disclosure of credit card or bank details.

• Donations can be started, changed or stopped at any time.

• Donations will automatically appear on group certificates.

• Access to news and updates from the Girls Academy - Seewhere your money is going.

• Get involved in your community and have confidence inknowing your donations are making a difference.

• That feeling that comes with knowing that you havecontributed to something good.

“Eight out of ten employees surveyed felt their company’s workplace giving program reflected a genuine commitment to the community. Over 85 per cent of survey respondents also felt this form of

community engagement and generosity made their company a better place to work.”

- Good2Give 2015 Workplace Givers Revealed research report

IT’S EASY! You can join an existing platform or if you have your own Payroll Giving program in place we can simply provide you with the details you need to make the Girls Academy a recipient of your existing Workplace Giving Program.

The Girls Academy subscribes to the Good2Give Workplace Giving platform. Good2Give is all about making giving easy, efficient and rewarding for businesses, charities and donors alike. The purpose-built online workplace giving platform has supported businesses and donors to give more than $155 million to charitable causes.

HOW TO SET UP A BASIC WORKPLACE GIVING PROGRAMAll current payroll systems or accounting software can facilitate workplace giving. The set-up process is quite straightforward – similar to an SMSF or health fund payment.

1. Set up Girls Academy as vendors in your payroll system.

1. Contact Girls Academy to let us know your contact details so that we can ensure you are receiving regular informationabout how your company is helping to close the gap for Indigenous girls.

2. Employee completes and submits donation form, or authorises donation through employment contract.(we can provide you with a sample form if required)

3. Payroll processes deductions. (as per the employee forms)

4. At month end, payroll sends funds to the Girls Academy bank account.Macquarie BankBSB: 182-512 Account Number: 962528055 Account Name: ROLE MODEL & LEADERS AUST

(Please use deposit narration to help us track where donations have come from. e.g. ‘Payroll donation from ABC Company’)

5. If your company is matching the staff donation, determine when matching funds will be transferred to Girls Academy.(e.g. monthly, quarterly, annually)

6. We will acknowledge the receipt of donations for your records.

7. At the end of the financial year, total workplace giving donations are recorded on each employee’s PAYG summaryfor tax purposes.

WORKPLACE GIVING

Can anyone donate to the Girls Academy through their payroll?Your employer must have a Workplace Giving program in place in order to donate through your payroll. Any employer who has 1+ staff may start a Workplace Giving program and all you need is the Girls Academy account deposit details for us to participate in your program.

If your employer does not subscribe to Workplace Giving, you can still get involved by supporting Girls Academy with a tax deductible donation by going to www.givenow.com.au/indigenousgirlsacademy.

How can I start Workplace Giving in my workforce?Your employer must agree and put in place some simple steps. Employers should look at the Workplace Giving program information on www.ato.gov.au/Business/Bus/Workplace-giving or phone the ATO on 13 28 66 to ensure they have a clear understanding of what is involved.

Can I make a donation anytime I like?No. Workplace giving operates through your payroll system. If you get paid weekly, you must donate weekly. Someone who gets paid monthly must donate monthly. However, you can make an online donation at anytime via our givenow website; www.givenow.com.au/indigenousgirlsacademy

Can I make a one-off donation through Workplace Giving?Provided your employer is in agreement, you can make occasional or one-off payroll deductions that are not part of a regular planned arrangement.

I notice I pay less tax now that I donate through Workplace Giving. Does this mean I don’t need to claim the amount I have donated in my tax return?Everyone who donates through a Workplace Giving program must claim the total amount of donations in their tax return. You must do this regardless of whether you have been getting pay-day tax benefits for your donations. Your employer will let you know how much you have donated over the year in some written form or it will be printed on your payment summary (group certificate).

Can I stop my donation at any time?Your employer will usually set some rules around the administration of Workplace Giving. Some may ask you to commit to six months of donations because more frequent changes can become expensive to administer.

If I participate, how will I know what my money is being used for?The advantage of Workplace Giving programs is that the charities receive regular income but don’t have to issue individual receipts, saving time and money. So the charities incur little or no administration costs and 100% of donations go directly to the charity. The Girls Academy will provide regular feedback on how donations are being expended and pass on this information to employees making donations (and all employees for their information).

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

* FAQ’s sourced from www.ato.gov.au