Why is charity important to us?
The purpose of the Sirius People Charity Committee is to give back to the community, and raise awareness and funds for the causes we are passionate about. We believe in supporting ALL people's success, including those less fortunate.
Since Sirius People began in 2003, giving back to the community has played a huge role in who we are as a company. For many of our consultants, the main draw of working in recruitment is helping people every day. To us, we’re not just finding a job for an individual or filling a role for a client - we’re supporting people’s success. This dedication extends beyond our offices.
Every year, we participate and donate to a number of charitable organisations in Australia. We also encourage our team to let us know about any causes they’re passionate about.
Our Siriusly Charitable Team sent around a survey to our consultants to see what charitable causes they were most passionate about. This year, Sirius People will primarily participate and donate to charities with a focus on mental health, homelessness and vulnerable children, the environment, domestic violence and cancer.
Here are some of the causes we've supported recently:
Western Health Emergency Response Fund
Our partner, Western Health, reached out to us as they urgently needed to raise funds for their Western Health Emergency Response Fund in anticipation of COVID-19. Whilst the team at Western Health is well prepared for the potential increase in demand for emergency health services, they needed to be prepared for resources being tested and stretched, as it's unclear how long the pandemic will last.
To raise awareness and funds for the organisation, we partook in our first ever Sirius Triathlon, where our team pledged to run 130 km, cycle 250 km, and do 30 hours of yoga per week over the course of four weeks. We shared our mileage and funds raised on our social media using the hashtag #ItsUpToUs.
Our internal team and wider Sirius People network raised nearly $800 for much-needed personal protective equipment for the doctors, nurses and allied health and support staff of Western Health. Learn more about the initiative here.
Seaforth FC Sponsorship
We are an official partner of the Seaforth Football Club, one of the largest football clubs on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. This year, we are sponsoring the club's flagship teams: the Men's Premier League, the Women's All Age teams and our CEO Steve's U6 team. We are also donating an additional $1,000 to Seaforth for every new customer created through our referral scheme. To learn more about our sponsorship program, please fill in our sponsorship details form.
Australian Red Cross
Our team at Sirius People were saddened and horrified to hear about the devastation caused by the 2019/2020 bush fires, which destroyed 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres) of land across the country, as of May 2020, and have affected millions of Australians and killed over a billion animals.
We wanted to show our support and solidarity with the brave firefighters who spent the months tirelessly fighting these bushfires, and the affected families who had to evacuate and rebuild their communities. To do so, we raised just shy of $1,100 for the Australian Red Cross, who supported those affected with shelter, emergency funding, psychological aid and long-term recovery, as well as supporting volunteers.
Port Macquarie Koala Hospital
To continue supporting those affected by the 2020 Australian bushfires, our team also hosted an internal ‘Bring A Plate & Donate’ day, where consultants brought in food to share amongst ourselves and made a contribution to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.
As the Port Macquarie area was one of the most populated areas in New South Wales for Koalas and sadly one of the hardest hit areas by the bushfires, the Koala Hospital was rescuing, treating and rehabilitating our marsupial friends whose home was impacted by the bushfire. We raised $140 by the end of the day to support the hospital and its initiatives.
Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon
For our 16 year anniversary, a small team from Sirius People ran in the Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon 2019 to raise funds for Hands Across The Water. We have worked with the charity a few times to raise funds for their latest project, Hands Designs, which is a sustainable revenue stream for their orphanages.
This year, our consultants raised over $2250 for the cause. To learn more about the initiative, click here.
Wollongong Ride
Every November, Jeremy is joined by a small team from Sirius People to bike 82 km to raise funds for people living with multiple sclerosis through The MS Gong Ride. The course begins in Tempe, passes through Stanwell Tops, the Royal National Park, Sea Cliff Bridge, and finishes in Wollongong.
This year, our team raised over $2,350 for the cause.
Fiver For A Farmer
Farmers across Australia are facing record dry conditions. As costs spiral and conditions worsen, children are missing school to help out on their farms and some families are struggling to put food on the table.
Although we missed the awareness day on August 13, it's never too late to raise awareness and money for a good cause. On August 31, 2018, the Sirius offices dressed up as farmers and brought in "a fiver for a farmer" for the cause. Sirius People will also be participating in Sober October, with all expenses that would've been spent on the office beer fridge going to Australian farmers.
OzChild
OzChild is the longest-serving charitable organization for children and families in Victoria. Now a national charity, OzChild supports vulnerable children across Australia and offers a number of services including foster care, and disability, Indigenous and education services.
On July 6, 2018, a team from Sirius People played in the Recruitment World Cup to raise funds for the charity. Sadly, Team Sirius did not win the tournament, but we did win the trophy for “Team That Donated The Most Money”. Our company donated over $2,600 for OzChild, with more than $15K raised overall!
Darkness Into Light | Pieta House
Darkness Into Light (DIL) is an annual walk that takes place around the world at sunrise to raise awareness and funds to help those who self-harm or are in suicidal distress. The event is hosted by Pieta House, a Dublin-based charitable organization that is mainly run by fundraising and volunteers.
On May 12th, 2018, a small team from Sirius People joined 150,000 others from around the world to walk in support of this incredible charity and fundraised over $500 for the cause.
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea | Cancer Council
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is an annual charity event that raises funds to support those affected by cancer, disease prevention, cancer research, and advocate for changes in law and policy to reduce cancer risks and improve cancer care.
On May 24, 2018, our Sydney and Melbourne offices joined Cancer Council for the second time in raising funds for this amazing charitable organization. We brought in our best tea, cakes and finger sandwiches, and raised over $100 both years!
Hands Across The Water
Hands Across The Water was originally formed in response to the countless Thai children who were left homeless and alone by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Since then, it’s become a charitable organization that gives at-risk Thai children and communities a helping hand. Their projects are tailored to meet each community’s long-term needs.
Best of all, 100% of donations go directly to the kids and their communities. No donations go toward administration, staff costs, marketing or fundraising in Australia.
On April 3rd, 2017, Sirius People joined the charity’s annual Ride To Provide cycling challenge. For 5 days, our consultants and management rode over 1,000 km on two stationary bikes in the office, raising over $5,000. All donations from the cycling challenge were sent to sponsor Kannika through her final year of university.
Thanks to our friends at Harvey Norman, Hisense and Smeg, Sirius People also ran two major prize raffles in tandem with Ride To Provide to raise even more money for Kannika. For every $50 donated, donors received a raffle ticket and went into the draw of their choice to win one of two prizes.
The first raffle prize was a 50” Hisense UHD Series 3 Television with 4K Ultra High Definition. The second raffle prize was a 60 cm stainless steel 15 place settings Smeg dishwasher.
