Collective giving is the coming together of individuals or foundations to jointly fund social change. It is not a new phenomenon, but there has been a rise in collective giving groups and initiatives in recent years.
CEO Maree Sidey will be exploring collective giving as moderator of the ‘Democratisation of Giving’ panel at the Philanthropy Australia Conference. The panel includes Lisa Cotton (The Funding Network), Tom Dawkins (Start Some Good), Sarah Wickham (Good Mob) and Belinda Morrissey (English Family Foundation). Maree and the panelists will discuss the role, drivers and appeal of collective giving models.
Since 2010, several highly organised models of collective giving have developed in Australia, making strategic and powerful philanthropy accessible to many. In its simplest form, five or more people come together, pool donations and collectively make grant decisions to achieve greater impact.
Groups, like Impact100, have hundreds of members and give large, high impact grants to small local charities. Online crowd funding platforms such as Start Some Good enable groups of interested individuals to come together to co-fund a specific cause. While giving platform Good Mob has brought giving circles online.
There are also event based collective giving initiatives such as The Funding Network (TFN), where not-for-profit organisations are given the opportunity to pitch their cause to a group who collectively pledge donations and in-kind support. Groups like the TFN tend to partner with corporates and foundations to leverage donor investments and to identify emerging organsiations or initiatives that are ready to scale up
“Collective giving models provide the potential for a unique connection between donors and recipients. The validation of the donor and recipient experience generates a high degree of satisfaction on both sides,” said Maree Sidey.
“These models democratise and demystify philanthropy. There is often an educational element and a social side to collective giving. Whether face to face or online, it is fundamentally a social experience and perhaps this is one of the greatest attractions.”
Australian Communities Foundation is proud to host three Impact100 giving groups: Impact 100 SA, Impact 100 Sydney North and Impact 100 WA.
There are approximately 37 formal collective giving groups in Australia to date but no information currently exists on the total amount given through these groups. However early research is indicates that collective giving might help to increase the philanthropic activity and give grassroots charities a heightened profile. Research is currently underway in Australia to understand the impact and experience of collectivbe giving in Australia. Find out more on the Philanthropy Australia website.
For insights from the session on Twitter, search for #PA2016Conf.