Meet some UNSW staff who are quietly changing lives

Education transforms lives – and at UNSW, staff donors are fuelling that change, one gift at a time. 

As the first in his family to attend university, UNSW Librarian Martin Borchert understands the power of a university education to open doors. 

Growing up in suburban Sydney and Brisbane as the son of a hairdresser and a graphic artist, Martin studied a Bachelor of Science after high school, then completed a Graduate Diploma of Library and Information Studies, followed by a Master of Information Technology, an MBA, and finally became a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Starting out as a librarian at Queensland TAFE, his career progressed in leaps and bounds until he landed a dream job, working across the border at UNSW in a senior leadership role as the University Librarian, a position he has held for nearly a decade. 

“I’ve seen firsthand the transformative power of having a university education, so I wanted to help someone achieve the same,” he says. 

For the past nine years, Martin has been giving regularly through UNSW’s Workplace Giving Program, which lets staff make pre-tax contributions directly through payroll to causes they are passionate about. He supports Nura Gili and the General Scholarships Fund to create pathways for students who might not otherwise have the opportunity. 

“I wanted to focus on the students and make a direct contribution to people’s lives,” he says. “UNSW is a great university, but being in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, there are a lot of barriers for some people to attend. 

“I hope the money I pledge allows people to study at UNSW and succeed – not just academically, but in their careers and later lives. I also know the support I give doesn’t just help individuals, it helps their families and society as a whole.

“Working here at the Library, I hear a lot of student success stories. I’m very proud of the difference that we at the University can make through our collective support.”

A personal gift with far-reaching impact

Freya Campbell, Executive Director Strategic Communications at UNSW, also shares a passion for widening access to education. As a child, Freya spent several years living in Indonesia and Kenya with her family, where her father worked for the Australian government managing foreign aid programs that benefited local communities – an experience that opened her eyes to the deep inequalities in the world.

“As a teenager I lived in Nairobi. Kibera, on the outskirts of Nairobi, is one of the largest slums in the world. It’s home to more than a million people. Kakuma, one of the largest refugee camps in the world, is also in Kenya with many refugees waiting years to go to other countries. Living in a country like Kenya is an experience that sticks with you,” she says.

“I value education so highly, and I feel very privileged that I was born into a professional, middle-class family where there was no question about whether I’d have the opportunity to go to university.” 

After her mother died last year, Freya decided to establish a scholarship in her parents’ memory (her father died 10 years ago). The Helen and Doug Campbell Refugee Scholarship will support a refugee or asylum seeker to study at UNSW for the duration of their degree.

“The world is in turmoil at the moment. So many people won’t be able to get an education because of what is happening globally. I’d like to help someone who doesn’t have the advantages I had get a UNSW education, which will in turn also help their family and broader community,” she says. 

Over the past decade, 1508 UNSW staff have contributed a total of $9.3 million through UNSW to causes that matter to them – a testament to the power of collective generosity.

“There’s the assumption that people who give philanthropically are extremely wealthy. I’m not, but I can still contribute to someone else’s education,” Freya says. 

Doubling the impact 

Since 2022, the University has matched all staff donations dollar-for-dollar to benefit work being done through UNSW, effectively doubling the impact of every gift. And with the University covering the administration costs, 100% of donations go directly to support the cause. 

“The UNSW matched funding is incredibly generous, and it means that every dollar I give goes that much further – and every cent goes directly to the student,” Freya says. 

To date, the University has contributed $3.7 million in matched funding to meaningful causes – like the scholarships Freya and Martin support, as well as Nura Gili and the Gateway Program.

Lindsay Robinson, Chief Advancement Officer at UNSW, says: “Donations of all sizes can have an impact – and this is especially the case with the University committing to match each staff gift to UNSW causes, dollar for dollar. We’d like to encourage staff to consider supporting causes close to their hearts, for as little as two dollars a fortnight.”  

As a UNSW staff donor, you can have a real impact on the causes you’re passionate about through the Workplace Giving Program. 

The University will match your donations dollar-for-dollar*. Sign up here: Donate | Workplace Giving.

* All current staff are eligible for matched funding (casual, fixed term, part-time and full-time), including emeriti professors.