The Flight Centre Foundation isn’t just some exercise in corporate social responsibility; it’s a testament to the power of the travel industry community and the importance it places on giving back.
By bringing together travel advisors, customers, and other stakeholders, the Flight Centre Foundation serves as a model for what is possible when we come together and work towards a common goal.
Karryon chats to Flight Centre Foundation chair Andrew “Flanno” Flannery:
Can you describe the foundation’s mission and how it aligns with Flight Centre Travel Group’s overall goals and values?
At the Flight Centre Foundation our purpose is “to build brighter futures for the communities where we work, live and travel.” Naturally, we’re also guided by Flight Centre Travel Group’s purpose, “To open up the world for those who want to see.”
Our people at FCTG play a key role in the Foundation. So we focus on harnessing their good so that we can provide opportunities for the broader community. It’s much like what FCTG does for its customers.
As the charitable arm of a travel company, our goal is to always look for ways we can give back to the places we travel, whether that be on the ground, in the air or in the ocean.
How do you decide which causes and organisations to support, and what criteria do you use to evaluate their impact?
The Flight Centre Foundation has three strategic pillars – our people, our partners and our planet. These pillars inform everything that we do, including the organisations and the causes we support.
We currently have four charity partners. Two sit under our planet pillar (WIRES and Greening Australia). And two sit under our purpose pillar (Chimera Legacy Foundation and The Pyjama Foundation). We’ve chosen these partners because we share their commitment to sustainability (planet) and using travel and transport to create opportunity (purpose).
FCTG also strives to offer its people the opportunity to engage with the Foundation’s work through volunteering, collection drives, and utilising their skills and passions to make a difference.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your work with the foundation?
I stepped into my role as Chair of the Flight Centre Foundation board in January 2020. And as we all know, life as we know it was completely flipped upside down a few months later.
The travel industry was hit particularly hard. And sadly, we did have to send the Foundation into hibernation during the worst months of COVID. The Foundation is completely funded by our people’s workplace giving. And during a time when 7,000 of our people were stood down and made redundant, it just didn’t feel right to continue to ask for donations during what was such a financially stressful time for so many people.
When we went to relaunch The Foundation, we made sure to ask our people what they were most passionate about. This is how we came up with our people, planet and purpose pillars and ultimately our new strategic plan.
I think as awful as the pandemic was, it taught all of us to be grateful for what we have. And to show more empathy for the people around us. I think post-COVID, our people have channelled that empathy into getting involved with the Foundation. This is because it’s been a really accessible way for them to help a variety of groups in need.
I’m really pleased to say that the Foundation has been back up and running 18 months. We have a number of staff who generously contribute to the Foundation through our workplace giving program, and also through volunteering.
What’s a particularly impactful or successful project that the foundation has supported, and what made it so effective?
In November last year, we successfully ran “The Giving Grants” program for the second year in a row. We started the program in 2021, and each year we have had a theme that eligible charities had to meet. Last year it was “creating pathways to employment and/or tangible jobs for people experiencing barriers to mainstream employment.” From here, our board shortlists the applications down to a pool of ten. Our people then vote for the five winning charities.
We awarded a Giving Grant to a charity that arose from the food insecurity in Melbourne during the pandemic. So it’s great to be able to support new purpose-driven causes like these.
What do you see as the future direction and potential of the Flight Centre Foundation, and how do you plan to continue making a positive impact in the world?
Simply, I hope The Flight Centre Foundation continues to grow and thrive as we have since our inception. We’re celebrating 15 years of operation this year. And when I think about how far we’ve come in that time, I’m so excited to think about what we can achieve in the next 15.
We’ve also got a fantastic crop of young, passionate people here at FCTG who I know will continue the Foundation’s legacy for years to come.
To find out more about the Flight Centre Foundation, visit its website, www.fcfoundation.org.au
