The Gift That Keeps On Giving

The charitable dollar has greater demands, is harder to raise and is having to stretch further, but thanks to the work of Good360, now celebrating its third year, charities big and small are making the most of their funding, delivering more service for less cost.  

Since 2015 Good360 has helped connect over $19 million worth of brand new goods, donated by leading brands and retailers, to charities and NFPs so they can help Australians in need.

Always seeking to improve and respond to community demand, Good360 took the opportunity of this milestone and spoke with two amazing ambassadors from two registered charities to talk about the impact of the products they have received and why they keep coming back for more “gifts” to pass onto the communities they support.

Lieutenant Brad McIver, community service operations manager, Salvation Army, said: “We need Good360 to be viable, they provide us with a range of tools that we can make available to clients.”

McIver said that pressures on the organisation were expanding as the cost of living has continuously increased but government welfare payments and to some degree wages, had not kept up.

Anything The Salvation Army can do to free up funds allows them to provide more service and offer more goods, one of those being Start Up Packs for people entering their own accommodation for the first time. Some of the Good360 products The Salvation Army has ordered for these packs have been bed linen and towels, crockery and cutlery, and thanks to a special order last year, even microwaves and small electricals. McIver said the products were all high quality that allowed clients to feel empowered and build capacity.

The Salvation Army has over 50 sites registered with Good360 as individual charities, and between them they have ordered approximately $3 million in product. McIver continues to encourage The Salvation Army across all of its sites to consider how the opportunity provided by Good360 works for them to support their community. The larger the charity the greater the over heads. McIver said: “I don’t understand why you wouldn’t have a working relationship with Good360.”

From the very large to the quite small, Lomandra School in Campbelltown has made Good360 its go to supplier to assist its students and reduce the running costs of its school, which caters for students in Year 5 to Year 12 with severe challenging behaviours and/or emotional disturbances.

The teachers at Lomandra are preparing students for life beyond school by taking part in challenging learning experiences that extend practical and academic skills, strengthen emotional intelligence and promote social responsibility. To do this effectively requires significant consumables and this is where Good360 is making all the difference.

Audrey Nable, community liaison officer at Lomandra, is such a great ambassador for Good360 she feels like she’s part of the team and passionately spreads the Good360 word. Nable sees so much value in the relationship with Good360 she assists other schools with their registration process and even meets or takes them to the Smithfield Warehouse when they pick up their first order.

Lomandra School is located in a low socioeconomic area and Nable shared that it can be a whole family barrier that prevents a student attending, or succeeding at school. Good360 products are used to support the needs of the student at home as well as in their educational setting.

Students are involved in the process from choosing and ordering products, unpacking and deciding how they are to be used. In the case of a recent order for Mother’s Day, students then wrapped the gifts, using ribbons and wrapping also ordered from Good360, so that their mother, grandmother or carer would receive something special.

LEGO has been another great product for the school. Each classroom have their own kit and the students feel pride and achievement at the models they create, and display. Other useful items on the shopping list for Lomandra include gloves, hats and other protective equipment for outdoor and gardening activities as well as craft and art supplies.

Nable said: “Creative kids are engaged kids and Good360 products enable us to create opportunities for learning by supplying products to our school and other charities.”

Lomandra has creatively ordered in ways that have clothed family members who have an interview or a funeral to attend, a sibling requiring clothes or stationary for school, assisted the family with personal hygiene products or to celebrate a birthday or Christmas. Nable, along with the schools she refers, has a whole of life focus and is in tune with the needs of her students. Nable uses Good360 to facilitate problem solving.

“Teachers are grateful to Good360 as the products allow them to run extra activities at no personal cost, and kids are involved in the whole process creating empowerment as well as teaching the students another skill,” she says.

Large or small, charities across Australia have been using the products ordered from Good360 to reduce costs, and increase their impact in ways that not only improve their bottom line but also their service offerings.

The gift that is Good360 is continuing to gain momentum with every passing year, and keeps on giving to the individual charities, the people they support and the wider community. It’s the best birthday present anyone could ask for.

To find out more about Good360 and the benefits for your organisation, visit www.good360.org.au or phone the Giving Team on (02) 8594 3600.