ARTICLE
The not-for-profit landscape
Australia’s not-for-profit sector is at the heart of our national identity and is made up of a wide variety of charities. In this article, we look at the NFP landscape as well as trends in donor behaviour.
The not-for-profit landscape
There are over 46,000 registered charities employing 1.5 million people with an estimated 4 million volunteers. The Australian charities sector is extremely diverse and comprises a range of sectors. The biggest proportion are religious charities (22.7%). The next largest charity sector is that of Education which makes up 16.7% of all charities in the country followed closely by Human Services at 15.9%.
View this post on Instagram
Giving practices in Australia
Four in five Australians, 80% have given financially to charities or not-for-profits. This is consistent with pre pandemic levels.
Despite the pandemic, the surrounding uncertainty, and the growing cost of living generosity remains strong in Australia, this might come down to a widely held belief among donors where 90% of donors feel a sense of responsibility to support charities and not-for-profits that are making a difference in the lives of others.
Overall giving remains consistent, the way of giving is changing
While overall giving, has remained constant, the way of giving continues to change, Australian donors are increasingly opportunity givers with 60% of givers being opportunity givers, and 40% being committed givers.
Donors are increasingly opportunity givers
So what is an opportunity giver? They are donors who give when they hear about a need or an issue or when they are approached for support. Comparatively, 40% are committed givers. Those who give on a frequent or regular basis, or those who give semi-regularly throughout the year. When we explore this trend over time we can see that there have been some shifts.
Younger donors are driving the rise in opportunity givers
It’s the younger generations that are driving this rise in opportunity giving. For Gen Z, 72%, categorise themselves as opportunity givers with just 28% as committed givers, 67% for Gen Y, 56% for Gen X, and 47% for Baby Boomers.
For more insights with an overview of the NFP and charities sector, download the infographic.
