Strong communities don’t happen by chance. They are built when businesses, community leaders and local people choose to invest in the places where they live and work.
That was the focus of the recent Geelong Chamber of Commerce June Connect, proudly sponsored by Geelong Community Foundation, where more than 140 business and community leaders came together to explore how business, philanthropy and community leadership can work together to create lasting local impact.
Facilitated by Geelong Chamber Chair and Geelong Women’s Impact Collective Founding Member Renee Jovic, the discussion encouraged attendees to look beyond the day-to-day demands of business and consider the important role organisations can play in helping create a more connected, fair and thriving Geelong community.
Geelong Community Foundation CEO Amy Waters shared insights into the growing challenges facing our region, highlighting that while Geelong continues to grow, many people continue to experience disadvantage through homelessness, family violence, unemployment and financial hardship.
She also reflected on what local generosity has already made possible.
For more than 25 years, Geelong Community Foundation has connected local generosity with local need, distributing more than $18 million in grants and scholarships to local organisations creating lasting change across Greater Geelong, Surf Coast, Golden Plains and Queenscliffe.
Joining Amy on the panel were Matt Cowdell (Arthur St Digital), whose business has established a Corporate Named Fund with Geelong Community Foundation, and Lauren Hogan (Fruition Recruitment), a Founding Member of the Geelong Women’s Impact Collective. Together they shared why investing in their community has become an important part of their business and leadership journey, demonstrating that businesses of all sizes can play a meaningful role in creating positive local impact.
Their experiences reinforced that businesses don’t need to create new solutions on their own. By partnering with trusted local organisations that understand community need and have established pathways for giving, businesses can contribute in ways that align with their values, capacity and desired impact.
Whether through workplace giving, corporate partnerships, Corporate Named Funds, collective giving initiatives such as P500 and the Geelong Women’s Impact Collective, or other forms of philanthropy, businesses have an opportunity to help strengthen the communities where their employees live, their customers work and their futures are built.
Thank you to the Geelong Chamber of Commerce for creating the opportunity to bring our business community together for this important conversation, and to Renee Jovic, Matt Cowdell and Lauren Hogan for generously sharing their insights and leadership.
Strong businesses and strong communities grow together. By investing in the places where we live and work, businesses can help create a more connected, fair and thriving Geelong community for everyone.
If your business is looking to create lasting local impact, Geelong Community Foundation offers a range of ways to give that create meaningful change for our region.
Learn more about ways your business can give: https://www.geelongfoundation.org/ways-to-give/
