WerkInKind: A Hearts Days Work

Werkling's social impact program

WerkInKind connects not-for-profit (NFP) organisations who work with vulnerable communities with top on-demand talent.

This program is designed to create sustainable impact by embedding new capabilities within NFPs while offering our talent community valuable experience in the community sector.

Successful NFPs will be matched with top on-demand talent to deliver a Werkling-sponsored project at no cost. These projects are funded by our Werkling talent community, who contribute a portion of their revenue to support the WerkInKind program, ensuring impactful and sustainable outcomes for those who need it most.

2022:
Keeley's Cause

Keeley’s Cause faced challenges managing growth with a volunteer workforce. They required well-documented, customer-centric processes to maintain high-quality support for families.

Through the inaugural 2022 WerkInKind Program, Keeley’s Cause was paired with a Werkling expert specialising in organisational process optimisation. This expert helped develop and document tailored business processes and workflows.

The implementation of these processes improved operational efficiency and consistency. Keeley’s Cause enhanced its support for families, effectively managing growth challenges and increasing their overall impact.

 

2023:
Amber Community

Amber Community, a NFP focused on reducing road trauma through counselling and support services, struggled with online visibility, affecting engagement and donations. Their assigned Werkling formed an SEO and content strategy, including a website overhaul and social media planning, dramatically enhanced their online presence.

With support from a Werkling member, Amber Community saw a significant rise in search engine rankings. Page views increased by 47%, user engagement rose by 48%, and average engagement time grew by 58%.

Bronwyn Saville, Marketing Manager at Amber Community says:

“We can’t speak highly enough of [Werkling member’s] skills, knowledge and work ethic. Her enthusiasm was contagious and made this project seamless. Thank you to Werkling for facilitating the sponsorship and this opportunity.”

WerkInKind prioritises organisations with limited funding and purpose-led projects that work towards significant positive impact on the vulnerable communities they serve.

Eligible organisations and projects

The amount of sponsorship that is available per project in the September 2024 round is up to $9,000+gst. This will continue to grow year-on-year.

NFP organisations are invited to apply during the application period if they:

  1. Are Australian community-based organisations
  2. Have limited access to funding, grants and sponsorship
  3. Have an identified strategic project that requires a capability or expertise from within the Werkling talent community. 
  4. Have a core purpose of serving vulnerable populations (as defined by The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission) including but not limited to:
    • children and seniors
    • people with impaired intellectual or physical functioning
    • people from a low socio-economic background
    • people who are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
    • people who are not native speakers of the local language
    • people with low levels of literacy or education
    • people subject to modern slavery, which involves human exploitation and control, such as forced labour, debt bondage, human trafficking, and child labour.

Key dates and process

2024 applications are closed

1. Applications open – 15 July 2024

2. Applications close – 12 August 2024

3. Applications will be reviewed by the advisory board – 12 August – 24 August 2024

4. Shortlisted applicants contacted (if further information is required) – 26 August – 29 August

5. Outcomes announced – 1 September

FAQ

The WerkinKind program aims to provide expert support to your organisation to achieve a strategic priority that you would not be able to get sponsorship for elsewhere. In addition to the delivery of the project, the program aims to sustainably embed the skills and knowledge used to complete your sponsored project in your organisation for future use.

Prioritise your current problems and needs that relate to the Werkling capability domains. Identify the most urgent or the one that will have a lasting impact on your organisation and its mission.

Werkling’s capability domains include: 

  • People and culture  
  • Marketing and communication  
  • Strategy and experience design 
  • Change and transformation 
  • Business performance and innovation


If the project can be completed remotely, there will be no travel costs. However, if the Werkling talent is required to travel to your location, this should be outlined in your sponsored project scope and will be taken into consideration.

Sponsorship is provided in kind. If you are successful in your application for the WerkinKind program, you will be matched to Werkling talent and they will create a proposal and costing for the project. You will form an agreement around the scope of work to the value of the sponsorship amount with the matched talent. The funds that have been allocated to your sponsored project organisation are used to pay the Werkling talent.

Yes, you can apply in multiple funding rounds. The WerkinKind program will initially run annually but may become more frequent as the program expands.

All applicants will be informed of the success or otherwise of their application. As this program is administered by volunteers, it will be difficult to provide individual detailed feedback for every applicant however those who have been shortlisted and asked for further information will be contacted with feedback.

If this is within the funding allocation, you can complete the sponsored project with the support of your Werkling Talent. If it is out of the scope, you will need to fund the additional costs from within your organisation or apply for the next round of grants.
Following the completion of the gig, the Talent member and leader from the sponsored organisation will record a video story of the project to be shared on Werkling’s social media accounts and agree to support other communication such as blogs, articles or social media content. The sponsored organisation will be asked to display the WerkinKind logo on their website. A review will be held after the sponsored project is complete to confirm it achieved its goals and the process was a positive outcome for all.