Bendigo and Adelaide Bank
In response to the 2019-20 summer bushfire, the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s charitable arm, the Community Enterprise Foundation (CEF) launched its Bushfire Disaster Appeal in partnership with the Salvation Army and the Victorian state government.
The appeal has raised over $46 million from 145,002 donations with more than 118,000 people donating online and more than 25,000 donating at bank branches.
At its peak, more than $3.4 million in donations were processed in a single day.
Every dollar raised was directed towards bushfire recovery benefiting those who most needed it. CEF staff worked 7 days a week for most of January to meet increased demand, amounting to an extra 300 hours worked across the month. Other parts of the business also worked around the clock, beyond their daily roles, to facilitate community donations.
The appeal complemented the bank’s support package for bushfire-affected customers which included loan relief, discounted interest rates on personal loans and support for emergency funds.
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank CEO Marnie Baker said: “Bendigo Bank has not been immune to the challenges of 2020. For our business though, our strong values have guided how we are leading through this period and, importantly, supporting our customers and communities in their time of need.’’
“To be meaningful, values must be matched by behaviour. The way our organisation and people responded to the Black Summer bushfires demonstrates our dedication to going above and beyond for our customers and communities.
“The significant impact our appeal has had in bushfire-affected communities is directly attributable to the energy, responsiveness and dedication of our people,’’ she said.
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