Take the survey: how do we increase collective giving in Australia?

Philanthropy Australia and its partners are appealing for those interested in giving circles, live crowdfunding events and other forms of collective giving to take part in a survey to help identify how better infrastructure and resources can be created to support future growth.

The survey has two streams:

• One for leaders of a collective giving group (here)
• One for participants in collective giving groups (here).

The surveys close on Monday October 13.

Collective giving can certainly have an impact. In the United States, the Dorothy A Johnson Center for Philanthropy reports that collective giving in that country has boomed, raising an estimated $US3.1 billion between 2017 and 2023. It is forecast to double in the next five years, “diversifying philanthropy, empowering marginal voices, and redefining generosity beyond financial contributions”.

Philanthropy Australia has identified collective giving as one of its “sector development” priorities this year and next, with the survey spearheading the organisation’s commitment to “supporting and enabling inclusive and diverse forms of giving”.

The power of collective giving is that it asks less of individuals, and attracts everyday people who might be passionate about issues, but don’t see themselves as wealthy would-be philanthropists. Giving circles take a range of forms, from small book clubs to larger organisations, and may concentrate on a particular cause, while collaborative funding groups have the potential to achieve longer-term systems change through many people chipping away at the problem. Philanthropy Australia said collective giving allowed charities access to increased funding, more diverse sources of funding and amplified impact, while participants were able to gain a deeper understanding of causes and issues, often in a social setting.

Five Bucks is a relatively new but energetic giving community, launched in June last year in Melbourne. Members – or “Buckaroos” as Five Bucks calls them – contribute five dollars per week, with all those foregone cups of coffee adding up to serious impact.

“Most people want to help, but giving can feel like it’s only for the rich, the connected or the informed,” the Five Bucks website explains. “At Five Bucks, we strip away the barriers. For just $5 a week, anyone can join in. No stress, no overwhelm – just a group of everyday people, chipping in and having real impact, together.”

Through September, Five Bucks pushed to increase its membership to 700, to enable it to give away $150,000 next June.

Other strong local examples of giving circles include the Sydney Women’s Fund,the Melbourne Women’s Foundation, Rainbow Giving, Impact100 groups and Groundswell Giving.

Meanwhile, the methodology of organisations such as The Funding Network and 10×10 Philanthropy is to host live crowdfunding events, pitching to audiences in the moment, often to fund the social enterprise sector.

“This [survey] is a really important piece of work that Philanthropy Australia is proud to be coordinating, working alongside a group of advocates and practitioners with lots of experience building and growing collective giving groups,” said Philanthropy Australia CEO Maree Sidey.

“There’s so much potential to grow collective giving, with a big opportunity to get more Australians hooked on the joys of collaborative approaches to structured philanthropy. This is why we are driving this initiative, with the generous principal support of the Minderoo Foundation, along with 5Point Foundation and Australian Communities Foundation.”

Long-time philanthropic sector participant and collective giving advocate Christine Darcas is also urging people to take the survey, which will valuable insights for future giving development. “Collective giving is far more powerful than I realised when I first became involved 11 years ago,” she said. “Not only does it encourage more people, beyond the wealthy, to give, but to give with intention and understanding.

“With a growing range of models, there’s a way for almost everyone to get involved. But if we want collective giving to truly take off in Australia, we need to raise awareness and show people what’s possible.”

The Productivity Commission’s Future Foundations for Giving report, published last year, showed that fewer Australians are donating to charity, although those who do are giving more, disguising the decreasing number of generous donors.

“The report observed that collective giving can help contribute to building social capital, including by building donors’ knowledge, engagement and learning in areas of civic engagement,” Philanthropy Australia said. “In addition, there is a recent report from the US that collective giving is a catalyst for social cohesion and greatly expands the kinds of programs that get funded.”

More information

Do you lead a collective giving group?
Complete the leaders survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CollectiveGivingLeaders2025

Do you participate in a collective giving group?
Complete the participants survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CollectiveGivingParticipants2025

Please note: Both surveys close next Monday, October 13.