Corporate fundraising success stories

Organising a company fundraising event to raise money for the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) is a great way to help Australia’s most brilliant researchers get the funds they need to beat cancer. Company fundraising events also help with team building and are an awesome way to promote work-life balance. Plus you can have lots of fun at the same time!

How your company can help?

Lots of helpful information about fundraising for cancer research, including the simple paperwork you need to get started, is available on our fundraising page.

If your company would like to organise an event to raise funds for cancer research, or to discuss a corporate partnership with ACRF, please contact us on 1300 884 988 or email Gilbert Lorquet on glorquet@acrf.com.au

Company fundraising success stories

The ACRF extends its sincere thanks to all of the following companies, for their mighty fundraising efforts!

Everyday Hero is an online fundraising company whose mission is to create a new, caring economy. They are committed to making it easier, more efficient and more rewarding for people to contribute to ACRF and breakthrough cancer research.

As a result of this partnership, Australia’s leading researchers have received many thousands of dollars from ACRF supporters participating in various events. Click here to read more.

YourShare Financial Services… The YourShare team has once again delivered a generous annual donation to cancer research. They feel passionately about helping defeat cancer and have found a way through their business to contribute to the community. Donations are made from their company proceeds and they are just about to launch a new Commissions for Charity program, which gives YourShare customers the option to choose to donate the collected fees and commissions generated from their financial products to a chosen beneficiary charity. The ACRF would like to thank YourShare for your generous support with over $4000 raised this year, and more than $22,000 in the last 4 years.

PepsiCo & Smith’s Snackfood Company… Our friends at PepsiCo Australia & New Zealand, visited the Foundation recently to present a cheque for over $12,000 toward cancer research. This generous contribution represents donations collected at a recent event hosted by PepsiCo and The Smith’s Snackfood Company employees, in honour of a much loved team member lost to cancer. The team banded together to organise the event as a tribute to Agnes and everyone who has lost friends or loved ones to this terrible disease. The night was filled with plenty of entertainment, including a trivia quiz, silent auctions and live performances. Read more about the PepsiCo Fundraiser.

Hunter Hall International Limited… Loyal corporate supporter, Hunter Hall International Limited, has provided a big boost in cancer research funding by recently donating part of its pre-tax profits to our Foundation. ACRF representatives were invited to the cheque presentation held on 30 November at The Mint in Sydney, and were awarded just over $19,000 for vital cancer research. To date, Hunter Hall has donated more than $180,000 to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation, as part of the company’s policy of donating 5% of pre-tax profits for charitable purposes and activities. Hunter Hall is a publicly listed company and owner of Hunter Hall Investment Management Ltd, an ethical investment manager committed to the concept of responsible investing.

2nd Annual George Veitch Memorial Bowls Day… A big thank you to our friends at Affinity Construction Management for recently hosting the 2nd Annual George Veitch Memorial Lawn Bowls Day at Canberra City Bowling Club. The commemorative event honours the life of one of the founders of the company, George Veitch, who sadly passed away after a short battle with cancer in 2008. In honour of George, supporters are asked to donate to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation, and this year the event attracted over 60 bowlers with over $11,000 raised for cancer research. Supporters enjoyed an afternoon BBQ and a great day of competition, including the hotly contested Affinity Construction Management vs Spotless Services cup. Competition was close, with the cup going to Spotless by a narrow margin. The team at ACRF congratulates everyone at Affinity and their supporters on the successful event! We’re looking forward to next year’s bowls day.

BBQ for cancer research… The team at Scarff Recruitment Solutions recently held a fundraising BBQ for cancer research at their local Bunnings store in Harbourtown, Queensland. Director, Helene Scarff, wanted to support cancer research due to the number of people, both staff and families of staff that have been affected by cancer. The BBQ raised more than $1,700 which greatly exceeded their expectations and starts them on their way to the goal of $10,000 they are hoping to raise through various events over the next 12 months. Thank you Helene & the Scarff Recruitment Solutions team for your enthusiastic support and fabulous fundraising! Read more about Scarff Recruitment Solutions.

