On Giving Strategically and Staying Humble

My background is not one of money. I’m from a small country town and we weren’t a rich family at all. My parents instilled a very strong sense in us that you do what you can to improve your community, whether that’s through sport or through involvement with community organisations. Twelve years ago, a capital event gave me the freedom and opportunity to think about what I really wanted to do so I decided to set up a foundation with a focus on gender lens giving. My mother was forced to leave school at thirteen, times were tough, and her father didn’t believe it was worth educating a woman. I was the first kid in my family to go to university and I knew I’d been given the tools and opportunities she never had. Due to attitudinal issues and a lack of financial opportunities, there is still a lot of structural inequality across our society which is depriving us of the full contribution women can offer. 

I like to have a gender lens focus on what we do, which was perhaps my intellectual reason for wanting to set up a foundation in the first place. The reason why I'm passionate about continuing to do it is because of the joy that it brings and the people that I meet. There are so many extraordinary people doing incredible things to make the world a better place. Sometimes all they need is a bit of untied funding so that they can get on with implementing the plans that they've got to improve their community or to try new things. Seeing people's passion and enthusiasm for wanting to improve the world, whether it's through culture and the arts, which I'm passionate about, or through business technology and storytelling, which I'm also particularly excited about, is so inspiring.

I set up a structured foundation because I wanted to approach philanthropy in the same way I approach my investment in start-ups. With investments, I like to look at the strategy of the company, the people involved and the potential for returns, and I do the same thing with the foundation. I have a strategy and a budget, and I do an analysis at the end of the year. At the start, I got over excited and supported too many things. But I don't have any regrets because those were all good learning experiences. I've used the foundation as a vehicle to be able to understand and judge what we've achieved. A few years back I also met a group of incredible philanthropists who have similar views in terms of wishing to help achieve social progress. We created a group called Mannifera which has a particular focus supporting a stronger democracy in Australia plus a fairer economy. There are some amazing civil society organisations that work in these areas, and by all of us working together, Mannifera has been able to support them with capacity funding to go out and achieve the change they want to achieve. 

I was also involved in Women Moving Millions, an organisation which originated in America and provides an intellectual framework for giving through a gender lens. I attended their first conference in New York and met some incredible women there. One of the joys of philanthropy is connecting with people, both in an Australian and an international context, who are engaging and driving for real social change.

Number one is to be targeted and strategic in the causes you are supporting and to do something that brings you joy. If you want to give strategically, you need to think about how your money can be best used.  You can take a broad scattergun approach but unless you’ve got heaps of time to spare, you’re not going to learn very much about those organisations. One of the most rewarding parts of philanthropy is getting to know the people who are at the frontline of delivering those services. You must do your due diligence, educate yourself and make sure you understand what those organisations want to achieve. 

Number two is not to impose yourself and get in the way of what those people need to do. Don’t be a burden. Just because you’ve got a great idea for the organisation doesn’t mean it will fit with their strategic plans. Be aware that whatever organisation you’re looking to support, they are working hard to serve the community and make an impact. Be a little humble in your giving and don’t think just because you have money you have the answers to everything. 

My number one ambition for giving is that we develop much more of a culture in Australia of ‘everyday philanthropy’. I’d like to see every day giving become normalised. Even if your means are only very small, there is still an opportunity to consider giving as part of your monthly budget. If funds are tight, then your focus may be on contributing your time rather than your cash, but the point is to ask the question on a regular basis.  That is the culture that I would like to see overall. 

Secondly, as giving becomes the cultural norm, people with significant means will both continue to grow their giving according to their means and look at how to use their giving to achieve true social change through partnerships with governments and impact investors. We choose where we put our money and our resources. No one should be hungry in this country. No child should not be at school. These are choices we all make as a society.