Consultant Neonatologist Dr Trish Woods with Caroline de Boer and Lyn Hughston from LJ Hooker on donor tour at King Edward Memorial Hospital, WA

When LJ Hooker decided to create a formal charitable foundation to focus its fundraising efforts in 2016, it went on a journey to find charity partners which shared its commitment to community – one of which was the Humpty Dumpty Foundation.

The Real Estate company has been one of Australia’s most generous supporters of charity for almost one hundred years.

‘LJ Hooker is continually focused on giving back, and the Humpty Dumpty Foundation gives our offices a chance to contribute in what is a really unique way,’ says Sarah Dickson, spokesperson for LJ Hooker Foundation. What sets Humpty apart, says Dickson, is the ability for donations to translate to tangible outcomes, such as life-saving medical equipment for children.

‘It’s a point of difference from just about all other charities we looked at in our national review – that ability to reach so many communities directly and to be involved in fundraising for such a tangible piece of equipment. The longevity of being able to donate a piece of specific equipment that will be used again and again really helps as well,’ she says.

‘Humpty was able to give us that tangible outcome – by partnering with Humpty we know that every dollar we raise goes towards concrete results.’

In September, the LJ Hooker Foundation gifted Humpty tens of thousands of dollars worth of children’s medical equipment to nine hospitals as part of the company’s 90th birthday celebrations. The generous donations brought the tally donated by LJ Hooker to $107,000 to date in 2018 alone.

As part of LJ Hooker’s birthday celebrations, medical equipment was distributed to hospitals across every state and territory in Australia. This scale is another attribute that gives Humpty its unique appeal, according to Mrs Dickson. LJ Hooker and Humpty share a national scope – the real estate company has more than 6,000 staff servicing the communities they live in around Australia, while Humpty has provided vital medical equipment to some 389 hospitals and health centres.

For Humpty’s corporate supporters, this unique model provides them with the opportunity to identify locations across Australia where they may have a footprint to support the local hospital, the community and their staff. Since first linking with Humpty, a host of LJ Hooker’s offices around the country are involved with fundraisers as diverse as trivia nights, raffles and charity auctions.

‘It gives our offices a way to be involved in the whole process, and around the country we’ve had so many offices contribute,’ says Mrs Dickson. The contributions from local offices have lifted LJ Hooker’s total commitment to Humpty to more than $200,000 since 2016 by LJ Hooker staff. Mrs Dickson says this tally has been boosted by employees engaging at a local level to raise money for their local communities and hospitals.

‘The scale of fundraising – whether it’s $1,000 right up to a Chairman’s Wish – helps our offices to set that goal and they know that the piece they are fundraising for will be in their community and making a difference in their area,’ she says.

For every piece that LJ Hooker donates, the Humpty Dumpty Foundation also arranges a hospital visit and presentation when the medical equipment has been delivered, allowing local staff to see first-hand how they are making a difference.

‘Our founder, Sir Leslie Joseph Hooker, famously said: “Real estate is not about houses, it’s about people.” And 90 years on, that still rings true today. People are at the centre of everything we do and that’s a value we share with the Humpty Dumpty Foundation,’ says Mrs Dickson.