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Welcome Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.Victor HugoAs we shiver through this very cold winter it’s easy to retreat into head down work mode and not notice the signicant contribution we as a team at CI make into the communities in which we live and work. Whether you are logging in from home or sat at your desk on Collins Street, CI’s relationship-based Philanthropy Program is also hard at work.Our approach to philanthropy means we amplify CI Sta Fund donations through the ‘network eect’ and by providing the opportunity for boardroom presentation as well as rolling up our sleeves to volunteer. Through these actions, CI’s support for our grant partners increases exponentially and has a vitally important, positive impact on some of the most vulnerable members of our community.It’s my intention that this quarter’s Investing in Impact newsletter gives you the opportunity to lift your gaze a little and see all the good work CI’s Philanthropy Program is doing out in in the community in your name, every day. I hope you all feel proud to be a part of CI and its philanthropy program, it really is more than words on a wall.Sta Fund FY 2022 Distributions The CI Philanthropy Committee had a busy FY22 approving $400,000 in donations to 25 worthy organisations and a couple of dedicated fundraising sta members.As a reminder CI’s Philanthropy Program provides grants to charities working in the following focus areas – 1 Social Enterprise ProgramSupports social enterprises and aligns the ethos of CI Way investing with CI Way philanthropic support. Social enterprises exist to change the world for the better. The goal of the Social Impact Fund is to support innovative, mission driven social enterprise organisations. We seek to support organisations that are helmed by inspiring leaders with drive, purpose and passion who have an intimate understanding of the social problem they are seeking to address and how it can be solved.WINTER 20222 Mental Health Strategic Partnerships Program Builds on the Hearts and Minds LIC distributions to research organisations by supporting Mental Health Charities that provide frontline services in the community that deliver early intervention initiatives and provide increased access to appropriate care. Our goal in supporting these organisations is so they can build a cohesive community with ourishing mental health and wellbeing where people are free from stigma for seeking mental health care and no longer face discrimination in the community or workplace.3 International InitiativesContinues our long history of providing support to overseas aid organisations. This program also supports initiatives that make it easier for Australians to send charitable dollars overseas and ensure that funding will go to legitimate, eective organisations making positive changes to the people and communities most in need.4 Matched FundingTo support sta members’ fundraising initiatives supporting charitable causes.A Real Investment in ImpactIn addition to the above programs, the CI Philanthropy Committee also approved its rst philanthropic impact investment through a convertible note.This exciting impact investment opportunity was in support of the charitable organisation AbilityMade. Investing in ImpactAbilityMade is a purpose driven medical technology company that is now entering a period of signicant growth. To fund this, they were looking to raise up to $1 million via
a convertible note. AbilityMade harnesses the power of 3D technologies to design and manufacture one of the top 50 most needed assistive devices globally – custom-made lower limb orthoses. Children with physical disabilities need these lower limb orthoses to walk independentlyThe CI Sta Fund made an impact investment of $20,000 with the intention that the $20,000 + prot would be returned to the CI Sta Fund in the future. These funds will then be used to make more grants to support more charities in the CI Philanthropy Program.Charity ChampionsWe make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.Winston ChurchillIn Focus: Blue Dragon Blue Dragon received one of the rst donations from the CI Sta Fund in 2008 and we are still incredibly proud supporters 14 years later. Blue Dragon’s purpose is to provide exceptional care to Vietnamese children and families in crisis while creating long-term change for a better world.Blue Dragon now serves the needs of over 10,000 highly disadvantaged children and families, including children and youth who have been tracked; street children; and children with disabilities. Their mission is driven by a belief in development, not charity and the Blue Dragon team works to help children develop fully as they grow. They do this through providing a broad range of experiences and opportunities. Rather than simply providing a handout, they provide a hand-up for those who choose to better their circumstances and themselves.Here are a couple of recent examples of Blue Dragon living their values by doing just this.Hoa has been struggling for years to have a regular income. A mother of two daughters, she knows how important it is to have a stable job.Today she nally has just that. With some nancial training and seed funding, Hoa has set up a banh mi (sandwich) stall and is serving her happy customers every day.And Quan, a father of two boys, has a similar story. After many years of hardship, his new porridge stall is already earning enough money that the family no longer needs help to pay their rent.Hoa and Quan are just 2 of the 27 disadvantaged families Blue Dragon has helped to establish a small business this year!Blue Dragon visits CIIn May 2022, CI hosted an inspiring morning tea where we heard from Blue Dragon’s Founder and Strategic Director Michael Brosowski. 25 sta members came for morning tea supplied by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre’s catering social enterprise to listen as Michael addressed the question “Is it possible to end human tracking?”.In this interactive one hour session that included a live cross to Blue Dragon Vietnam to hear from co-CEO, Do Duy Vi, Michael unpacked Blue Dragon’s audacious vision and plans for ending human tracking in Vietnam. As bold as this goal may be, Blue Dragon are working on the answer to this question and believe they owe it to every victim of human tracking to take on the challenge.In this session we learnt about the Blue Dragon team’s vision and 10 year plan to tackle tracking prevention head on and through their passion we could clearly see how they will achieve this truly transformational change.Blue Dragon in the CI Boardroom
Soul in the Game That’s what I consider true generosity: You give your all, and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing.Simone de BeauvoirIn this section we cover the philanthropic initiatives that CI participates in beyond donations.CI Goes VolunteeringThe CI team recently volunteered at St Kilda Mums, an organisation whose mission is a future where we waste less, share more and care for every baby and child.As part of a volunteering team, CI sta members really ‘walk the talk’ and get their hands dirty cleaning up donated goods to make an impact in the lives of new families doing it tough.The CI team at St Kilda MumsWe know poverty has increased and disadvantaged families are struggling with the cost of everyday living, let alone the essentials every child needs. A recent report from the Australian Council of Social Services shows that at September 2021 there was a 25 per cent increase of families on welfare than before the pandemic began.To coincide with National Volunteering week, a team of CI volunteering went to the St Kilda Mum’s Clayton Warehouse to be part of a solution that helps nearly 12,000 babies and children per year receive essential nursery items and equipment.This was such a great way to spend a chilly May morning. As the St Kilda Mums team told us on the day, they can’t do what they do without the support of volunteers. The work the team did on the day - picking, packing, cleaning and sorting will have an immediate impact on Victorian families doing it tough this winter.HUGE shout out and thank you to our volunteers – Cli, Emily, Jackson, Joseph, John, Tom, Trish, Suzanne, Warren and Nicole.
