forgood's Client Council 2025: Innovation Meets Purpose!

On March 11, 2025, forgood hosted its annual Client Council event in Parktown, Johannesburg. Industry leaders and CSI champions came together to celebrate their achievements over the past year.

Key Takeaways:

Over 17 000 people have registered on our forgood volunteering platforms and 91 000 connections have been made.

Expansion:

We’ve expanded into 6 more African countries and are now in:

1. Malawi
2. Zimbabwe
3. Nigeria
4. Tanzania
5. Kenya
6. Ghana
7. Côte d'Ivoire
8. Botswana
9. Namibia

India is in our sights for 2025/2026.

Heartlines shared insights from its Fathers Matter programme, highlighting the far-reaching consequences of absent fatherhood, including gender-based violence, unemploymentand alcohol abuse. They provide support and guidance on positive manhood through partnerships with ECDs, sports clubsand workplaces.

Mark Heywood, public health activist, discussed the impact of the USAID funding halt, noting that 15,000 healthcare workers have already lost their jobs in the past month. He urged corporates to help bridge the critical funding gap affecting the country.

Nontokozo Madonsela, CMO at Momentum Group, captivated the audience with her tips on authentic storytelling based on her podcast The Truth Table. She shared podcasting advice: make your interviewee comfortable, ask them what three key messages they want to share, and always choose topics that resonate with people.

2025 forgood Award Winners

The following clients were recognised for their achievements between January 2024 and December 2024:

REGISTRATIONS:

Refers to the number of employees who registered on the Employee Volunteering platform.

Category A (1 – 1,499 employees)

• Runner-up: Redefine
• Winner: Mukuru 

Category B (1,500 – 9,999 employees)

• Runner-up: African Bank – 537 registrations (Still the leading client in total hours logged, with over 60,000 hours in the past five years!)
• Winner: Vodacom – 1,018 registrations (76% of their target staff is registered on the platform.)

Category C (10,000+ employees)

• Runner-up: Momentum Group (73% growth in registrations after holding drives across four regions—Centurion, Sandton, Durban, and Cape Town—in March 2024.)
• Winner: Standard Bank (Launched impact awards in 2024 and increased awareness through office activations, leading to their win.)

CONNECTIONS

Refers to the number of volunteering connections made.

Category A (1 – 1,499 employees)

Runner-up: Redefine

Winner: Mukuru

Category B (1,500 – 9,999 employees)

Runner-up: African Bank

Winner: Vodacom

Category C (10,000+ employees)

Runner-up: Sanlam

Winner: Standard Bank

UNIQUE PARTICIPATION

Refers to the percentage of individual employees who engaged in at least one unique volunteering action.

• Runner-up: Coca Cola Beverages SA – 52%
• Winner: Royal Bafokeng Holdings – 71%

Overall Winners

1. Vodacom – Most connections of all time, with 11,111 connections.

2. Standard Bank – Most registered users of all time, with 9,277 registrations.

Both companies have excelled in securing department and leadership buy-in, contributing to their success.

Another memorable Client Council event—here’s to an even bigger and better gathering next year!

Photo credit: Tshepang Mokoena (Tshepang Stories)