Social Impact in the Workplace: How Beach Energy Uses Apps for Good

This article is part of a series about Apps for Good - a collection of pre-built integrations to help Okta customers power their corporate and employee giving and volunteering. If you’re interested in deploying applications like these in your company, tell your Okta administrator about Apps for Good or reach out to us at [email protected].

Beach Energy is an Australian oil and natural gas, exploration and production company with a strong pioneering history. Founded in 1961, the company’s mission is to sustainably deliver energy for communities through its onshore and offshore assets in South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, and New Zealand.

Earlier this summer, as part of our series on Apps for Good, we had the opportunity to chat with Chrystal Read who manages Beach’s community investment program to learn how their recent deployment of Good2Give reshaped charitable giving within the organisation.

Why is employee philanthropy important to Beach?

Employee philanthropy is about empowering our staff to get involved and give back to their communities. One way of achieving this is through our workplace giving program, which gives employees the freedom to donate to any charity that is meaningful to them via direct payroll deduction. To double the impact, Beach matches donations dollar for dollar. It’s a great way to recognize the diversity of our workforce and the causes that they connect with on a personal level while reinforcing our commitment to creating long-term value for communities.

How did you know it was time to implement a social impact app like Good2Give?

When setting up our program, it was important to ensure an easy experience for all staff including those managing it behind the scenes. Good2Give’s platform provided this solution, by streamlining the process for recording donations, processing payroll deductions, and distributing funds to charities. 

Implementing tech solutions for corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities reduces workloads and increases efficiencies. It provides real-time data which is essential in identifying trends and celebrating milestones with our staff. It is also crucial in monitoring budgets and supporting our sustainability reporting.

Why did you choose Good2Give?  

When undertaking our research on service providers, it was clear that Good2Give were highly experienced in connecting businesses, charities, and donors to enable more efficient funding for communities in need. We were confident that their platform met our technical requirements, including SFTP/FTPs and SSO functionality, while also being reassured by their strong governance processes. This included the regular vetting of charities, a clear audit process, and strong data protection measures.

What are the advantages of deploying a social impact app through Okta?

Okta has really created a seamless user experience for our staff with the implementation of a passwordless login experience. Now, there is no need for staff to remember password details, and logins use a non-password MFA prompt for added security. Having a customizable Okta SSO dashboard has also been beneficial as the Good2Give app is more visible to our staff and easier to locate. We anticipate that this will reduce login barriers and increase overall participation. 

What have you been able to accomplish with the help of their tech platform?  

Since its launch in early 2020, our program has achieved some positive early results. In one month alone we saw $11,500 donated to charity. We have also been able to engage our staff through specific appeals that highlight some of the charities working tirelessly to help communities impacted by the Australian bushfires and now by COVID-19. 

Speaking of the pandemic, how have you managed the move to remote work?

Our IT team really went above and beyond to ensure a smooth transition to remote work for our staff this year. This included shifting to Okta so that our workforce could easily and securely sign in from home to access the various systems and services needed each day. 

What advice would you share with organizations that are considering any of the Apps for Good? 

CSR is a continually evolving space, and companies are constantly re-visiting their strategies and ways to deliver their programs. Fortunately, we’re in a time where technology can be used to advance the way we support charities and drive crucial funding to where it is needed most. We know that giving back makes people feel happy and engaging employees in these activities increases staff pride and productivity, builds a positive workplace culture, as well as attracts and retains talent. With such far-reaching benefits, it’s easy to see why something like a workplace giving program can add value to a company along with delivering long-lasting benefits to the community.