Coming up in the Spring Edition of ‘Investing in Impact’:CI in the Community – Hally’s run for Parkinson’s ResearchCI Committee in Focus – Sarah WickhamVolunteering OpportunitiesCI’s values continuing to making a dierence out in the communityCI Philanthropy Committee in FocusIn this section we hear personal accounts of what philanthropy means to CI Team members participating on the CI Sta Fund.In Focus – John HortopOver the past few of years, I have had the amazing opportunity to be a Foster carer. This has given me rst-hand experience with children in our society from underprivileged backgrounds. Seeing how vulnerable yet resilient these children can be and learning how to best support them has been a steep learning curve. Being able to care for and support children when they need it the most has been a humbling experience. Seeing rst-hand the long-term eects and damage that can be done to a neglected and unsupported child was truly eye opening and heartbreaking. It is a privilege to work at CI and participate in a giving program that thoughtfully provides much needed support and capital to programs and enterprises. To support the workers on the ground who are providing care, services and encouragement to those who need it the most. I believe the children and the youth of our society are our future and there should not be a stigma against those dealing with underprivilege and poverty. I feel a sense of pride and honour to participate in CI’s program that supports those people who work to make signicant change in numerous lives. For all of who are privileged enough to be working at CI, the concept of philanthropy has to be holistic. It is wonderful that we have the ability to provide capital, but that is not all we should do. It is amazing to hear about the people that are supported by CI’s philanthropy. To hear them share their passions and experiences allows us to participate in their journeys and build our understandings further.I had the opportunity to visit Orygen recently, who are doing amazing work in the area of youth mental health. They are leading important research bridged with clinical care and providing support to the vulnerable youth in our society that grapple with mental health issues. They are allowing access to mental health services to those who would otherwise miss out. They are also developing programs that provide wider access to care in the community and tackling the outrageous wait time to access clinical care. This is something that I have experienced rsthand as we found it near impossible to get timely mental health support for the foster children in our care.Throughout my giving journey, I have had the opportunity to volunteer at Foodbank Victoria, providing food for people in need. I have had the privilege of hearing the stories of asylum seekers cooking for ‘Free To Feed’, a social enterprise providing employment opportunities for asylum seekers and refugees. Most recently, a group of CI employees had the chance to help out at the warehouse of St Kilda Mums, a charity which provides rehomed essentials to in-need children.I have been able to listen to people such as Bernie Shakeshaft, who heads up youth support charity BackTrack, and Michael Brosowski and Do Duy Vi from Blue Dragon, who do amazing work on the ground in Vietnam helping get kids o the streets and out of slavery. These people are heroes that strive to help Get InvolvedDue to our long commitment to philanthropy, we are now uniquely positioned to demonstrate the brand attributes of Cooper Investors as leaders in the practice of philanthropy as well as champions of the charitable sector more broadly, enabling sector capacity development and growth. If you would like to get involved and know more about the CI Sta Fund, the CI Philanthropy Committee, Social Enterprises or our Mental Health funding, please get in touch! I’d love to have a coee with you and talk all things Philanthropy, the CI Way.Nicole Engelman, July 2022E nengelman@cooperinvestors.com T 0439910870 John Hortop volunteeringthose that are vulnerable in our society every day. It is inspiring to hear these people talk and it forces us to contemplate how we can all do more for those less fortunate.It has been such a rewarding experience and valuable opportunity to participate and give to those in need. It allows me to see and reect my own privilege in society. It is also highlights that there are many people in this world that do not have the same opportunities in life who have experienced trauma that is incomprehensible.It is amazing to work within the team at CI who are so committed to giving back to society. Hopefully we have only just scratched the surface of what we can do to make our world a better place for all people.