Generosity extends to our community tooWe are proud of our association with organisations that promote ideas similar to Sydney Mutual Bank. We are particularly selective in our partner programs as they must demonstrate a benefit to the community, hence working with:
|
Join us |
Newtown JetsSydney Mutual Bank is proud to be the major sponsor of the Newtown Jets, the oldest rugby league club in Australia. This sponsorship is a first for Sydney Mutual Bank and the Jets, which was secured at the start of the 2012 Rugby League season. The Newtown Rugby League Football Club is in its 112th year of competition. Sydney Mutual Bank is very excited to be supporting one of Sydney's most iconic sporting organisations . They play at Henson Park, Marrickville and are one of the most supported and well known teams in the NSW cup, acting as feeder club to the Cronulla Sharks. This sponsorship represents our commitment to benefit local community interests, especially in Sydney's Inner West and Western Suburbs, where so many of our members reside. Just like Sydney Mutual Bank, the Newtown Jets have a long and proud history in Sydney and they continue to enjoy widespread recognition and support among followers of rugby league. The Sydney Mutual Bank logo appears prominently placed on the front of their jersey and also on the front pf Parkes Leagues Club, their affilated club in Parkes, Central NSW. Click here to find out more about the Newtown Jets, including upcoming matches and the results Coogee Surf Life Saving ClubSydney Mutual Bank believes the Coogee Surf Life Saving Club offers a real sense of community spirit. The club offers a great way to meet new people, support the community, keep fit or just have fun. We have been long-time supporters of Coogee Surf Clubs IRB area. The IRB is known as the surf clubs most visible and effective surf life saving tool on any beach and are affectionately known as ‘rubber duckies’. Support from us is an integral component to running these invaluable life saving tools. We offer each year a Scholarship which is awarded to a club volunteer who is doing some sort of full time study and offering his/her time to this fantastic community safety organisation. School Scholarships
We are concerned about youth and provide school scholarships to schools in our local communities. The winner of the awards are chosen by each of the participating school and the criteria is set by each individual school and mainly are given to either year ten or twelve students.
Community SupportSupport of local community minded clubs:
Support for Worthwhile CausesSydney Mutual Bank is proud to support the following worthwhile causes/charity inititives: |
As part of our commitment to social responsibility and in support of the ideals that the mutual industry is built upon, we established the Australian Mutuals Foundation (AMF).
The primary purpose of Australian Mutuals Foundation (AMF) to provide a vehicle for Australian Mutual Bank and other mutuals to assist children and youth at risk in Australia and to alleviate poverty in some of the poorest communities in South East Asia and the Pacific by creating sustainable cooperative financial organisations. The AMF will also provide a facility for Australian Mutual Bank members and the general public to accept donations when a natural disaster is declared in Australia, South East Asia, or the South Pacific.
The AMF is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.
Through Barnardos Australia, the AMF’s domestic activities will provide financial support for programs that assist children and youth who are at risk of abuse or neglect, or who are disadvantaged by lack of housing, medical care or education.
|
|
|
Barnardos is Australia’s leading child protection charity providing foster care and children’s family and youth services. Barnardos Australia believes that many children become abused and neglected when parents do not have the resources to raise children. They are often stressed by poverty, social isolation, mental illness, violence in families or drug and alcohol usage. Barnardos programs directly improve the lives of abused and neglected children.
The AMF also supports Barnardos Reconnect Program which is a project aimed at assisting disadvantaged children and youth in the greater Sydney area who are vulnerable and isolated, and experiencing homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse and breakdown in family relationships.
From the 1 January 2017, the AMF has agreed to fund Barnardos activities with $100,000 per year for three years. This commitment would not be possible without the financial support from Australian Mutual Bank. The AMF is now one of the top 10 supporters of Barnardos Australia.
The AMF’s international activities are intended to provide financial support to programs that encourage the growth of sustainable cooperative financial systems, using the cooperative credit union model, for developing countries in South East Asia and the South Pacific.
International Credit Union Development Programs
The credit union cooperative model aims to provide a structure for the provision of basic banking services, and education in the value of regular saving and the wise use of credit. The AMF plans to provide financial support to activities conducted by the Asian Confederation of Credit Unions (ACCU). ACCU represents credit unions/co-operatives and have over 31 million members.
ACCU presently delivers credit union development programs in Laos, Myanmar and Bhutan.
Laos – (with financial support from ten Australian mutuals and the Rabobank Foundation) The development of twenty-five credit unions in northern Laos provides affordable banking services and financial literacy skills to some of Asia’s poorest communities. There are 10,000 saving members, with 35% of these being women. The ACCU project aims to improve financial outcomes and lift communities out of poverty, and assist with staff training programs, policies and processes to ensure a robust foundation for growth and development.
Myanmar – (with support of United Nations Capital Development Fund UNCDF) Twenty five new and existing savings and credit cooperatives have been formed or strengthened, with a total outreach of 50,000 savers, of whom at least 50% are women, and at least 50% are in rural areas.
Bhutan – (with support from ten Australian Mutuals) This project is in its infancy and is designed to enable rural communities to have access to affordable financial services to improve the quality of their lives by the promotion and development of the first credit cooperatives in Bhutan. The potential outreach for the project is 50,000 savers.
The credit union concept was not at all well known among the youth of Luangnamtha province, until a village meeting was convened in 2010 by the Asian Confederation of Credit Unions and the Khonchan Credit Union. One of the attendees was Chan Thippakeo, a government employee at the district advertising office.
Chan learnt that the mission and work of a credit union is to provide a young independent working woman like herself access to financial services. Born into a family of five and being the oldest child, Chan carries the family responsibility on her back. Her dream, simple enough, is to build a good life where her career can financially support both herself and family members when needed.
This is exactly how the credit union philosophy has come into Chan’s life. After over 6 years of being a member at her credit union, Chan grew to appreciate the value of regular savings.
“To save is to build wealth, and I’m proud that my effort of saving 50,000 kips (AUD$8.50) monthly has awarded me with a sense of security as well as strengthened my capability to financially support my family in case of emergency,” said Chan Thippakeo.
As a happy member, she encouraged her younger siblings who are still students to become members of a credit union where they can start developing the habit of thrift at a young age, solely to pave way for a future where becoming “financially independent” is possible to achieve.
