Business and Philanthropic Partnerships
Together with our partners and supporters we can go the extra mile.
Business and Philanthropic Partnerships
Thanks to our past and current partners we have evolved into the organisation we are today. Without partnerships our work would be much more difficult and some programs and projects simply wouldn’t happen.
Together with our partners and supporters we can go the extra mile for koalas.
Would you like to partner with us to save koalas from the brink of extinction? If you like to find out how we could work together, please get in touch with us today.
When you partner with Friends of the Koala, your contribution impacts koalas directly and is invested where it matters most and the need is greatest. We run the organisation with extremely low overheads due to the contribution of many highly qualified and skilled volunteers. This is combined with super efficient use of funds to make the most out of every dollar so we can strengthen our koala population currently threatened by extinction.
We work collaboratively with our partners on projects that matter most to koalas and design programs and projects around common interests and goals.
Why partner with us?
We offer unique opportunities to support koala conservation.
We are committed to sustainable, innovative and mutually beneficial partnerships with a shared purpose to deliver high and positive impact for koalas.
A partnership with us is not a “one size fits all” rather, it is tailored to your organisation’s needs as well as ours.
We can assist you to:
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Broaden your promotional reach and create a positive brand association with a trusted koala charity;
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Support and help reach your environmental, social and governance goals (ESG);
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Sustainably and authentically support collaborative programs with Indigenous Australians;
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Design projects to meet your philanthropic or corporate sustainability objectives;
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Build employee engagement programs and offer unique professional development opportunities and placements to your employees;
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Establish a meaningful payroll giving program.
We know and have what it takes to bring back koalas from the brink of extinction: experience, in-depth knowledge, longevity and hard work. All we need is support.
our work:
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is important and urgent. Koalas are officially an endangered species and need our support now.
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is of high quality and efficient: for example, The Friends of the Koala Hospital continues to tend to more sick and injured koalas than any other koala hospital on the East Coast of Australia.
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covers a significant geographic area: our region encompasses ten of the State’s 50 Areas of Regional Koala Significance (ARKS). It is a nationally significant stronghold for the koala’s survival.
Our passion and commitment for koalas is clear: we have a demonstrated track record of almost four decades championing the survival of koalas.
For more information about our work and reasons to partner with us please download our case for investment.
What do partnerships with us look like?
There are many different types of partnerships we engage in, here are a few examples. All have one thing in common, they further our mission.
Through a philanthropic partnership you can achieve direct impact and results in any area of koala conservation we are currently active in or you can discuss a specific project with us.
We work holistically and there are many different options to get involved in a meaningful way ranging from multi-year investments in one of our strategic programs to short term, one-off projects requiring immediate on-the-ground support.
Workplace Giving
Payroll giving is an excellent way of resourcing charities. Employers can also match employees donations dollar for dollar to increase the positive impact and encourage participation.
While we currently don’t have any specific resources in place to support a workplace giving program we are very happy to provide all necessary information about our work to Human Resources to support such a program and would welcome inclusion of Friends of the Koala in your existing payroll giving program.
We also have a monthly newsletter suitable as updates for employees who participate in a payroll giving program.
partner with us
For more information on how you can protect and support koalas through existing or tailor-made projects which meet your interests, please get in touch today.
Current partnerships
We are grateful to our current supporters and partners who invest in our work and help us get through challenges and lead us to success.
Below are a few examples.
Examples of partnerships
Summerland Bank
Summerland Bank has been a vital part of the Northern Rivers NSW community for over 60 years and counting. The Bank actively pursues environmental and socially sustainable business practices and aims to go beyond traditional definitions of sustainability to ensure the work and growth is ethical and responsible.
Summerland Bank is supporting Friends of the Koala in a variety of ways. Each branch in the Northern Rivers has adopted a koala, we receive cash donations and are working on other fundraising opportunities.
In partnership with the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutals (BCCM), G&C Mutual Bank and the Australian Mutuals Foundation, Summerland Bank raised $210,000 to provide small grants to local charities and community groups to help them recover from the impact of floods of which Friends of the Koala were a beneficiary. Read more.
SimplyClean Australia
SimplyClean Australia are a local manufacturer of eco and healthy cleaning products, has been a long term supporter of Friends of the Koala.
Five cents from every SimplyClean product sold, Australia-wide and elsewhere, goes to Friends of the Koala. So far, SimplyClean have donated over $65,000 and provide all our cleaning products as well, which saves us further money. All SimplyClean products are made here in Lismore, are plant-based, toxin and sensitiser free and use local pure essential oils for a natural cleaning boost! Read more.
Bunnings
Bunnings is committed to participating in the communities in which they operate by contributing to local, regional and national causes, charities and organisations throughout Australia and New Zealand.
In 2023, members of the Bunnings leadership team from across the state visited us on-site to lay over forty metres of pathway in our new koala runs and potting 250 koala food trees in our Nursery. The team also donated and installed a new and much needed clothesline for our Koala Hospital, trimmed and cut brances of gum leaf for koala feeding, cleared a large area for fire hazard reduction and donated forty-eight umbrellas that have been super at providing shelter for our volunteers and koalas.
The project involved time, effort and financial investment and we thank Bunnings for the commitment to meaningful and active participation in the community. Read more.
QML Vetnostics
QML Vetnostics is helping to support the health care of koalas by providing pathology services at zero cost up to $5,000 for the calendar year.
QML Vetnostics is a team of highly qualified and specialised veterinary pathologists with combined pathology experience of over 165 years, enabling us to offer our veterinary clients a dedicated, exemplary and unrivalled pathology service. QML Vetnostics services veterinarians throughout Queensland and Northern New South Wales. The service offers a wide range of veterinary testing, including haematology, biochemistry, microbiology, serology, endocrinology, cytology and histopathology including a broad array of immunohistochemical stains. Read more.
Tony & Lisette Lewis Foundation
The Tony & Lisette Lewis Foundation has donated two vans and pays for the running costs including petrol and registration of these vans. The funds are provided through their Wildlife Link program and we are very grateful for this support. Read more.
Charity Partnership
We couldn’t do our work without the amazing support of our charity partners. For example, WWF and IFAW have partnered with Friends of the Koala over multiple years and provided operational funds. IFAW has funded the wages for the veterinarians working in our Koala Hospital in full over the initial three years. WWF has provided funds for the expansion of our Koala Hospital through their partnership with Koala furniture over multiple years: provide funding for a habitat restoration project; contributed funds towards our electric vehicle including registration and petrol costs and underwritten the wages for our Volunteer Coordinator.
