Commander Support Disadvantaged Communities through Small Change Big Change
Telco Together is proud to partner with Commander to make it easy for customers to donate to charity by adding just $1 per month on to their phone bill. All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.
Commander staff, dealers and customers continue to generously support disadvantaged Australians through this initiative.
Just a little loose change from a lot of people together can make a huge difference to the lives of Australians in need.
100% of donations received go to charities to deliver programs of direct support to disadvantaged Australians. These innovative Australian charities supporting Australians in the areas of Indigenous communities, mental health, and youth unemployment and disadvantage.
To see how Commander’s support is making a difference, learn more about the charities who benefit from these donations.
Commander was the first telco to join Small Change Big Change, and provides their operational support free of charge as part of their mission to make a significant social contribution within Australia. Commander are matching all donations received via the Commander website to add to the total of funds provided to charity.
For more information on Small Change Big Change, email [email protected]
Q: I have been advised that I’ve been automatically subscribed to add a $1 donation for Small Change Big Change but I do not wish to donate. How can I stop?
To stop the $1 donation being added to your phone bill, simply complete the CANCEL DONATION online form or call 1300 456 322 (quoting your Commander account details).
Q: How do I add a donation to my Commander phone bill?
There are two simple ways for Commander customers to add a charitable donation of $1, $2 or $5;
- Complete the JOIN NOW form online and press submit
- Call 1300 069 493 and tell Customer Service you would like to join the Small Change Big Change donation program.
You will require your Commander account details, so have them handy.
Q: Why is the donation amount $1?
The concept behind the Small Change Big Change initiative is that small change from a lot of people over time can make a big difference to people in need. We also recognise that many customers already donate to their favourite and worthy causes and we want to encourage everyone to continue to do this.
Q: How was the Small Change Big Change Initiative communicated to customers?
Each customer invited to donate was sent a letter and flyer, two emails and an SMS text to inform them of the initiative. A message was also added to the monthly bill to keep customers aware of the initiative. We want to ensure all customers know about this donation before it gets added and are given enough time to opt out of the initiative.
Q: Where does money raised /donations go?
100% of donations go to the Telco Together Foundation, a registered charity supporting Australians in need across the areas of Indigenous communities, mental health, and youth unemployment and disadvantage.
Telco Together has selected charities as beneficiaries of donations. These charities were selected due to their adoption of a unique approach to addressing challenges within their respective areas, while maintaining high levels of integrity, management and financial transparency. The selected charities representing these causes are: ReachOut, Red Dust and Beacon Foundation.
Q: Is my donation tax-deductible? Can I get a tax-deductible receipt?
Individual donations of $2 or more are tax deductible, however $1 each month is not tax deductible. Please keep your Commander bill showing the $2 or $5 donation to ensure you can claim the tax deduction at tax time each year. For specific tax advice, you should speak to your accountant or other financial advisor/s.
Q: Will I be charged any additional fees on top of my monthly donation amount?
No, there are no additional processing fees for this donation.
Q: When will my donation be added to my phone bill?
If you have been advised of an automatic subscription to Small Change Big Change, there is a 45-60 day lead time from when you receive the notification (via letter, email and/or text), until the $1 donation will be added to your monthly invoice. This is to ensure you have plenty of time to cancel the donation, if you do not wish to donate.
Alternatively, if you have opted in to donate to Small Change Big Change, the amount you nominated to donate will be added to your next monthly bill from Commander.
Q: Can I donate more than $1?
Absolutely. You can increase your monthly donation to $2 or $5 by entering your details here.
Q: What if I want to stop donating – can I cancel my donation? How do I cancel?
You can easily cancel your monthly donation. To stop the $1 donation being added to your phone bill, simply complete the CANCEL DONATION online form or call 1300456 322 (quoting your Commander account details).
Q: How can I trust that my donation is going to a good cause?
The Telco Together Foundation is a registered charity with Deductible Gift Recipient 2 status, enabling donations over $2 to be tax deductible. The Foundation undergoes an annual audit by Deloitte Australia, and has its annual report available for download here.
The Foundation is governed by an independent Board of Directors overseeing areas of fiduciary responsibility such as risk management & compliance, financial management & reporting, investment strategies, and organisational performance.
Q: Can I opt for my donation to go to another charity?
Not at this stage, all donations raised will go to the Telco Together Foundation for distribution to the charities Red Dust, ReachOut, and Beacon Foundation.
Q: Do Commander keep a percentage of donations to cover administration costs?
