When a leading non-profit organisation Oxfam Australia chose NAB as its bank late last year, it was the culmination of a lot of work by people across the bank.
“Any bank can deliver banking services,” said NAB banker Loretta Sallabanks. “We were able to show how NAB’s values aligned with the Oxfam values of climate justice, economic justice, gender justice and first nations justice. We were able to show all the great work that NAB is doing right across these areas,” Loretta said.
Loretta, a former investment banker, is now a relationship banker specialising in large non-profit clients. She had meetings with leaders at different levels of Oxfam Australia from the CEO down to understand the business and future opportunities and challenges.
At one of these meetings Khoi Cao-Lam, Oxfam Australia Director Capability & Impact, mentioned that Oxfam would be moving to new premises at 355 William St West Melbourne.
“We wanted to make a positive and welcoming office space, but we didn’t have a budget for the fit out,” Khoi said.
At the same time NAB was in the process of moving out of its building at 800 Bourke Street, Docklands in Melbourne. “The timing was perfect. I said ‘why don’t we find out if there is any furniture we can offer?’,” said Loretta.
Oxfam Australia will take more than 100 pieces of NAB furniture, from lockers, couches, desks, chairs and filing cabinets, and even a foosball table. Most other furniture left over from NAB’s move is being sold, donated to other charities or recycled.
“NAB’s high quality furniture will make our office space comfortable, functional and pleasant, and we can reserve our resources as much possible for our primary mission of alleviating poverty and inequality,” Khoi said.
“Using second-hand furniture also means that we can reduce the environmental impact of our office move,” he said.
This furniture donation is just the start. NAB and Oxfam Australia are planning skilled volunteering opportunities for NAB colleagues later this year.
“There are so many ways we can support our non-profit clients without writing a cheque: That creates a true partnership,” Loretta said.
“If you make a phone call there are so many people at NAB who want to support the non-profit sector,” she said.
Supporting with a Regular Gift
Oxfam Australia invites you to make a monthly donation and join a powerful community of supporters helping address poverty at its core.
Your support can help people like Margaret. Margaret lives in the Pacific with her four children in a community anxiously watching waters rise near their homes each cyclone season. Margaret knows that sea levels will continue to rise and make it impossible for them to survive where they live for much longer.
Your monthly donation can support Oxfam’s climate justice work in communities like Margaret’s by delivering training programs on climate resilient farming techniques, safe drinking water projects for communities whose wells are inundated by sea level rise and the relocation of farms away from low lying coastal areas.
