Through the Community Leave and Workplace Giving initiatives, employees are encouraged to support local causes that are of interest and importance to them. They offer all employees the opportunity to actively participate in their community in the way that they choose, by either sharing their time and skills, or by making a financial contribution.

Community Leave offers all Rabobank employees fully paid leave to volunteer their time with non-profit organisations in their community. To date employees have used this opportunity to work with the aged, youth and the disabled, to get involved with fundraising and to share their professional skills.

Workplace Giving offers employees the opportunity to make regular donations to a selection of charities which benefit the local community. Employees also play a major role in selecting the charities to benefit and Rabobank then matches these donations dollar-for-dollar. The charities nominated by employees across Australia are -

• Cancer Council Australia
• Care Australia
• Children's Cancer Institute Australia
• Inspire Foundation
• Landcare Australia
• Royal Flying Doctor Service
• Starlight Children's Foundation
• The Salvation Army

Community Partnerships

In addition to supporting our workplace giving partners, at Rabobank we are committed to working with community organisations to help them achieve their goals.

Country Education Foundation of Australia (CEFA)

Showing a commitment to social responsibility the bank has partnered with Country Education Foundation of Australia to deliver the Rabobank Young Rural Leaders Summit.

Rabobank is the major funder of 35 annual scholarships for young people across rural Australia. The Rabobank Young Rural Leaders Summit makes a tangible positive impact on local rural communities through the development of youth aged between 16 and 18 years. These ‘young leaders’ are chosen based on the leadership qualities they demonstrate in their school and local community. All attendees come from communities where a local Country Education Foundation is active.

Developed and facilitated by Outward Bound Australia, the Summit provides an intensive seven-day program enabling participants to gain greater levels of self-awareness, confidence, leadership and team work skills as well as problem-solving and time management. Following the Summit each participant is encouraged to develop and implement a community-based project.

CEFA was established in 1998 to foster further education, career and personal development opportunities for rural youth through community-based encouragement and financial assistance. Through its network of rural communities, known as Local Community Education Foundations, CEFA’s model aims to help these local community foundations support rural youth to achieve their post-high school education and vocational goals.

To date, it has provided more than 800 grants to rural youth, totalling almost $800,000, for initiatives as broad as jackerooing, music, medicine, science, trades, teaching and vet nursing. CEFA is not funded by government, but is supported through private and corporate philanthropy and champions rural communities to take charge of their own futures.

CEFA Partnership Media Release

Visit www.cef.org.au to learn more about CEFA

Australian Business & Community Network

As part of the Australian Business & Community Network (ABCN) we work alongside a group of 16 companies in Sydney, to build awareness of key social issues and to engage in projects that have a real impact on social problems.

Key to the ABCN partnership is Rabobank's involvement in the Growing Opportunities and Learning Skills (GOALS) Year 9 mentoring program that focuses on education in areas of social disadvantage. The GOALS program aims to raise awareness of the wider range of personal, educational and vocational choices available to Year 9 students through structured mentoring by business professionals, within a group environment.

Royal Flying Doctor Service

In line with our commitment to rural communities Rabobank is proud to partner with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). Employees can donate money to the service through our workplace giving initiative and in 2006 Rabobank strengthened this partnership by becoming a founding member of the 'Friends of the RFDS' aircraft replacement program. This program aims to raise much needed funds to replace existing aircraft and provide a sound capital base for the future.

For further information contact sydney.webmaster@rabobank.com.