Jacinta Parsons is a broadcaster, writer and MC of The Funding Network events. She’s an ambassador for the Crohn’s and Colitis Association and board member for Melbourne theatre company, Rollercoaster.
The first thing that comes to mind are some of the giving projects we did at primary school. I grew up in Box Hill North, in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and I can still remember the visceral experience of getting my ‘Jump Rope For Heart’ or ‘Ms Readathon’ and going out to raise money around my community.
These projects really embedded giving into education, which I think is so important because it normalises it as part of what people do in the world. Back then, it was about the big charities rather than the grassroots groups we talk about now, but it empowered kids to understand their place in giving and potentially lay the foundation for a lifelong practice.
I’m blown away by how many grassroots social entrepreneurs are out there solving the problems of society. We tend to focus on the ‘big end’ solutions which can sometimes feel a bit disheartening. But when you encounter the incredible work that’s happening at the coalface, for community and by community, and you see the incredible heart and capacity involved, it’s impossible not to give.
What I love about being involved in The Funding Network (TFN) is the access it gives me to these organisations that are doing such brilliant stuff, because the navigation of where to give can be difficult. When you're in the same space with founders who are doing the work, it generates this real connection to what’s happening on the ground.
Most of my giving happens around The Funding Network. Even though I MC these events, I’m in the same boat as everyone else who comes along. There’s this shared philosophy which creates a real sense of community - whether you’re giving a hundred bucks or $20,000, it all happens in the same space, at the same time.
The money that’s raised at TFN events is amazing, but I think the impact is much bigger than that; it's about finding agency in the world. Just participating in these rooms and finding organisations that you love, reminds you that there is a lot going on that is deeply positive and built on the values of equity and inclusion, and that there are people out there who are ensuring that we’re navigating the world’s problems with intelligence and respect.
It's largely about finding ways to make a better world, and that’s so important. When we're isolated and watching the world burn, it’s easy to believe that we don’t have the power as individuals to build the world we want. But it’s so far from the truth. Organisations like The Funding Network connect you to these solutions from these grassroots groups, who often don't get the funding they need. So, whatever contribution you can make matters. I'm one of the ‘hundred bucks’ people in the room rather than the ‘thousand bucks’ person, but because my job is on radio, I have this platform to invite these incredible people into the studio and hear more of their story - so that’s another way I’ve come to give.
These people are the ‘blood, sweat and tears’ of the front lines. A lot of them have come about these solutions because they've been engaged with the problem directly, so it’s not coming from the top down problem-solving, it’s bottom up – and I believe there’s so much power in that approach.
Just how enormously nurturing and beneficial it is. This isn't just about dollars and cents or time. It’s about showing love for your community in spaces that you haven't done before. Nowadays, my giving is about connection to that goodness. We have to seek it out and find the places that resonate and show us the world that we want to live in. It's like a civic responsibility. Because if we don't take that initiative, we're not looking at the full picture then we're not investing in ‘radical hope’. I know it’s one of those terms that gets thrown around, but the only way to bust the system is to do it in community, with women and in a way that shakes the cage.
What I find incredible is how grateful I am for the work that is being done. And it’s such a satisfying thing to be in those spaces where you can have the opportunity to thank someone for doing the work and for being a solution. The fact that there are so many of these people and organisations, is just so heartening.
We have to normalise giving in Australia from cradle to grave in whatever way that looks like. This country has such wonderful benefits in its welfare systems, and we’ve got great government support for certain things, but as a community the best way for us to create for the world we want to live in, is through our participation.
It's not the money amount; it's not the time amount. It’s the intention that comes with knowing that there’s important work being done and that it’s up to us to connect with it. This kind of external energy is essential to keeping these organisations going because it’s really hard to build that supporter base.
Find the organisations that reflect your values, that excite you and make you want to cry when you hear about what they've done or are planning to do. You need to be strategic in your giving and think about where your skills and money are best placed. Because then it becomes a connected part of your humanity, rather than just something else you're giving money to. It's about finding a human connection to the work, and then loving, teaching and celebrating it when it’s happening.
It is so important. It comes back to that well-known adage that “you can't be what you can't see.” The more we talk about it, the more we normalise it as simply part of the human experience. Women have always come together to find solutions because we're community focused and it's important to acknowledge that and celebrate that as we grow women’s giving. I have such great faith in the capacity for women led organisations and women's groups to engender authentic responses to problems of the world right now.