Loud shirts with great success… With over 200 staff in attendance, plenty of food, and a wealth of prizes on offer it was hard to hide any excitement for the Sutherland Shire Council’s recent Loud Shirt staff fundraising event. Now in its third year, the morning tea event hosted by the staff in the Environmental Services Division commenced as a way of honouring one of their colleagues who sadly passed away following a long battle with cancer in 2008, and now is a tribute to all lives lost to this devastating disease. This year, the wonderful staff at Sutherland Shire Council raised close to $7000 during the event. ACRF extends a big thank you to organisers and supporters of the Sutherland Shire Council “Loud Shirt” Staff Fundraising Event. Read more about the Loud Shirt Morning Tea.

Consumer research for cancer research… The team at Livetribe & their fantastic market research community are making their opinions count for cancer research. Livetribe is an online consumer research community with a database of over 220,000 members in Australia and New Zealand. The members of the community are offered incentives for participating in surveys and discussions, and one of these incentives gives individuals the chance to donate $1 to cancer research as a reward for their participation. The ACRF would like to thank Livetribe and their online community for their great support, raising over $2100 in 2010!

Going casual for cancer research… the staff at the State Revenue Office (SRO) in Victoria held a fundraising day for the ACRF on Friday August 13th. Their simple idea was to allow employees to dress in casual clothes for the day in exchange for a gold coin donation giving the whole office a chance to be part of the fight to find a cure for cancer. Thanks to Fay & the staff of the SRO for your great support, over $1000 was raised for cancer research.

Blue September… Each September we Get Blue in support of men’s cancer. Why not Get Blue with us & hold a company fundraiser for Blue September or organise some Blue September Volunteers? To find out more about how you can Get Blue visit Blue September Fundraising or contact us at blueseptember@acrf.com.au or 02 9223 7833.

Sydney Water… The Sydney Water Giving Through Safety Program provides incentives for their staff to adopt safe working practices by linking safety targets to dollar donations. By achieving set targets, staff can help raise money for charity. The Australian Cancer Research Foundation were lucky enough to be nominated by the Treatment-South team, from the Operations Division, as their charity to support for the 09-10 program. Team members presented the Foundation with a cheque for $7500 at the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research recently. The presentation was followed by a tour of the Westmead facility, where the team heard from Dr Anna deFazio about recent work at Westmead in the area of ovarian cancer research and Dr Therese Becker on the latest research on melanoma. ACRF thanks Sydney Water and its staff very much for their very generous donation. Thank you!

Novo Rail and RailCorp… A wonderful initiative by Novo Rail and RailCorp has recently caught the attention of staff at The Australian Cancer Research Foundation. A netball match held recently at King George V Recreation Centre between the two companies was dedicated to raising funds for cancer research, and ACRF Fundraising Program Coordinator, Claire McArthur, was there to capture all the excitement for the cause. ‘It was a great night, lots of enthusiastic and loud supporters on both sides’, said Claire following the game. Netball supporters were treated to a truly competitive match, with RailCorp winning by one point only in the final minutes of the game. Novo Rail and RailCorp certainly displayed a great level of spirit and enthusiasm for the fundraiser, attracting over $1,700 for cancer research. The recent match is only the first in a series of charity sporting events to be held by the two companies. The ACRF team wishes to thank Novo Rail and RailCorp for the generous contribution, and we look forward to the next game!

DFS Advisory Services in Melbourne has donated $2500 toward cancer research following a fundraising event organised by employees. The company held a corporate golf day at the Woodlands Golf Course, Melbourne recently to raise money for a number of charities, including the Australian Cancer Research Foundation. The spirited golf day was a treat for staff as well as a display of support for ACRF and its work in funding world-class cancer research. Players on the day donated a total amount of $1,250 and DFS Advisory Services generously matched these donations. DFS Advisory Services is a privately owned financial advisory company based in Victoria. The ACRF team is grateful for their support, and extends a special thank you to Oiyee and Adele for putting it all together. Thanks guys!

Hunter Hall International Ltd…. As one of ACRF’s major corporate sponsors, Hunter Hall International Limited generously donates part of its pre-tax profits to our Foundation each year. Once again, Hunter Hall has shown tremendous support for cancer research in 2009 by presenting a cheque close to $20,000 to ACRF. On the 30th November, the company held its annual afternoon ‘High Tea’ event at the Vaucluse House Tea Room in Sydney to celebrate handing over the generous donation. Once again much thanks to the generous folk at Hunter Hall for their amazing support. Read full 2009 Hunter Hall story.

Solitaire Homes Australia... Angelo Turcin – Managing Director of Canberra builders Solitaire Homes Australia – lost his best mate, 35-year-old John Benkovic, to cancer nearly five years ago. Angelo took John’s death hard and recognising the significant number of Australians who passed away from cancer decided he wanted to raise money to help research into the disease.

