Australians big on giving and volunteering
By Vanessa McQuarrie

Australians are donating more to charity and the community than ever before, and big business is following suit, a national study of philanthropy has found.

Giving Australia, a research project funded by the federal government, calculated that individuals and businesses donated $11.5 billion in money, goods and services, and time during 2004.

Almost 90% of adults made a donation, giving an average of $424 each. The figure may have been higher if donations to tsunami appeals, which began after the Boxing Day disaster, had been included.

Giving Australia also noted a big increase in the number of people who volunteer – due in part to the publicity generated by the Sydney Olympics.

Overall, 41% of adult Australians volunteered a total of 836 million hours, up 16% since 2000. People who earn lower incomes volunteer more.

Although 63% of donations in cash, kind and time came from individuals, Giving Australia found that business is slowly catching up, and business giving has more than doubled since 2000-01.

Download the Giving Australia: Research on Philanthropy in Australia Report.

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