SKM in the community

The way we give: the philosophy of the SKM founders was to give back to community, in an unsung, unheralded way.

Much of our giving is not about simply signing a cheque, but about giving our time, energy and expertise.

Bruce Sinclair for example, was a driving force behind RedR Australia, which was established in 1992. RedR trains experienced technical experts to work voluntarily in disaster and humanitarian relief efforts.

SKM's Bill Lawson was a founder of the Beacon Foundation, which helps young people build their self-esteem and find meaningful employment (see 'Something Concrete').

Many other staff are supported by SKM in their work for other not-for-profit organisations, such as Engineers Without Borders.

In the past this community work has typically been driven by individual staff members, rather than the company itself.

In 2007-08 we formed a committee at Board level, with a view to harnessing our strength and size by collectively giving to fewer initiatives, but making more of an impact.

This is not an edict to staff. We have no desire to stifle individual or group initiatives. Rather this committee will establish guiding principles on the types of organisations and initiatives we want to support.

In the 2008-09 year, staff will be polled about this – should, for example, we give to the arts, the environment, the elderly or disadvantaged youth?

And in the same way SKM has forged long-term relationships with its clients, we plan to make long-term commitments in the areas we choose to support. We look forward to reporting back on this next year.