21778 Chap.9 Who Gives in Australia: Giving Data and Policy
Who Gives in Australia: Giving Data and Policy
The giving landscape in numbers
The schedule gives Weeks 7 to 9 to corporate, individual and government giving. This chapter draws on the two reports the subject links: the Productivity Commission’s 2024 inquiry into giving and the ACNC’s twelfth Australian Charities Report.
It covers who gives, in what form and by which route, government’s role, how business giving differs by firm size, and how to turn those figures into a better ask.
Choosing figures that change a decision
The reports contain far more numbers than any assignment can use.
Pick those that alter what your case organisation should do: the share of revenue charities draw from government, the concentration of donations in large charities, or the different motives of small and large businesses. Each one should lead to a sentence about the case, not sit in a background section on its own.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Sources, forms and routes of giving
- 02
Trends in individual giving
- 03
Concentration of donations
- 04
Government funding of charities
- 05
Corporate donations, sponsorship and partnerships
- 06
Why businesses give
- 07
Matching the ask to the giver
Worked example · free
Read a fall in donations correctly
- 1Headline: (14.8 − 18.9) ÷ 18.9 = −21.7%.
- 1Remove the one-off gift: 18.9 − 4.9 = $14.0 billion.
- 1Underlying: (14.8 − 14.0) ÷ 14.0 = +5.7%.
Key terms
- Giving Vehicle
- A structure through which donors give, such as an ancillary fund, charitable trust, community foundation or giving circle.
- Ancillary Fund
- A private or public fund set up to receive and distribute tax-deductible gifts to charities.
- Bequest
- A gift left to an organisation in a person’s will.
- Social Licence
- The community acceptance a business seeks for its operations, one motive for large firms’ giving.
- Workplace Giving
- Programs through which employees give, often with employer support, uniting staff around a common cause.
- Structured Giving
- Planned giving through formal vehicles such as foundations and ancillary funds, a growing source of support in Australia.
- Corporate Partnership
- A continuing arrangement in which a business supports an organisation with money, goods or services, often in exchange for shared community goals.
- Shared Value
- A business approach in which community benefits also produce gains for the company, one motive the Productivity Commission notes for corporate giving.
Who Gives in Australia: Giving Data and Policy FAQ
How much do Australians donate to charity?
The Productivity Commission puts donations to charities above $13 billion in 2021, a real rise of 26% on 2017, and counts about 6 million formal volunteers in 2022. It also finds a shrinking share of taxpayers claiming a deduction for gifts, while the average claim from those who still give keeps rising.
How important is government funding for charities?
Very. The ACNC’s twelfth report shows government as the largest revenue source at $118 billion, 49.4% of charity revenue, and the Commission puts direct government grants and contracts at $97 billion in 2021, about half of charity revenue on average.
Why do businesses give to community organisations?
Small firms mostly give to show local commitment and the owner’s values, while large firms give to bolster the employer brand and their social licence to operate, according to the 2016 Giving Australia study cited by the Commission. Employee engagement, reputation and shareholder expectations also play a part.
Why do small charities depend so much on donations?
The Productivity Commission finds that charities with revenue under $250,000 draw about 40% of their income from donations on average, while government funding and most donations flow to larger organisations. Small charities therefore feel changes in individual giving first and have fewer staff to diversify.
What share of corporate giving is cash donations?
Less than many students expect. The 2016 Giving Australia study, cited by the Productivity Commission, found cash donations made up 35% of giving by small and medium entities and as little as 6% for large businesses, which put much more into partnerships and sponsorship.
Assessment move
Keep a fact sheet of five figures you are likely to cite, each with its source, year and edition. For a sponsorship target, write down its size and the motives the giving data predicts for that size. When figures disagree, say what each measures rather than picking one silently. Where two reports seem to disagree, write one sentence explaining the difference in what they measure.
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