Aussies sure are a nation of big givers.
Natural disaster? We dig deep. Family in distress? We start a GoFundMe page.
We should be proud of the way we reach over and help out in tough times, the way we rally for those who are low and how if we have it, we share it.
But we also hate it when we think we might be being ripped off. And we deplore it when people do the wrong thing.
Sunshine Coasters were horrified that some people opt to dump their junk at the charity bins instead of tripping to the tip, as many did over Easter. It riles us, offends us, angers us.
And those who rip off charities are the lowest of the low in our culture. Because we are humble about it, but we love to back an underdog and give a good person in tough times a go.
A year ago, the Australian Communities Trends Report found five in six Australians give to not-for-profits and $143 billion was given that year.
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Two thirds of Australian givers have also donated goods, and a third of us volunteer.
They are part of who we are.
And the disasters of last year made corporations in Australia dig deep too.
Strive Philanthropy’s GivingLarge Report showed the top 50 corporate donors gave away $1.1 billion to philanthropic causes last year, up $155 million or 17 per cent from the previous year.
BHP was the Big Australian in more ways than one, giving the most at $221 million, with $50 million of that going towards coronavirus research. They were followed by Coles, which distributed $125 million and then the Commonwealth Bank, which donated $70 million.
But it is not always the big guns who give bucketloads.
Who Gives a Crap donated $5.9 million to clean water and sanitation projects in developing countries last year. That’s a motsa in anyone’s lingo.
Sales in their toot paper more than doubled in the 12 months to June, thanks to panic buying during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Good things come out of bad situations sometimes.
Happily, this meant their marketing costs also fell.
Who Gives a Crap donated a million dollars more than Coca-Cola Amatil and $1.5 million more than Sydney Airport and Qantas.
But we also want to know where the donations of our hard earned go. We don’t like it when, as recently happened, we learn that a registered charity – in this case the Church of Scientology – allegedly plays the system and shifts money to Australia because of significant tax-free profits possible here.
Thinktank McCrindle researches the not for profit sector and recently surveyed Aussies about what was important in their charity support.
The transparent reporting of administration costs is the most important characteristic of a charity according to seven in ten givers.
The survey found more than two third of us want to support an organisation with a proven track record or that provides a detailed breakdown of where donations are allocated and the impact they are having.
But most of all, we just want to help out. It is part of our DNA.
Sometimes it just feels good to give a little.
Jane Stephens is a USC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer.