No, Commander do not take any of the donated funds. They are also providing their staff time and administration costs associated with the billing aspects of the Small Change Big Change program at no cost to Telco Together.
Q: How is Commander contributing to Small Change Big Change?
Commander, within Vocus Communications, is a donating Premium Member of the Telco Together Foundation* (the charity that created Small Change Big Change) since the commencement of the Foundation in mid-2012.
They assisted to create the platform that piloted the initiative and continue to be one of its biggest supporters, including matching donations made by new customers to SCBC via their website.
In addition, Commander dealers and staff generously support the Telco Together Foundation through personal contributions as well as Commander charity fundraising events. These events have raised over $800 000 in donations since 2013.
Commander was inspired by the opportunity to use its unique position of having direct contact with Australians each month (through monthly invoicing), to further promote charitable giving in Australia. They volunteered to trial Small Change Big Change in 2015 with its customers to promote the idea of a little giving from a lot of people making a real difference to people in need.
*Premium Members make an annual donation of $50 000 or more to Telco Together.
Q: If I don’t have a Commander account (I am not a Commander customer), can I still donate?
Commander is proud to be the first operator in Australia to champion the Small Change Big Change on-bill donation movement for its customers. Therefore if you do not have a Commander account. unfortunately you cannot donate via your phone bill at this stage.
If you would like to make an ongoing larger donation to Telco Together Foundation, please click here.
Q: Who is Telco Together Foundation and what role do they play in Small Change Big Change?
Small Change Big Change is a Telco Together initiative aimed at using the unique reach of the telecommunications industry in Australia to help promote greater charitable giving in Australia. Launched in July 2012, the Telco Together Foundation is a registered charity that brings together the telecommunications industry in support of Australian communities in need across areas such as homelessness, mental health, Indigenous health and social inclusion.
The core focus of the Foundation’s work is the development of community projects that build on the technology, reach and capabilities of the telecommunications industry to support the community, as well as promoting fundraising, volunteering and workplace giving across the telco sector.
Members of the Foundation include Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, NBN Co., Aussie Broadband iiNet, Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent and 16 other ICT organisations. The Foundation is governed by an Advisory Board that has Executive Officer level representation from members.
Click here to CANCEL donation online or call 1300 456 322
Click here to ACTIVATE donation online or call 1300 369 493
If you have additional questions, please email [email protected] and we will get back to you within two business days.
Background
Thank you for agreeing to donate to Telco Together Foundation (TTF) ACN 154 589 447, the Trustee for Telco Together Fund ABN 91 256 972 804 trading as Small Change Big Change (TTF). TTF is a charity registered with the Australian Charities & Not-for-profits Commission.
M2 Commander Pty Ltd ABN 85 136 950 082 (Commander) is assisting TTF by running the on-bill donation program (Program), through which Commander customers may make donations to TTF by way of add-on to their Commander monthly account.
The Donation
- You have agreed to donate a nominated amount each month ($1, $2, or $5 AUD) to TTF (TTF Donation). The TTF Donation will be added to your Commander Account, and will be billed to you together with your regular payment on your Commander services.
- 100% of your nominated TTF Donation will be provided to TTF.
- Your TTF Donation is added to your Commander account, will appear on the each month’s bill and will repeat monthly until cancelled by you or until your services are no longer with Commander (whichever occurs first). Once made, your TTF Donation cannot be refunded.
- All payments made on your Commander account are applied first to the payment of services supplied to you by Commander before payment of TTF Donation occurs. If you fail to fully pay TTF Donation for two (2) or more consecutive months, Commander may, in its discretion, remove the recurring TTF Donation.
- Commander accepts no liability for the manner in which TTF applies your TTF Donation/s in any particular way or to any particular purpose. If you are unhappy with TTF’s use of a TTF Donation, you should contact TTF directly.
Changing TTF Donations
- You may cancel future TTF Donations, increase or decrease your TTF Donation by providing Commander 30 days’ written notice.
Taxation of TTF Donations
- TTF Donations are GST exempt and individual TTF Donations over $2.00 are tax deductible. You will need to save your Commander bills as evidence of your TTF Donation for taxation purposes if you wish to claim them as a tax deduction. Please consult your tax or financial advisor for specific questions about your TTF Donation and/or tax deductions.
Privacy
- When making a TTF Donation, a variety of personal information may be collected and shared with TTF, who may send you additional messages which you may opt out of at any time. For further information about how Commander collects and uses your personal information, please see Commander’s Privacy Policy and Privacy Collection Statement.
- Commander may modify or cease the Program at any time for any reason without notice or liability to you or any other party.
