As the severity of the drought starts to hit home with the wider Australian population, more Australians are raising their hand to help our farmers.
However, with such a plethora of charities and not-for-profits contributing to the cause, how do you determine where your money will make the most impact?
The Impact Suite’s Co-founder, Peta Tilse, has provided four suggestions for those wanting to donate to the drought effort.
While Peta understands the concerns about donating through registered charities, she said within communities, it is necessary.
“To ensure your money is being directed to where it is needed most, we recommend people donate to registered charities”, Peta said.
“Unfortunately, there are a number of unregistered charities out there who are fundraising and taking advantage of those who are eager to help”.
“You need to ensure your donation is actually going to an organisation, as unregistered charities don’t necessarily have the oversight,” she said.
Australians are being urged to sponsor food hampers, care packs and store vouchers through some charities, while others request helping farmers with equipment and emotional support.
Peta said that Australians need to help out the whole farming community, rather than singling people out.
“When a struggling farmer or family is featured in the media, there is a flurry of people wanting to help out and donate,” she said.
“While it’s great that people want to lend a helping hand, it’s important to remember how this affects the whole community”.
“Although on the surface donating a food hamper seems like a great gift, it can actually be a detriment to local business providers. If services and food are being shipped in from other areas, local businesses suffer.”
“We need to be looking out for the wider community, who are also struggling through this drought,” she said.
With millions of dollars pouring into the national effort, Peta encourages people to investigate what a charity is set up to do, and how charities make an impact.
“Donors usually find a charity based on their charitable purpose," Peta said. "It is the program and activities the charity does that creates impact.”
“Finding a charity that has a purpose that makes sense to you and can demonstrate impact is key,” she said.
The Impact Suite lists Australia’s 56,000 charities, and helps donors identify sustainable charities with their proprietary Social Impact Rating. The online platform allows people to find and compare charities based on a set of key factors that demonstrate sustainability and transparency.
“The Impact Suite can help you determine which organisation will create the greatest impact,” Peta said.
Visit www.theimpactsuite.com.au and donate with certainty today.
