Donor Love – Civil Geotechnical Consultants
This month, we’re saying thank you to our donors, who give so kindly to support children in foster care.
Continuing on with our Donor Love series, we’re excited to introduce our friends at Civil Geotechnical Consultants (CGC). We sat down with the amazing Holly, who is Head of Corporate Services at CGC, to ask her some questions about why they get involved.
So, who are Civil Geotechnical Consultants (CGC)?
CGC is a geotechnical engineering consultancy. They are driven by a profit for purpose model, and are Australia’s only certified engineering social enterprise.
So what does that mean? Well, they’re committed to investing half of their profit into social impact programs and initiatives that improve learning opportunities for young people facing disadvantage. As part of their four pillars approach to social investment, CGC has partnered with us in many ways, to support our mission of providing education to children in foster care.
What is their four pillar approach?
CGC’s social impact framework is comprised of four key pillars: building confidence, building knowledge, building pathways, and building financial stability.
- Building Confidence: CGC staff mentor young people, fund mentoring programs, and provide support to community groups in need. They also sponsor STEM clubs and science fairs, encouraging young people to get involved and build their confidence.
- Building Knowledge: CGC supports STEM learning opportunities for young people by providing access to workshops, training programs, and they run a fabulous STEM for Everyone program with UQ. These initiatives provide opportunities for young people to engage in STEM in a fun way. P.S. Stay tuned for more on this, coming soon!
- Building Pathways: CGC supports young people on their pathway toward further learning opportunities and employment. They sponsor scholarships for students going on to university, and also full university scholarships for young people facing disadvantage. Further, they provide training and internship programs for young people who are interested in pursuing a career in engineering related fields.
- Building Financial Stability: CGC donates to organisations and hardship funds where young people are unable to pay for things such as uniforms, fees, extra-curricular activities, formals, excursions, etc. CGC’s goal is to help build financial stability for families in need.
These pillars align perfectly with our work at The Pyjama Foundation, creating an amazing partnership with CGC!
Why do CGC love to get involved, and how do they support kids in care?
CGC’s Ian Thompson (Director – Principal Geotechnical Engineer ), who is a PJ Angel, played a pivotal role in connecting CGC and The Pyjama Foundation. CGC was already looking for ways to give back to the community and was searching for a suitable partner when Ian introduced them to our mission. The partnership aligned well with CGC’s goal of creating opportunities for young people facing disadvantage, and they loved the idea of supporting kids in care.
Throughout our incredible partnership, CGC has provided essential support to our Love of Learning and Teen Life Skills Programs. They matched donations for our 2021 and 2022 Christmas appeals, and were the Gold Event Sponsor for our Big Dreams Gala Ball. Additionally, they contribute in other meaningful ways, by running experiments, workshops, and learning opportunities for the young people in our Programs.
CGC go above and beyond to support kids in care, and in Holly’s words:
“For us it is important not just to throw money at a cause, but to do something more than that and understand the impact it brings.”
Do CGC get to see the impact of their donations?
“We can see the impact The Pyjama Foundation is making through the stories and case studies, reading the evidenced based research and being involved ourselves. We definitely feel like we’re contributing to that,” says Holly.
As The Pyjama Foundation continues to measure and evaluate our impact, CGC supports the importance of this. Being a social enterprise themselves, CGC need to show that their social investments are contributing to positive social outcomes, which is why they are selective when choosing social partners. Thus, our partnership enables them to do this, while aligning with their goals and values!
“There is a real synergy with what The Pyjama Foundation does, and how that translates for CGC’s impact. We welcome any opportunities that The Pyjama Foundation bring us. It is a fantastic partnership, which we hope will continue for a long time to come!”
Thank you Civil Geotechnical Consultants!
CGC love their partnership with The Pyjama Foundation and trust us – it goes both ways! We are so grateful for their incredible support, and the ways in which they continue to champion the education of kids in care. They continue to show us the care, dedication, and commitment to supporting disadvantaged young people and positive social change. Because of their amazing contributions, the educational and social outcomes of many children in our Programs has changed for the better.
Thank you Civil Geotechnical Consultants! Your support is so meaningful.
Stay tuned over the next few weeks to hear more stories from incredible donors just like CGC! We are so excited to continue recognising the amazing people and organisations who support children in care.
Feeling inspired to get involved? Learn more about supporting The Pyjama Foundation here!
