Landmark Giving Research Looks to Philanthropy
7 April 2016 at 10:28 am
The latest phase of one of the largest studies on giving and volunteering in Australia is calling on philanthropists and grant-making entities to take part in an online survey.
The 20-minute online survey is looking for employees of or donors to organisations that provide philanthropic grants, trustees or board members of a foundation, trust or fund.
The Giving Australia 2015-2016 project led by QUT’s Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (ACPNS) and research director Dr Wendy Scaife aims to find out more about the views of thousands of Australians from all walks of life as to why they give (or don’t) their time and dollars to charities or Not for Profit organisations.
Dr Scaife said the $1.17million research was looking for gaps, barriers and opportunities to make it easier to give and volunteer.
“Our findings will help the Not for Profit sector which must do lots with little and inform government policy through our research funders, the Commonwealth Department of Social Services and the Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership,” Dr Scaife said.
The Giving Australia 2015-2016 project was funded by the Commonwealth Department of Social Services and is an initiative of the Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership.
The project is a collaborative effort of QUT and the Centre for Social Impact at Swinburne University of Technology, the Centre for Corporate Public Affairs, and four key peak bodies, the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, Fundraising Institute Australia, Philanthropy Australia and Volunteering Australia.
Former social services minister Scott Morrison first announced the study in 2015, saying: “By drawing a picture of giving and volunteering behaviours, attitudes and trends, this project will improve our understanding of the capacity and needs of community organisations.”
“It will establish good baseline data to measure progress on philanthropic giving, and a strong basis for policy decisions to encourage charity in Australia,” he said.
