Third Sector News

We hear a lot about how tough fundraising is right now, with official tax data showing a sharp drop in donations. But a closer look reveals that Australians aren't necessarily giving less; they are just giving differently. 💡

We are seeing a massive shift towards "need responders" - people who give instantly to a specific, urgent issue rather than signing up for a regular monthly direct debit. They are also highly driven by visible community connection and trust, rather than just capacity to pay.

Read the full breakdown of Australian giving habits here:

What the data says about Australian giving habits and what to do with it Where giving is a visible, openly discussed part of community life, it tends to be higher and more resilient.

Some of the strongest social impact models don’t tackle one problem at a time.

Food Ladder’s school greenhouses combine food security, STEM learning, sustainability and student engagement with some schools reporting attendance gains from around 30% to more than 90%.

Full story:

Turning food security into hands-on learning A greenhouse on a school oval doesn't look like a solution to food insecurity. But for some Australian schools, that's exactly what it's becoming.

Community need is growing faster than available funding and many social sector leaders have little capacity left for strategy, advocacy or innovation.

Jacquie Hatt says that strong governance, capable teams and designing with communities are not separate from impact. They are the foundations of it.

A timely perspective on what effective social sector leadership now requires.
https://tinyurl.com/ya82v7mc

Community-led programs can deliver striking results but only when funding models give trust enough time to grow.

In one evaluated program, school attendance rose from as low as 11–20% to 96% for some young people. The strongest outcomes were linked to relationships, cultural authority and locally designed responses.

Learn more:

When communities lead, children reconnect When communities are empowered to shape their own solutions, children don't just stay safer — they thrive.

A donation platform closing can create more than a broken “Donate” button.

The bigger risk may be recurring donors quietly falling away, with the loss only showing up months later in your fundraising income.

ANZ’s Shout for Good closure is a timely reminder for charities to ask how portable are our donor data, payment arrangements and regular gifts if our provider disappears?

Read the key questions boards and finance committees should be asking now:

What ANZ's Shout for Good closure teaches charities about donation-platform vendor risk Shout for Good — the donation platform ANZ built and made available free to Australian charities — closed its fundraising platform

Gifts in wills can feel like a fundraising strategy reserved for large charities with big teams. They’re not.

A thoughtful program can work for NFPs of almost any size and it doesn’t need to start with a complex strategy or major investment.

Read more:

Why every NFP needs a gifts in wills strategy Ask most fundraisers about gifts in wills, and you'll get a reaction of either quiet anxiety or bold talk about it.

Soap, toothpaste and laundry detergent are now competing with rent, food and petrol.

New research from Good360 Australia finds more than 5.5 million people, 1 in 5 Australians, have gone without hygiene or cleaning essentials in the past year because they couldn’t afford them.

And this is no longer an issue affecting only the lowest-income households. It is reaching renters, parents, young people and Australians in full-time work.

Read more:

Hygiene poverty is forcing Australians to choose between basic essentials More than 5.5m Aussies have gone without personal hygiene or cleaning products in the past year because they couldn't afford them.

A roof matters. But for a young person experiencing homelessness, housing is only part of the crisis.

Mental health, education, financial security, safety and support networks can all unravel at the same time, particularly for young people navigating without their family.

Mission Australia research showed more than half of young people who had experienced homelessness either didn’t access housing support or weren’t sure whether they had.

If help exists but young people can’t find it, reach it or see it as being for them, are we intervening early enough?

Read more:

Why youth homelessness demands more than a housing response Young people experiencing housing instability are more likely to face financial hardship, poorer mental health and disruption to their education.

When the pressure on the social sector keeps rising, it can be tempting to double down on what we already believe.

Social Ventures Australia CEO James Toomey says leaders need to do the opposite: “Listen to the views of people you disagree with, and don’t rely on the moral goodness of your position to convince others.”

What does it take to genuinely step outside the echo chamber, especially when the stakes are high?

Read James Toomey’s perspective on systems change, leadership and why “too hard” is no excuse: https://tinyurl.com/4vyruzka

Have checkout donation prompts reached the point of diminishing returns?

New research suggests 65% of Australians think it’s out of touch or unfair for supermarkets to ask for charitable donations at the checkout while grocery prices remain high.

That doesn’t mean people have stopped caring about causes. The issue may be trust - who is making the ask, when they’re making it, and whether customers feel they’re being asked to carry responsibility that should sit with the business itself.

Read more on what the research means for point-of-sale :

Are checkout donation prompts doing charities more harm than good? 65% of Aussies say it's out of touch or unfair for supermarkets to solicit charity donations at the checkout while grocery prices remain high.