Earlier this month, members of the Australian Communities Foundation (ACF) team joined more than 1,200 delegates in Brisbane for the Philanthropy Australia Conference 2026.
Under the theme Mobilising Generosity, Shaping the Future, the Conference brought together funders, community leaders and changemakers to explore some of the big questions facing philanthropy: how do we grow generosity? Who gets to shape how funding decisions are made? And what role can philanthropy play in building a more equitable future?
Across three days of conversations, some clear themes emerged. Here are five reflections we’re bringing back to the ACF community.
1. The power of belonging
The Charities Aid Foundation’s latest World Giving Report found a strong association between belonging and generosity: countries where more than 80% of people feel a strong sense of belonging to their local community give nearly three times as much as countries where belonging is low.
For ACF Director of Engagement and Advisory, Sally Hines, the finding brought to mind her previous work with The Big Issue, where she witnessed extraordinary generosity among vendors who had often experienced homelessness, isolation and financial hardship themselves.
“If belonging and community increase giving, the communities we create around philanthropy really matter,” Sally reflects.
It’s a reminder that growing generosity isn’t only about encouraging people to give more. It’s also about creating connection, making participation visible and helping more people see giving as something they can be part of.
2. From invitation to influence
Another strong thread was the importance of lived experience and community leadership in shaping how decisions are made.
From youth-led philanthropy to First Nations leadership, speakers challenged funders to think beyond consultation and consider where decision-making power actually sits. The Conference also saw its strongest First Nations representation to date.
“Proximity changes both the quality of decisions and the experience of giving,” reflects ACF Director of Community and Philanthropy, Carly Severino. “Who is in the room shapes which knowledge is valued, which questions are asked and what action becomes possible.”
But representation is only the beginning. For philanthropy, the bigger opportunity is to ensure people with lived experience aren’t simply invited into conversations, but have meaningful influence over the priorities, funding and decisions that affect their communities.
For funders seeking to put this principle into practice, Carly offers a simple test: are the people closest to the issue shaping the decision, or merely responding to one already made?
3. Growing the collective
For ACF Fund and Client Services Lead, Thomas Lopez, the energy around collective giving was one of the Conference highlights.
“It was wonderful to see people from all walks of life joining and contributing to collective giving,” Thomas says.
Returning to the idea that belonging strengthens generosity, collective giving offers one practical way to build it. Research from Philanthropy Australia’s Giving Together report found that participation in collective giving can strengthen connection, knowledge and generosity.
The research also revealed a striking gender divide: women currently make up 81% of collective giving participants in Australia. While this speaks to the extraordinary role women are playing in driving collective generosity, it also raises a question about the movement’s future growth: how might we encourage more men to get involved?
The opportunity now is to build on the current momentum – broadening participation and inviting more people to experience giving as something shared rather than something done alone.
4. Rethinking AI for greater equity
Artificial intelligence was another recurring topic, with conversations extending beyond how organisations use AI to the much bigger question of how it could reshape work, society and inequality.
A session with Founder and President of Centre for Tomorrow, Dex Hunter-Torricke, considered whether technological advances might ultimately improve quality of life. Rather than assuming every existing job must be preserved, could greater productivity eventually mean greater economic security, reduced working hours or more freedom for people to spend their time differently?
One message was clear: there is no putting the genie back in the bottle. The challenge is to ensure AI is developed, governed and used in ways that benefit society broadly, without deepening inequality or environmental pressures.
For philanthropy, that means considering how it can help communities navigate disruption while supporting a future in which the benefits of technological progress are shared more equitably.
5. Building the future we want
Futurist and philanthropic strategist Trista Harris encouraged delegates to stop “loving the problem” and spend more time imagining what a solved future might look like.
For Carly, this notion brought both urgency and optimism.
“When several systems are under strain at once, philanthropy can do more than react – it can help build something new.”
Building towards that future requires long-term thinking alongside a willingness to experiment, learn and respond to what is emerging. It also highlights an important question for philanthropy: how do we invest in the change communities need today while stewarding resources for generations to come?
Ultimately, the Conference offered a reminder that philanthropy doesn’t simply respond to the future as it unfolds. Through what we fund, whose knowledge we value, the communities we build and the risks we are willing to take, we participate in shaping it.
For funders, that brings both opportunity and responsibility. As Carly puts it: “We get the future we pay for.”
