How do I give?
Once your structure is in place and you are confident that you have enough information to maintain legal compliance, the way in which you structure and organise your giving is up to you. While all philanthropists retain their individual characteristics and motivations, for many people philanthropy is a journey. We have identified some common stages through which many philanthropists progress.
Download the Five Steps of Philanthropy (PDF)
Download Rules of Thumb for Aspiring Philanthropists (PDF)
Why do you want to give? What’s important to you?
You need to start with this, because you won’t be able to select the most appropriate structure until you have worked out what you want to give to and how much involvement you want to have. There will be some complication if, for instance:
- you want to give to individuals
- you wish to give for work overseas
- you wish to give to hospitals and other government entities
- you wish to give to community foundations or other grantmaking entities
What structure to use?
Check out the Giving Tree and the tables of options for Planned Giving and Unplanned Giving to get an idea of which structure’s right for you.
Put your structure in place
If you decide to go ahead with a formal giving vehicle, professional advisors experienced in philanthropy are recommended. You can find a list of professional advisors on our Service Providers page.
A good roundup of these steps and ideas is contained in Philanthropy Australia’s Guide to Giving, which will give you some basic information about the different types of legal structures available, as well as about identifying your own giving priorities. Click here to download or find out more about the Guide to Giving.
Once you begin to operate as a giver, you will probably find that you have a new set of questions. Many of these have been faced by others in the past, and you will be able to learn from their experience. A subscription to Australian Philanthropy magazine will provide you with a wide variety of information from your peers in the field. Membership of Philanthropy Australia will give you access to help from our experienced staff who will be able to assist you with answers to your questions.