Client Summary
Crown Resorts Foundation has a long history of supporting communities across Australia, evolving from an early focus on grant-giving into a broader model combining financial support with strategic partnerships, employee participation, volunteering, venues, hospitality and in-kind contributions. By 2025, the Foundation was ready to bring these activities together into one coherent, evidence-led community strategy.
Challenge
The Foundation needed to move beyond a collection of valuable but sometimes separate activities and clearly articulate why it gives, the principles guiding its decisions, where it should focus investment, how its full range of assets could contribute to change, and how impact should be measured and communicated.
Our Approach
Giving Connect’s approach included:
- Conducted discovery meetings with Foundation leaders and reviewed existing strategic documents, impact reports and partnership materials.
- Interviewed community partners to understand how the Foundation’s values and practices were experienced from the other side of the relationship.
- Surveyed internal stakeholders on confidence, clarity and capability ahead of a cross-functional Giving Strategy Workshop spanning philanthropy, finance, ESG, communications and commercial teams.
- Co-designed a Theory of Giving, a Theory of Change and Pathway to Impact, five strategic impact areas and six organisational enablers for delivery.
- Tested the emerging strategy with community partners and refined it based on their feedback.
- Developed a Community Impact Reporting Framework and a practical Partnership Toolkit to translate the strategy into everyday practice..
Outcome & Impact
Our work resulted in the following outcomes for the client:
- A clear Theory of Giving and Theory of Change connecting the Foundation’s purpose, principles and everyday practice.
- Five strategic impact areas and six organisational enablers to guide investment and implementation.
- A Community Impact Reporting Framework brought to life through the 2024–2025 Community Impact Report, documenting $6.772 million in collective investment, including $2.17 million in in-kind support.
- Independent validation from community partners, who described the strategy as values-led, grounded, authentic and aligned with contemporary philanthropic practice.
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Crown Resorts Foundation
