A Perth-based brokerage and financial advisory firm has raised over $100,000 for childhood heart disease support and an organisation supporting education in Kenya.
TAG Financial held its 15th Annual TAG 1% Fundraising Lunch in August, drawing support from more than 400 business contacts, clients, and guests, with a total of $101,692 being raised.
Andrew Browne (pictured above), director of TAG Financial, said the funds raised at this year's event would have a profound impact, touching lives both locally and abroad through charities HeartKids WA and Nakuru Hope.
“Giving back to move forward is a vision we take very seriously at TAG,” Browne said. “Through this underlying belief, we’ve been able to make a meaningful difference to many organisations in Australia and abroad.”
Browne’s work was recognised when he won Community Champion Award on behalf of his company at the MFAA National Excellence Awards in July.
“It makes us feel good to know that a little small business in Applecross Western Australia can have such a profound impact on communities as far reaching as Kenya and the slums of Cambodia.”
Having supported Nakuru Hope for seven years and Heart Kids WA for five, Browne said the continued to closely track their significant impact at both organisations.
“In Kenya at Nakuru Hope, we initially supported a small school that has since grown to 300 students, added an orphanage, school hall, commercial kitchen, farm, and water tower that also supplies heavily discounted water to the town and subsequently provides a small revenue stream to the school,” Browne said.
For Heart Kids WA, Browne said TAG aligned itself with the charity after witnessing firsthand the “unwavering support” the charity had provided to a family that TAG had worked with for many years.
“Heart Kids WA is the only national charity dedicated to supporting and advocating for all people impacted by childhood heart disease,” he said. “If we didn’t support the same organisations on an ongoing basis, we would miss out on seeing the impact we are having.”
The idea for the lunch originated when Browne and his brother rallied 13 finance professionals from across Australia for a three-week humanitarian expedition in rural Cambodia.
“It had such a profound impact on all of us we pledged to continue this passion. Initially we were running the lunches to try to recruit people to be part of a similar humanitarian experience,” Browne said.
As time went on, the fundraising lunch gained popularity and soon involved guest speakers such as dual premiership AFL player Wayne Carey (pictured below), stand-up comedians, and a new location at the Beaumonde on The Point on the Swan River.
While the lunch itself changed focus, Browne decided to support Cambodian organisations in other ways.
“We continue today in supporting some of these groups by providing water filtration systems and solar power,” said Browne. “We actually involve our clients in this initiative by giving them the option to choose either a solar light or water filter in return for a successful finance transaction. It works well.”
Looking ahead, Browne said he was committed to visiting Nakuru in 2024, eager to witness the tangible impact of TAG's efforts firsthand.
The annual fundraising lunch will continue to evolve, building on each year's successes through small improvements and delightful surprises. The same venue is already locked in for the next event, and excitement is already brewing about the guest speaker.
Although it only happens once per year, Browne said TAG Financial was built around the philosophy that to move forward in business, you need to be giving back to the community.
“This fundraising lunch is a key pillar in our calendar. It takes about a month to organise and is a day that all the staff are fully invested in,” Browne said. “They all work hard on the day and take pride in the result.”
