Whether you’re a company looking for a charity to support as part of your corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives – or a family wanting to make a difference through regular donating, choosing a charity to support requires careful consideration.
With so many worthwhile causes to support during these challenging times, the selection process can be a difficult one. To streamline this decision, we have created a guide covering the factors that most require consideration when choosing a charity to support.
1. Choose a cause
Would you like to support an organisation focused on animal welfare, the environment, sports, education, medical research, children – or something else entirely?
When choosing a charity cause, several factors come into play. These include considering what you are most passionate about, the community that you would most like to support, and what cause most resonates with your own beliefs.
2. Research charities supporting your chosen cause
Let’s say you have decided to support a charity focussed on the welfare of children. The next step is to create a list of charities which belong to this cause. These could include charities that target child poverty, or provide child protection services.
One great example of this type of charity is ChildFund Australia. ChildFund Australia is a part of the ChildFund Alliance – one of the world’s oldest and most experienced child-focused development agencies.
3. Refine and prioritise charities
After compiling a list of potential charities to support, it’s important to refine and prioritise the charities according to your own objectives.
Think about the changes that you would most like to see implemented for your cause of choice, and assess the priorities of the charities selected in alignment with these changes.
Perhaps you grew up in a single-parent household and had to commence work early to support your household. Or, you understand the importance of education and want to provide vulnerable children with the opportunity to go to school. Choose to support a charity whose mission resonates with your own experiences.
4. Review the websites of charities on your shortlist
Before committing financially, it’s important to establish the legitimacy of the charities on your shortlist. It can be helpful to review projects, testimonials, success stories and frequently asked questions on their official websites. You can also check the ACNC Register, to confirm that the charity is registered with Australia.
Published financial statements and annual reports can also be reviewed, as can any rewards or recognition received by a trusted body or authority related to the cause of choice.
After verifying the authenticity of your selected charities, it can be prudent to make a phone call to your top two or three favourites to discuss donation options.
Ask questions and see if they can provide the information you need — whether it’s further information about their annual report, or details regarding the programs on offer.
5. Volunteer
While an optional step, volunteering for a charity for a period of time can also provide firsthand experience as to how a charity operates and it’s real-world impact.
ChildFund Australia, for example, offers the opportunity to contribute to fundraising efforts. This includes options such as running a Facebook birthday fundraiser, personal fundraising event, or fundraising through school projects.
Supporting ChildFund Australia
Should you choose to support ChildFund Australia, there are a range of great donation and sponsorship options to consider.
Current priority projects include increasing COVID-19 awareness, providing hand washing stations with clean water, support of health outreach teams with vital equipment and staff.
Sponsoring a child or community can also be an effective way to contribute to ChildFund’s objectives on an ongoing basis.
Please get in touch with us today, should you wish to discuss any of the above options.
Gender equality in the post-pandemic landscape: finding strategies to support women and girls beyond this crisis
You can help change the lives of women and girls and all of those experiencing disadvantage across the world. Sponsor children across some of the most in-need countries around the globe, or transform the futures of families and communities with our Gifts for Good.
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed society to breaking point. Communities, healthcare facilities, economies, governments, private businesses — almost no aspect of modern life has been left untouched by the pandemic. But when societies are stretched in this way, it is those who are already disadvantaged and marginalised that bear the brunt. As such, one of COVID-19’s most disturbing legacies is a fractured world — one fraught with inequality and imbalance, particularly when it comes to gender equality.
Women and girls profoundly affected by COVID-19
Women and girls are among the hardest hit by the pandemic, and this could leave a lasting mark on our society. Studies have found an additional 2 million instances of maternal and child mortality were recorded in 2020 and 2021, compared with numbers from before the pandemic struck. Meanwhile, a UN report from 2020 found that violence against women and girls increased by more than 25% across a number of countries as the pandemic took hold.
These problems were not spawned by the pandemic. Instead, it has highlighted, intensified, and exacerbated issues that have long existed.
Even more concerningly, previous advances in gender equality and in the rights of women and children are being erased. International non-profit UNICEF has highlighted the role of women in domestic and healthcare provision, where 70% of frontline personnel are women.
Too often these women are left exposed to violence, infection, and other forms of harm while being denied the remuneration and benefits offered to men. As COVID-19 put households under immense strain, UNICEF also found that adolescent girls are pressured to drop out of education or vocational training to take on caring responsibilities in the home, effectively reversing the advances that have been made in education for girls across the last 30 years.
Solutions to end gender inequality
What does gender equality look like in the midst of a global pandemic? Gender equality means women and girls receive the same protections against COVID-19 and its hardships as their male counterparts. It is ensuring that women and girls are not marginalised or sidelined, and they can access resources for recovery, development, and betterment. Perhaps most importantly, gender equality means giving women and girls a stake in society in the long-term — a stake that does not depend on ‘all being well’ or other factors.
To achieve this, the World Health Organisation’s Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health has identified seven commitments world governments must make to bring about a more equal world. They are:
- Sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services and supplies
- Sexual and reproductive rights and gender equality
- High-quality and dignified care available to all
- Safe, equal and fair training and employment
- Social protections for marginalised and vulnerable individuals and groups
- Safe sanitary services and drinking water provision
- Prevention of violence against women, children and adolescents
Governments undoubtedly will have a huge role to play in supporting the future of gender equality, both for today and for future generations, but there is more to it. It will take a concerted effort from across society — from consumers to business owners, from non-profit organisations to the general public — to bring about a positive change.
Here at ChildFund Australia, we are working to change the lives of women and girls, and all disadvantaged people, for the better, for good. To do this, we need your help. Sign up to donate monthly today, or give Gifts for Good — life-changing gifts that transform the outlook for families and individuals in at-risk communities. Together, we can achieve a better, more equal world.
