Welcome to PA’s two new Engagement Leads
Fri, 25 Jul 2025
We are delighted to welcome to new members of the Philanthropy Australia membership and engagement team – Fleur Allen and Caroline Morrissey.Caroline joins Kim Harland in the PA Queensland team as the Engagement Lead (QLD/NT). Fleur is our Engagement Lead (WA/SA) working from the Perth office with Ollie Hanson.
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Brave Foundation: how a PRF grant led to a partnership with another funder – via the Philanthropy Australia conference
Nick Place
Fri, 25 Jul 2025
Jill Roche, the CEO of the national not-for-profit, Brave Foundation, drew from a capacity-building grant from the Paul Ramsay Foundation to attend the Philanthropy Australia Conference in 2024. This led to a chance conversation that over time led to a multi-year funding partnership with another funder. Jill shares how events unfolded and says it shows how important it is to ensure diverse voices are ‘in the room’ at important sector events.
She Gives celebrates one year of ‘energy and boldness’ in women’s philanthropy
Dee Rudebeck, Advisor, News & Storytelling
Fri, 25 Jul 2025
The campaign to highlight and inspire women’s giving in Australia ‘has resonated with so many women across the country’, said founder Melissa Smith. As the movement marks its anniversary, there are signs that the landscape is shifting to better recognise the catalytic power of women.
Tech founders could redefine philanthropy – and create a new opportunity for charities
Antonia Ruffell, CEO, StartGiving
Fri, 25 Jul 2025
Australia's philanthropic landscape is undergoing a quiet revolution, led by a new generation of tech founders. The recently released Australian Tech Giving Report 2025, a collaboration between StartGiving and the Centre for Social Impact at the University of Western Australia, offers the first comprehensive benchmark of personal philanthropy in the tech sector. For charities and not-for-profits, the findings present a window of opportunity, writes Antonia Ruffell, CEO of StartGiving.
Sarah Hardy to be new PA Deputy CEO
Fri, 11 Jul 2025
Philanthropy Australia’s CEO Maree Sidey has announced that Sarah Hardy has accepted the role of Deputy CEO of Philanthropy Australia. Sarah has more than 30 years of cross-sector leadership experience spanning philanthropy, local government, and the not-for-profit sector. For the past eight years, she has served as Chief Executive Officer of the R E Ross Trust, where she led the organisation through a period of strategic change and elevated its impact through values-driven grantmaking.
What do the taxation statistics of giving reveal?
Emeritus Professor Myles McGregor-Lowndes and Dr Alexandra Williamson
Fri, 11 Jul 2025
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has recently released its statistics for the financial year 2022-23, including gift tax deductions by claimed individuals, as well as the latest numbers on private and public Ancillary Funds. Both provide a backdrop for the potential implementation of recommendations from inquiries and the current Treasury consultation on ancillary fund distribution rates.
Beyond the 5% Rule: Why charity trustees should invest for impact
Paul Ronalds, CEO, Save the Children Global Ventures
Fri, 11 Jul 2025
You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Or some would argue that if you want to generate social or environmental impact from your investments, you have to compromise financial returns. This debate matters because society desperately needs to unlock large, patient chunks of capital to use to scale innovations that can solve the planet’s biggest social and environmental challenges, writes Paul Ronalds, CEO of Save the Children Global Ventures.