In a truly terrific effort, Angelo undertook a fundraising campaign in his local state of ACT, raising an amazing $40,130 for cancer research! The ACRF greatly appreciates Angelo’s wonderful efforts in raising these funds and also for choosing the Australian Cancer Research Foundation as the recipient. Big thanks to Angelo, Solitaire Homes and all who supported his fundraising.

Kicking goals for ACRF… Staff at Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Australia have been getting into the spirit of the upcoming World Cup in South Africa and keeping fit at the same time by organizing a company soccer team. Not only are they staying active but also the team proudly boasts they are “getting competitive”. Recently they entered the Australian Corporate Games held in Victoria with the hopes of scoring goals for both themselves and for a good cause.

The games took place over the weekend of the 21st of November and saw the team narrowly miss out on making it into the quarter finals. The Staff of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Australia were given the opportunity to sponsor the team by giving money for either matches won or goals kicked, raising over $1500 for cancer research. Warmest thanks Mercedes-Benz Financial Services!

Ritchies Community Benefits… From its humble beginnings in 1870, the Ritchies group of stores has grown into an Australian Independent Retailing icon. Ritchies has donated over $7,000.00 to the ACRF since 2006 through their Community Benefit Card, where 1% of the money you spend will be donated to the charity of your choice – at no extra charge to you. Click here for details on how to nominate the ACRF as the charity of your choice.

Raise money your way… Fundraise for your birthday, create a tribute page to honour someone special, shave your head or climb a mountain all with the help of MyCause.

Established in 2007 MyCause allows charities, volunteer organisations and community groups to utilise the power of the internet to enhance their fundraising endeavours. MyCause achieves this through enabling the creation of interactive and personalised fundraising pages, allowing charities to receive donations through the networks of their fundraisers. Many of our cancer research supporters have achieved great fundraising success with the help of MyCause. Find out more about MyCause or create a MyCause fundraising page.

The gift that “spreads the love”… Karma Currency’s vision is to change the world! Well… maybe not the whole world. But certainly some of it! Through connecting people with the charities and causes that are closest to their hearts.

Instead of giving platters, socks, photo frames and other standard gifts Karma Currency allows companies and individuals to give the gift of Charity Gift Vouchers. This Charitable voucher can be sent to families or friends, customers or colleagues, empowering them to give the donation to the charities they care about most. Lots of cancer research supporters have spread the love with the help of Karma Currency. Find out more about Karma Currency and their charity gift vouchers.

Having a ball for ACRF… ACT based construction company Affinity Construction Management recently held a Memorial Bowls Day in memory of the company’s original owner and previous business director George Veitch. The social bowls day saw 6 enthusiastic teams take part, made up of Affinity Construction staff and contractors, as well as George’s daughter Madilyn and her friend.

The event was a wonderful success, with much fun had by all, and an amazing $8,500 raised for cancer research. Warmest thanks to Affinity Construction Management, George’s family and all the bowlers for your wonderful support and fundraising efforts.

Ergon Energy, a transmission services company in QLD, allocates points to the crew based upon their “Stay Safe” program – which it then converts to $ to be donated to a charity of choice. Katie Prothero, TaDs Administration Officer said, “When asked which charity they wanted to contribute to, they immediately advised that they wanted to donate to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation due to some of the crew members being directly affected by cancer.”

Thank you Ergon Energy & Field Crew members at Garbutt Depot for your generous donation of $1403.00 to the ACRF!

Fusion Workforce is a recruitment company that specialises in providing human resource services to the blue collar industry. Fusion is engaged with their community through their Corporate Responsibility program, and their employers annually run an auction in support of a Not-for-profit.

This year they decided to support ACRF, raising an impressive $3425.00 for cancer research with their 2009 AFL Grand Final Tickets Auction. We thank all Fusion employees and everyone who bid for the tickets so very much for your fantastic support!

Bake off extravaganza… Staff members from Sakata Victoria have recently held a delicious Bake Off to raise monies for cancer research. Different flavours of cakes and other preparations made up a colourful yummy feast. It took place over three shifts, catering to 250 people between part-time and full-time employees, raising a great $1,027.80.

Deborah Kingdom from Sakata HR said they chose ACRF as the nominated charity for the event because they “know that ACRF will be able to put the money to good use.” A big thank you to Sakata and its employees for your wonderful support!

