The holiday season is quickly approaching, and with it, many of us are scrambling to think of gifts to give friends and family. This year has seen a record increase in online shopping and parcel delivery time. You can ease the worry of gifts arriving on time, and make a difference for those less fortunate this holiday season by swapping traditional gifts for holiday giving.

Whether you donate to charities through Good2Give’s Workplace Giving Platform or you have a charitable foundation managed by Good2Give, we can help you maximise your holiday giving this year.

GivingTuesday – An opportunity to make a difference

GivingTuesday often marks the first sign of the holiday season. Celebrated on 30 November this year, GivingTuesday celebrates and enhances generosity around the world.

Inspiring Australians to give back through holiday giving

GivingTuesday began in New York in 2012 with a simple idea: encouraging people to do good. Now almost 10 years later, GivingTuesday is a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity every year. Australia was invited to join the campaign in 2013, and we’ve seen an incredible amount of support and charitable giving during the holiday season as a result.

Although 2020 seemed to be a year of relentless challenges and loss, the charitable sector experienced an incredible increase in activity. Amongst the devastation of bushfires and difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic, a wave of generosity spread through Australia last holiday season – a wave we hope to continue in 2021.

The 2020 GivingTuesday campaign in Australia saw a 33% rise in new supporters alongside a 19% increase in giving from existing supporters/donors. How can we increase holiday giving and support of Australian charities this year?

Holiday giving is a growing standard across Australia

Research shows that Australians are in favour of donations to charity replacing traditional gifts received during the holiday season. In fact, more than one in four Australians (28%) will be participating in holiday giving this year, in place of gifting presents to family and friends.

So – you want to participate in holiday giving this year, but you’re not sure where to start? We’ve put together some tips and facts to help you replace traditional gift giving with holiday giving and make a difference in the lives of Australians who need it most.

Holiday giving considerations

Does the charity match your passion?

Choosing which charities to support can be an overwhelming decision with thousands of charities needing support in Australia. This can be a positive though – with so many charities doing amazing work, you can support an organisation that matches your beliefs and goals. No matter your passions – whether it’s providing overseas aid to disaster victims, or finding a cure for a particular disease, or ensuring indigenous Australians have access to education and support – there’s a charity out there that matches your intentions.

Is the charity fiscally responsible, ethical, and effective?

When participating in holiday giving, it’s important to make sure your donations go to a legitimate charity. The most important things to consider are:

• Financial health – Charities that are financially efficient and sustainable have greater flexibility to pursue their charitable mission
• Accountability and transparency – Charities that value transparency and follow good governance practices are less likely to engage in irresponsible activities
• Effectiveness – A charity’s ability to bring about meaningful change is the key reason for their existence, so make sure the charity you choose can provide evidence of its impact.

On the Good2Give Workplace Giving Platform, we take care of charity validations, ensuring your donation always goes to a legitimate charity. If you don’t have access to our giving platform for your holiday giving, check the charity name on the ACNC Charity Register and search for the charity on the ABN look up to see their Deductible Gift Recipients (DGR) Item Status. A DGR is an organisation that has been registered to receive tax deductible gifts. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to a charity, you have to ensure the charity is a DGR covered by Item 1.

Giving back is in the heart of Australians

In a survey of 1,008 Australians, participants were asked about their opinions on holiday gifts and attitudes towards donating money to charity rather than giving gifts.

Most Australians thought positively – a third think giving to charity rather than buying presents was great, noting that we already have so much in Australia. More than half of Australians think it’s ok, and that charitable giving should be done in conjunction with buying presents for family and friends.

So, whether you choose to solely participate in holiday giving this year, or donate to charity in addition to buying gifts for your friends and family, this holiday season you can make a difference in the lives of so many individuals and communities in need.