Urban Seed’s primary goal is to engage with its neighbours and to be a good  neighbour. In our location in the city this happens to be mainly with marginalised groups such as injecting drug users, and people who fit homeless categories. However we are also situated on Collins St, the best address in town, where we share an address with large corporations. The bringing together of the margins and those at the centre in a social geography sense is extremely important. We are as committed to engaging in building community with the corporations on our front door as we are with the marginalised people at our back door. It takes this breadth of commitment to break down social barriers if we are to build a truly safe community.

 

Urban Seed has a workplace giving program in place, brokered by the Australian Charities Fund, with the following organisations: 

 

 

 

 

This ongoing financial commitment is vital to an organisation of our size. We greatly appreciate this support. However there is more than just financial benefit in these partnerships. We are working towards gaining a better understanding of how the private and not-for-profit sectors can work towards building a better community. Mallesons Stephen Jaques also provide significant pro bono support  and work with us in other ways.  Pricewaterhouse Coopers audit Urban seed’s accounts and provide annual pro bono help with the tax returns of Credo Café guests. We are also developing an education resource with PwC.

 

Workplace Giving programs enable employees to make regular contributions to their preferred charities in an administratively simple and low cost manner and with no cost to the charities.

By establishing a pattern of incremental donations from both employees and employers through their payroll, charities are able to benefit from stable funding that is free of fundraising costs.

 

For more information go to www.australiancharitiesfund.org.au

 

Clayton Utz and Ansvar Insurance are also well integrated partners. Ansvar Insurance provides financial support for our Youth and Schools team and takes an interest in what we are teaching. Clayton Utz provides financial support and pro bono legal advice to Credo Café guests.

 

 

 

The most significant aspect of corporate relationships is that they enable Urban Seed to not be reliant on government funding. This allows us to continually call the government to account on policies and decisions that we think are unfair. It also allows us to build community and help people in ways that don’t involve large amounts of our limited staff resources being used to meet stringent welfare benchmarks.

 

 Staff from Goldman Sachs JBWere helping out