As part of a “revolutionary program” that aims to invest more than $100 million into addressing youth disadvantage in Australia by 2020, media and marketing industry foundation UnLtd has secured 10 'social impact partnerships' for 2017.
The partnerships, with ARN, Bauer Media, Google, GroupM, IPG Mediabrands, Mamamia, Network Ten, OMD, The Media Store and Yahoo7, will match the talent, professional expertise and corporate social responsibility goals of the businesses with the specific needs of selective organisations focused on addressing youth disadvantage.
Each partnership comprises three key elements; strategically aligning with one or more of UnLtd’s charity partners; establishing specific projects across 2017 that deliver mutual benefit, and measuring the real social impact of each project and engagement.
The UnLtd charity partners are selected based on their impact and effectiveness across key issues including mental health, drug and alcohol addiction, homelessness, literacy and education, sexual and domestic abuse.
According to Paul Fisher, CEO of UnLtd, a recent industry survey found that 84% of respondents stated they believe the media, marketing and advertising industry can and should be doing more to positively impact society.
“Our launch partners are leading the charge to unite our industry around a big and unacceptable social issue that we are ideally skilled and resourced to address with real impact and measurable success,” Fisher says.
“We are delighted they have come on board and we know from experience that not only will hundreds of thousands of young lives be improved, but the partner companies and their staff will experience hugely rewarding and often life-changing experiences themselves.”
The partnerships will encompass creative fundraising, brand building and community engagement activities along with skilled volunteering to address the specific needs of each charity partner. Value will be contributed and measured across services and resources delivered, time contributed and direct financial contributions.
Ten Network CEO Paul Anderson, says Ten has partnered with UnLtd since October 2014, working to connect and engage its staff with a dozen youth-focused charities around the country.
“The work UnLtd and its partners are doing is making a real difference in the lives of many young Australians and helping to tackle many key social issues,” Anderson says.
Managing director of Google Australia, Jason Pellegrino, agrees, saying that Google strongly believes that technology can play a big part in solving big, real life problems.
“We are really pleased to support the important work that UnLtd is doing collectively on behalf of Australia's media industry to help young people in need, through efforts ranging from mental health support to literacy and education.”
Any corporation operating in the Australian media and marketing industry interested in finding out more about joining the UnLtd social impact program can email Rachel Troy.
Last month the annual UNLtd charity clash raised $65,000 for UnLtd, which will go towards the youth charity BackTrack and Breast Cancer Network Australia in support of Mindshare's chief investment officer Nicola Lewis. Check out the photo gallery here.
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