Nothing says community quite like Saturday morning sport – sausages sizzling, fresh coffee, the sound of a referee’s whistle. And in many cases, the person who is standing behind the barbecue, manning the coffee van, or responsible for the logo on the back of the home team’s shirt, is a broker.
Brokers are a community’s local go-to person for all things finance, but that’s just one role they fill. Often, they also contribute their time, money, and expertise.
These sorts of activities could be seen as their own reward, but they’re also clever business. Broking is a relationships-based profession after all and, in many cases, the best way to build these relationships is by being seen out and about.
Here are some of the ways brokers are establishing themselves as pillars of their communities and why it’s a win-win for brokerages and the people they serve.
Different communities
Browsing the finalists from the community engagement category of The Adviser’s 2024 Better Business Awards provides some fantastic examples of the different ways brokers contribute.
For instance, Aussie Home Loans Fremantle provides internships for local students; Broadbeach’s Preston Point Capital has developed a finance module as part of a retraining program for returning army personnel; Sydney-based brokerage Home Loan Experts plants trees for every online review (900 and counting!); and UFinancial played a pivotal role sponsoring the Brighter Days music festival, raising funds for those in need.
Adele Andrews, a mortgage broker at Australian Property Home Loans, runs regular financial literacy sessions at local schools and she says it’s important for every broker to explore ways they can contribute.
“The role of a broker itself is one that should be perceived as a trusted adviser to the community overall – someone that the community feels they can turn to and have comfort in the service that they will receive in return,” Andrews tells The Adviser.
She says her engagement has built trust in her community and notes the strong appreciation of her willingness to invest her time and expertise.
“While this form of community outreach has certainly led to new business, it is not the main driver of why I do it,” Andrews says.
“The education piece is heavily tied into the values of my business overall – empowerment of my clients. If I can help generate that empowerment and awareness from an earlier age, then that is a very satisfying outcome.”
While many community outreach activities happen in person, a supportive presence in online communities, such as Facebook groups, can be just as effective.
Earlier this year, Stellar Finance Group broker Lisa Bridgett told the Elite Broker podcast how she’d found many of her first clients as a new mother online.
“I was breastfeeding at 2 am [and accessed] Facebook. So, I thought: ‘You know what, I’m just going to go on the mums pages… [since] there’s going to be a lot of other mums breastfeeding at 2 am who may have a question!’. And what do you know? There was!” Bridgett says.
“There were a lot of people [saying]: ‘I need a broker’. I got really excited and I’d reply and that’s where my foundation started.
“I made sure I had a good presence on all of those [Facebook] pages and signed up to each of them. In the early days, that cost money and that was a challenge for me, but it was a really good way to get a following, especially with my inner west mums because they’re my people.”
Good cause
Having a presence in local communities is more than just doing good for good’s sake. For many consumers, it’s becoming an expectation of a well-run business.
In Agile Market Intelligence’s inaugural People & Planet Report of more than 2,000 people, seven in 10 respondents said they believed companies should prioritise activities that help improve their social impact.
Many broking businesses are actively engaged in environmental and social good programs and their impact is sizeable. The Mortgage Choice Charity Foundation (MCCF), for example, raised more than $360,000 for charities across Australia in the financial year 2024.
Mortgage Choice brokers have supported a range of initiatives including the Starlight Children’s Foundation, an Australian charity that supports sick children. Starlight partnerships executive Kristy Lowther says the brokerage has been a wonderful supporter.
“At Starlight we know happiness matters to seriously ill children facing the pain, fear and isolation of hospital and treatment. Starlight uses play, creativity, and social connection to help young people and their families cope in times of stress, and to positively impact their healthcare experience,” Lowther says.
“Since commencing support of Starlight in 2023 Mortgage Choice has made an impact on bringing joy to over 530 sick kids in hospitals.”
Mortgage Choice franchisee and MCCF committee national chairperson Donna Campbell says it’s important for brokers, in many cases small-business owners themselves, to give back.
“By volunteering time to help those less fortunate you gain a new perspective and a strong sense of purpose,” Campbell says.
“We have been volunteering at St Mary’s House of Welcome for several years, cooking barbecues for those in need. It’s so rewarding to hear the stories of the people who rely on St Mary’s and to see our impact first-hand. These interactions remind me how lucky we are to have food to eat and somewhere warm to sleep without struggles.”
Similarly, in May, aggregator Australian Finance Group (AFG) saw its Perth sales team and six AFG brokers team up to prepare and serve meals at Tranby Engagement Hub, a crisis support centre for people experiencing homelessness in and around Perth.
Led by the aggregator’s Western Australia state manager Jia Jia Wong, the AFG team supported 292 people on the day.
“We worked together as a team, unified by our desire to help those less fortunate. While extremely sad to see these people do not have a home, it felt good to extend a helping hand to those in need,” Wong says.
“Although our group just spent a morning, I feel we will all remember the experience and what we learnt for a lifetime, and we will all be far more grateful and appreciative of the safe and secure lives we lead.
“Our team plans to do this again and will continue to extend the invitation to brokers.”
Community matters
Broking remains a relationship-based business and communities are where these relationships form. By contributing time, money, or expertise, brokers aren’t just doing something that will make them feel warm and fuzzy inside. They’re building relationships and living up to their standing as one of their community’s trusted advisers.
And odds are next time someone in the community needs anything to do with finance, the broker they already know will be the first person they call.
