What Telco Together Foundation does

Telco Together Foundation is an Australian nonprofit industry foundation established in 2012 and headquartered in Melbourne. It is structured as a company limited by guarantee acting as trustee of a Public Ancillary Fund, registered with the ACNC as a charity (ABN 91256972804), and holds Deductible Gift Recipient status with annual audits conducted by Deloitte Australia. The foundation convenes 26 member telecommunications companies — including Optus, TPG Telecom, Aussie Broadband, Vodafone Australia, Indara, Uniti Group, Symbio, Commander, More Telecom, and Southern Phone — to address three priority social issues: domestic and family violence, modern slavery, and youth mental health resilience among young Australians. Its core programmatic vehicles are the Industry Impact Hub (a collaborative forum formed in 2019 for cross-industry action on DFV and modern slavery) and Small Change Big Change (a fundraising program combining Workplace Giving, On-Bill Donations, and corporate Volunteering). It also coordinates industry-wide commitments such as the Telco DFV Industry Pledge and the DFV Action Framework.

Revenue mechanics are membership-funded rather than transactional: member contributions cover administrative costs, allowing 100% of fundraising activity to flow to community partners, which include ReachOut, Red Dust, and Beacon Foundation. Strategic collaboration on tech-abuse initiatives is conducted with the eSafety Commissioner. The foundation does not develop proprietary technology products; its social and competitive position rests on industry convening power, regulatory charity status, and the distribution leverage provided by member telcos that deploy its programs to their own customer and employee bases (e.g., Commander's Small Change Big Change pilot achieved 42% customer participation). Scale metrics include $3.3 million raised for community partners, 5,800 hours volunteered by telco employees, and 20,000 individual donors, all delivered through a lean team of 1-10 employees.

Name

Telco Together Foundation

Legal name

Telco Together Foundation

Website

https://telcotogether.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Telco Together Foundation is an Australian nonprofit industry foundation that convenes 26 telco companies to collectively address domestic violence, modern slavery, and youth mental health through programs like the Industry Impact Hub and Small Change Big Change.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Industry Foundation

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Digital Inclusion & Civic Tech (Connectivity, GovTech for Social Good) (BPAGALAK)

Keywords

• Industry social foundation
• Corporate social responsibility
• Workplace giving programs
• Charitable fundraising programs
• Nonprofit industry foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Telco Together Foundation is a nonprofit industry foundation that unites Australia's telecommunications companies to collectively address complex social challenges. It operates the Industry Impact Hub, a collaborative platform for cross-industry action on Domestic and Family Violence and Modern Slavery, and Small Change Big Change, a fundraising program combining Workplace Giving, On-Bill Donations and Volunteering to support youth mental health and resilience programs.

Product overview

Telco Together Foundation is a non-profit industry foundation (structured as a company limited by guarantee acting as trustee of a Public Ancillary Fund) that unites Australia's telecommunications industry to create meaningful social change. The Foundation operates two key program streams: (1) The Industry Impact Hub, which facilitates collaborative projects addressing Domestic & Family Violence and Modern Slavery, including the Telco DFV Industry Pledge and DFV Action Framework; and (2) Small Change Big Change, a fundraising program that combines Workplace Giving, On-Bill Donations, and Volunteering to support education and mental health programs for young Australians. The Foundation does not develop technology products but leverages the industry's collective reach and resources for social impact.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Industry Impact Hub: A collaborative forum for bringing the telecommunications industry together to address complex social issues including Domestic & Family Violence and Modern Slavery.
• Small Change Big Change
• Telco DFV Industry Pledge

Products and services

• Industry Impact Hub
• Small Change Big Change
• Telco DFV Industry Pledge
• DFV Action Framework
• 2024 Tech Abuse Consumer Campaign