Quizzing for cancer research… South Australian based Neutrog Fertilizers recently held a quizzing competition with their customers. Applicants were required to fill out a questionnaire which included questions about Neutrog’s products. The winner in NSW was Marj Honeyman.

The prize? Neutrog would make a donation of $250.00 to Marj’s nominated charity – the ACRF. Thank you to Marj & Neutrog Australia.

Hoxton industries donates to cancer research… Hoxton Industries is a Commercial Business and a registered charity, which has been operating since 1969 and currently offers employment to over 100 people with disabilities. Its employees decided to support cancer research in memory of their colleague Ron Muscat, who recently passed away from cancer. Ron “never thought of himself and was always thinking of others”.

Jennifer Coffey from the ACRF personally met the team and collected their $215 donation. A big thank you to all of you at Hoxton industries for supporting cancer research.

QIAGEN is the leading provider of sample and assay technologies, employing more than 2,600 people in over 30 locations worldwide. QIAGEN Australia employees chose ACRF for their recent corporate giving program, raising a whopping $12,353!

The donation cheque was presented to ACRF’s CEO David Brettell by Laurent Dapremont – General Manager QIAGEN Australia, at a special presentation at the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research on February 2009.

Wine Partners of Australia Pty Ltd* incorporating the New South Wales Wine Society and The Canberra National Wine Society, is supporting the ACRF through sales of wine to their clients. Wine Partners has pledged to raise $100,000 for ACRF.

The selection has been discounted by up to 40%, giving wine lovers a rare opportunity to enjoy wines of high quality. $15 from each case sold will be donated to this foundation. Call Wine Information Line – Toll Free 1300-654-554 to order yours.

*Liquor Lic. No. 14005503 (ACT)

Doing business with heart… Paul and Juliet Brady – the dynamic duo – run YourShare Financial Services, voted the Best Cash Back Service for 2008 by Money Magazine. They feel passionately about helping defeat cancer and have found a way through their business to contribute to the community.

For every active client on their books – they donate a certain amount to the ACRF. Over $4500 has already been donated by YourShare!

‘Cottoning on’ to cancer research… National retail brand Cotton On Clothing Pty Ltd donated all the proceeds from the sales of its groovy ‘Enviro’ bags to the ACRF in 2006 – a total commitment of $100,000!

Cotton On’s Ross Burrage presented the second $50,000 instalment cheque to ACRF Trustee, Carillo Gantner at the Melbourne Cancerians Committee “All Balled Out” function at the Grand Hyatt in February, 2006… more info

IIR Informa Walks2Change… Congratulations and a big thanks go to the staff at Informa and IIR, who raised over $9000 for the ACRF in a special fundraising walk. read the whole story

Hunter Hall increases its commitment… Hunter Hall International Ltd donated a whopping $35,630 to the Foundation in 2005. Five per cent of Hunter Hall’s pre-tax profits are donated to charitable purposes and activities that support social, environmental or humanitarian causes.

Over the past four years, this amount has exceeded $1.9 million. For more info click here.

AAPT answers call to fight cancer… AAPT employees donated $30,000 to the ACRF in December 2005. “It is this kind of generous support that assists the ACRF to significantly contribute to drastic breakthroughs in the fight against cancer,” said ACRF Chief Executive David Brettell.

AAPT is one of Australia’s three largest telecommunications carriers. For more info visit www.aapt.com.au.

Hunter Hall invests in cancer research… In 2004, Hunter Hall International Ltd donated $7,098 to the ACRF as part of its commitment to donating five per cent of its pre-tax profits to charitable purposes.

Hunter Hall is a publicly listed company and owner of Hunter Hall Investment Management Ltd, an ethical investment manager committed to the concept of responsible investing. For more info click here

Extra whipped cream benefits ACRF… Popular coffee chain Starbucks whipped its stores into a fundraising frenzy by encouraging customers to add extra shots of expresso, syrup, topping or whipped cream to their favourite Starbucks beverage.

The retail price of the ‘additions’ was donated to the individual store’s charity of choice. Three NSW Starbucks stores chose the ACRF as their beneficiary – Martin Place, 115 Pitt Street and Circular Quay. Together, they raised a fantastic $1656.50.

ACRF & Flight Centre… TQ3 Travel Solutions (a travel management company owned by Flight Centre) raised $1164 for cancer research via a client survey that donated $1 to charity for every response received.