We typically don’t feature guest posts on HNW Insights, but philanthropy is a cause we deeply care about. Giving back aligns with our core values, and philanthropy plays a significant role in that. Today, we’re excited to feature a post by Sarah Metcalf from the Collective Manifesto, a philanthropic expert with a wealth of knowledge and passion for helping HNW families and individuals make a meaningful impact. We hope you enjoy her insights…

How Easy (Or Not) is Philanthropy?

Giving to charity should be easy – there’s enough of them (600,000 in Australia alone) and countless social issues to tackle.

So, Why Don‘t People Give?

In our experience, these three reasons top the list:

• How do I choose what cause/s to support?;
• Which charities should I give to especially with so much duplication?; and
• How do I know my money is making an impact and not being spent on other costs?

So Where Do You Start?

Think about what social issues you care most about based on either:

• Personal experience, such as it affecting you or someone you love;
• What you’ve read in the media; or
• A sense that things need to change.

Education, violence against women, Indigenous Australians, housing, environment, global poverty, medical research, the arts … to name a few.

There are no wrong causes and no wrong reason/s for choosing one over another, it’s all about what resonates with you personally.

What’s Next?

It’s good to look at the type and breath of work a charity is doing and their impact on the people they help and the wider community.

It’s also worth looking at what difference your size donation will make by checking the charity’s annual budget including their fundraising, grants, and donations.

You can also decide whether you prefer your funding to support a specific program or project, or for the charity to use it where they think it’s needed most.

Most importantly, if you don’t believe in what a charity is doing or that your money will make a meaningful difference, find one that will. It’s called trust-based philanthropy and what we help our clients achieve.

What Is Trust-Based Philanthropy? And Why Do We Believe In It?

Trust-based philanthropy works to equalise the power between funders and grantees. It allocates funds to where they’re most needed – identified by the grantee, rather than determined by the funder.

At the Collective Manifesto, we help clients achieve this by:

• Identifying innovative organisations, led by amazing people, who are doing incredible work to solve some of our most challenging issues;
• Undertaking extensive due diligence including face-to-face discussions to ensure ‘a match’ with each client;
• Building a trusted relationship with charities, before and during the grant period; and then
• Partnering with organisations we have the surety of knowing are achieving impact and will be transparent with how they’re using funding.

We believe, in Australia, in 2024, we can do better.

Let’s Work Together

SARAH METCALF
FOUNDER, COLLECTIVE MANIFESTO
m: +61 413 805 327
e: sarah@collectivemanifesto.com.au
w: collectivemanifesto.com.au

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