Teams in Vienna volunteering at Caritas Day Centre, cooking and distributing food portions to people facing homelessness. ©Marygrace Sy
This year during Macquarie’s 10th annual Foundation Week, our people, together with matching from the Macquarie Group Foundation (Foundation), raised over $A10 million for more than 240 non-profit organisations globally.
Foundation Week is a week-long celebration of employee-led volunteering and fundraising initiatives and in 2023, over 320 events held across 42 offices in 25 markets.
Our people made use of the Foundation Week matching bonus incentive for team fundraising initiatives of up to $A5,000, which is given in addition to the standard matching available year-round. Employees also took advantage of the Foundation Week volunteer rewards, which are charitable donations provided in recognition of time spent volunteering and are in addition to regular volunteer rewards available ($A25 per hour).
The Foundation has an open matching program in accordance with its Non-Profit Support Policy.
Over the past 10 years, Macquarie employees have organised over 1,400 fundraising and volunteering initiatives during Foundation Week. During this time, together with matching from the Foundation, over $A35 million has been contributed during Foundation Week alone.
In 2023 our people supported a wide range of cause areas, including the provision of humanitarian and crisis relief, preventing family violence, funding critical health and social services, education and youth development, LGBTQ+ support, and more.
The initiatives organised this year ranged in size, format and theme.
Our Sydney office held a small but mighty self-worth and empowerment workshop, hosted by a black belt champion, which involved breaking wooden boards to raise funds for the KYUP! Project, a violence prevention education program that confronts the rates of domestic violence in Australia.
In Sydney, Sindy Galindo, Associate Director, Risk Management Group and Lina Tchung, Division Director, Risk Management Group (not pictured) cut their hair to raise funds for Variety – The Children’s Charity
While some fundraising initiatives were physically active, others tapped into people’s competitive side with a virtual Mario Kart tournament held in our Paris office, fundraising for Association Réseau Espérance Banlieues, a French charity that advocates for children's rights to education and equality.
Volunteering initiatives are also encouraged during Foundation Week, where people can give their time to causes that matter to them. At least 75 teams around Macquarie globally chose to volunteer this year, including employees in our Seoul office who volunteered at the Animal Rights Korea animal shelter.
In Macquarie’s Calgary office, the seventh annual ’Mix-Off’ fundraising event raised over $A6 million for four local Calgary charities, including matching, with over 450 people in attendance. The event is one of the largest industry-driven charitable fundraisers in the Calgary area.
The success of the annual Mix-Off fundraiser demonstrates the positive impact we can have on the community when we bring together clients and colleagues in support of a common good.”
Tamara Schaefer
Managing Director
Commodities and Global Markets, Calgary
To celebrate our 10th annual Foundation Week, the Foundation introduced a special 10-year anniversary bonus that was awarded to a fundraising or volunteering initiative judged as having the greatest impact in each region. Four regional winners were recognised with a charitable donation of $A10,000 that they could direct to the community organisation of their choice.
Teams in Vienna volunteering at Caritas Day Centre, cooking and distributing food portions to people facing homelessness. ©Marygrace Sy
The winning team in EMEA was the Dublin office which organised a range of events fundraising for Oscar’s Kids National Childhood Cancer Charity, a paediatric cancer charity that supports families through their cancer journey. Choosing this charity was particularly personal for the team, who heard about its work from a former colleague whose daughter was diagnosed with cancer.
Foundation Week is particularly important to us because of double-matching, which means we can make a huge difference to the smaller charities that do not receive government funding.”
Rachael O'Brien
Executive Assistant
Commodities and Global Markets, Dublin
“This award means the absolute world to us. It’s a tribute to the entire Dublin team who always put so much effort into every single fundraiser, but particularly this year as it felt very personal for us all. The charity was overwhelmed with the support, and it was fantastic to relay to them that Oscar’s Kids had been awarded the additional bonus of $A10,000,” said Rachael, who helped organise the fundraiser in Dublin.
A collaborative fundraiser was the award recipient in Asia, supporting EMpower (The Emerging Markets Foundation) and KOTO (Know One Teach One), non-profits that provide employability and life skills training for marginalised youth in emerging markets.
I’m grateful for this award because not only does it raise awareness but also because I’ve seen the multiplier impact of what this funding can bring.”
Jessica Koh
Associate Director
Macquarie Asset Management, Hong Kong
“I’ve been involved in EMpower for over 10 years, visited their grantee partners across Asia and seen first-hand the impact of their programs that enable marginalised youth to flourish,” said Jessica, who helped organise the fundraiser across Asia
In ANZ, the $A10,000 donation was awarded to Women for Change, which fosters education and gender equality for underprivileged girls in Kenya, Nepal and India. A Women for Change scholarship recipient, Linet, visited the Sydney office to share her personal story and bring the impact of the cause to life.
Macquarie teams in India participating in a Diya making volunteering event with migrant communities, supported by Jan Sahas, a Macquarie Group Foundation grant partner.
This award was an incredible surprise. It has the power to change the lives of a further five women and their communities.”
Pip Butt
Division Director
Macquarie Risk Management Group, Sydney
“For me, the additional impact from Foundation Week is a great motivator to continue creating these opportunities,” said Pip, who organised the Women for Change event.
David Robinson, Senior Manager in Macquarie’s Corporate Operations Group, and Scott Malone, Associate Director in Macquarie Capital in the Americas region, organised the ‘Wings of Fire’ event in New York, involving a suspenseful hot sauce eating competition, which raised funds for InReach and SAGE, organisations that provide critical social services for vulnerable LGBTQ+ people.
“The wonderful support and engagement we received from our Macquarie coworkers was amazing,” said Scott.
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