Mortgage and finance brokers are the go-to person for their client’s property, business, or asset finance needs. But outside of the day job, brokers are also establishing themselves as a core part of the community, giving back and supporting in more ways than one. In this feature, Josh Needs explores how brokers are giving back and how it’s benefiting the communities and their businesses.
Near or far, brokers are having an impact in their community. But it’s not limited to supporting their communities as they navigate their financing requirements - brokers are also making an impact socially.
Whether it’s having your logo on the guernsey of a premiership-winning AFL team, sponsoring a local sports team, hosting education nights, volunteering your time or money to not-for-profits, or sharing commissions with a charity of choice; brokers are helping make more than just the great Australian dream of home ownership come true.
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Engaging and supporting the community is a key part of building trust in your brand. And while benevolence is rewarding, it can have a positive impact on the bottom line. By establishing themselves as a trusted name and brand in their locality (as well as abroad), brokers can also generate strong leads and ensure a steady flow of business. Rather than spending thousands on social media or advertising, many brokers are reaping rewards by giving up their time and sponsoring community events both near and far.
Three different ways of supporting communities as a business are, locally, nationally, and globally and can provide an array of outcomes and opportunities.
Local communities
Aussie broker Mel Smith has found sponsoring and even coaching at her local footy club has provided her with several leads.
After becoming a broker and joining Aussie (a brand she was drawn to as a result of their own community engagement; sponsoring her beloved Collingwood Magpies in 2010), Ms Smith now sponsors her local club and sets up shop at games with her branded keep cups and Aussie coffee van.
Ms Smith often takes an Aussie-branded coffee van to AusKick, which helps her “introduce new families to the fact that there’s an Aussie broker onsite” and provides keep cups to ensure the community has her name and contact details close at hand.
Speaking to The Adviser’s Elite Broker podcast, Ms Smith says the benefit of the van is that it provides profile and helps generate conversations, adding “everyone loves coffee” (although she also offers children purple and yellow slushies.
Ms Smith says she has already written the mortgage for the president of the club, which itself “opened up more doors” to having more people involved with the footy club use her as a broker.
According to the Queensland-based broker, her love of footy goes beyond sponsorship; as she now describes herself as “Ted Lasso”, having taken up coaching her daughter’s footy team.
“Everyone at the footy club knows who’s who and I do get a lot of leads out of the football club,” Ms Smith says.
National communities
Earlier this year, mortgage manager and broker FinancePath won the Best Community Engagement Program award at the Victorian and Tasmanian 2023 The Adviser Better Business Awards in recognition of its support of groups locally and nationally.
On a national level, the group supports FareShare Australia, a charity that cooks free meals for people doing it tough and operates non-profit kitchens in Melbourne and Brisbane.
The organisation doesn’t receive any ongoing government funding, so it relies on the generosity of individuals and businesses.
It also backs St Kilda Mums, which provides donated baby goods to children in need. The charity has grown to now support several agencies across Victoria with a goal to support every Victorian child up to the age of six who needs them by 2030.
FinancePath director Chris Collard commented: “Given the lingering effects of the pandemic, a series of natural disasters and the increased cost of living, FinancePath sought to support a number of community and charitable organisations providing aid to those experiencing hardship.”
He says that, over the past year, the brokerage has “dedicated over 250 hours to both organisations and reaffirmed our commitment to make great things happen for our clients and the broader Victorian community”.
International communities
Some brokers have also looked further afield to engage with a community and differentiate their engagement offering.
Sydney-based brokerage Atelier Wealth, which is headed up by husband-and-wife team Aaron and Bernadette Christie-David, launched their Home Loans for the Homeless initiative (through giving platform B1G1 and Habitat for Humanity) in 2020, committing to donate 30 nights of shelter for a homeless family in India for every home loan they settled.
Mr and Mrs Christie-David said it was established as a “meaningful way to say thank you to our clients for choosing Atelier Wealth as their mortgage brokers, without the token settlement hamper”.
While they initially had a goal of providing 10,000 nights of shelter to underprivileged families in India, this has now more than doubled, providing almost 21,000 nights of shelter through almost 700 home loan settlements.
The brokers have said that their clients love the initiative as it provides “an incredible opportunity for our clients to have a part to play in paying it forward and for their loan to have a major impact on a family that needs to have a safe and secure place to call home”.
Following its success Atelier Wealth has now committed to building a home in the Philippines. To do this the brokerage will contribute to charity B1G1 the value of 30 bricks for every home loan settled, with a total of 5,000 bricks (or 167 settled loans) needed to build the home.
The brokerage’s long-term goal is to build 10 homes in the Philippines.
The brokers stated the provision of shelter in India or bricks for homes in the Philippines “isn’t to boast, brag or chest beat but to inspire others to get involved and make a difference in their own communities”.
Whether it's sponsoring a sports team big or small, contributing volunteer hours to worthwhile charities, or providing tangible support for those less fortunate, the broking industry continues to play a key role in their communities, for their benefit and the benefit of others.