Quantifiable outcome

• $3.3 Million raised for community partners
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• OptuscoreOthersOptus is a Premium Member and part of the Telco Together Foundation's founding members. Optus participates in the Industry Impact Hub addressing domestic violence and modern slavery, and contributes to the Small Change Big Change program.
• TPG TelecomcoreOthersTPG Telecom is a Premium Member participating in industry-wide social impact initiatives. The company contributes through the Industry Impact Hub and various fundraising programs.
• Aussie BroadbandcoreOthersAussie Broadband is a member contributing to industry social impact initiatives. Their CEO and Chief People and Reputation Officer serve on the Advisory Board.
• Vodafone AustraliacoreOthersVodafone Australia participates in foundation initiatives. The company has historical involvement in corporate philanthropy through the Vodafone Foundation.
• IndaracoreOthersIndara is a member organization whose Executive Director of People & Culture serves on the Telco Together Foundation Advisory Board.
• Uniti GroupcoreOthersUniti Group is a member company. Their General Counsel & Company Secretary serves on the Advisory Board.
• More TelecomcoreOthersMore Telecom (formerly Tangerine) is a member company. Their General Counsel serves on the Advisory Board.
• Southern PhonecoreOthersSouthern Phone is a member company participating in the foundation's industry initiatives.
• SymbiocoreOthersSymbio is a member company participating in industry social impact initiatives.
• CommandercoreOthersCommander was one of 10 founding members joining in 2012. Their customers have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through Small Change Big Change, with the pilot achieving 42% customer participation.
• eSafety CommissionercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnereSafety Commissioner collaborates with the foundation on the Tech Abuse Consumer Campaign, providing training to employees on tech-facilitated harms, online safety, privacy, and supporting victims of technology-based domestic violence.
• ReachOutcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReachOut is a community partner providing digital mental health services for young people. Small Change Big Change fundraising supports ReachOut's programs for youth mental health.
• Red DustsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRed Dust is a community partner supported through Small Change Big Change programs targeting youth resilience.
• Beacon FoundationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeacon Foundation is a community partner supported through Small Change Big Change programs for youth engagement and mental health.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Comcast Foundation: Major US cable/telecom company's foundation with broader digital equity and community investment portfolio. Comparable as a large-scale telecom-adjacent social impact platform, but operates as part of a much larger corporate portfolio.

Others

• eSafety Commissioner (Australia): Australian government agency partnering with Telco Together Foundation on tech abuse and online safety initiatives. Comparable in addressing online safety and tech-facilitated harm, but functions as a regulator/educator rather than an industry-coordinated foundation.

Direct peers

• BT Group Foundation: UK-based telecom company's social impact foundation addressing digital inclusion and youth skills. Comparable industry-foundation model with focus on technology-enabled social outcomes.
• Telstra Foundation: Australia's largest telco's philanthropic arm, focused on youth mental health and digital inclusion. Direct peer operating in the same Australian market with overlapping program areas (youth resilience, technology-enabled abuse prevention).
• AT&T Foundation: US telecom industry foundation addressing education, workforce development, and digital equity. Directly comparable in operating as a single-telco-led social impact platform, though at much larger scale.
• Verizon Foundation: Major US telecom industry foundation with focus on digital inclusion, education, and human services. Operates as the corporate social impact vehicle of a single major carrier, comparable in mission scope though structured as a single-firm rather than industry-coalition foundation.
• Deutsche Telekom Foundation: European telecom industry foundation focused on digital education and social participation. Comparable industry-foundation structure with emphasis on technology's social impact.
• Vodafone Foundation: Vodafone's global philanthropic foundation addressing social challenges including domestic violence and digital inclusion through a single telecom-industry platform. Directly comparable in mission and structure to Telco Together Foundation, including shared focus on tech-enabled abuse.
• United Way Worldwide: Global federated-giving umbrella organization coordinating workplace giving across industries and geographies. Highly comparable in structure as an industry/cross-industry collective giving platform with member-funded administration.

Emerging players

• ReachOut Australia: Australian digital mental health nonprofit for young people, currently a community partner of Telco Together Foundation. Partial overlap as a youth mental health service provider, though focused on direct service delivery rather than industry coordination.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TelcoTogether
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/telcotogether

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Telco Together Foundation