Westpac is the winner of the 2007 Corporate Volunteering Award for Excellence. The award, managed by Volunteering Australia in conjunction with the National Australia Bank , recognises best practice, innovation and community impact in employee volunteering programs.

Samantha Brown, Head of Community Involvement for Westpac, said the award is a credit to Westpac's employees and highlights their passion for getting involved in the community. Westpac received $5000 in prize money, donated by NAB, to go to the community organisation of their choice.

Other highly commendable nominations included IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Alcoa, Shell and ExxonMobil.

Amanda Bowman, Director, Corporate Partner Engagement, for the International Business Leaders Forum, was one of the award judges.  She believes that Westpac are worthy winners for their comprehensive approach, the close alignment between the volunteering and their business objectives, and the degree to which they evaluate the program.

A number of community programs have been established to ensure that Westpac's involvement with community organisations is comprehensive, sustainable and of real value to the community. The secondment program Indigenous Enterprise Partnerships is an innovative example of how they have linked the business objective of building strong communities with volunteering.

Community committees within business units have also been established to create a range of fundraising and volunteering activities. Such groups include the IT Community Focus Group, and People and Performance HR Specialists Next Step Program for The Smith Family which prepares school leavers for the workforce. These initiatives have proven successful for galvanizing management support, participation, skills and resources at the business level.

Visible involvement and support from top levels of the company's management has also influenced participation rates. Outstanding volunteer efforts are recognsied as part of the CEO's Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Awards with teams and individuals being eligible to win $10,000 for their chosen charity.

Tracy Daly, Senior Manager Community Involvement with Westpac, attributes the program's success to the degree of choice employees are given in how and to whom they make a contribution. This approach ensures not only that diverse community organisations benefit from the program but also that each individual who undertakes volunteering is doing it because it means something to them.

Media Release