From Me to We: The Shift in Charitable Giving
Why pooling our resources can lead to greater impact
Hey everyone,
Georgia here, founder of Humans For Good 👋
We’re back with another edition of Unconventional – a brand new HFG publication that aims to challenge the way society is, and how it can be. Our hope is that it will serve as a reminder that even (and especially) in turbulent times like these – there are so many ways to live in, and change, the world around us.
In this edition, we’ll be talking about Collective Giving with Brianna Kerr – founder of Five Bucks, who has big ambitions for shaking up the current state of charitable donations in Australia. I’m also stoked to announce that the wonderful Abbie Brett has joined the HFG volunteer team, and will be working with me to bring Unconventional to life. Keep your eyes peeled for some really interesting perspectives in your inbox over the coming months.
In some other fun news, we’re working on a few new event ideas for HFG members. We’re going to test out a ‘Good Talk Club’ which will bring good humans together around a meal at a social enterprise restaurant, or cafe. Our first event will be Good Talk Club: Climate Anxiety to Action – a 20-person dinner at Parliament On King in Sydney, on Friday May 2. Alternatively, if you’re more interested in six-person lunches and dinners (or in co-working days / nights) with other social impact minded folks, let us know here.
Thanks all, and enjoy! See you around soon.
– Georgia
From Me to We: The Shift in Charitable Giving
Hi, I’m Abbie — a Strategic Designer who spends her days untangling complex problems and designing more human, hopeful ways forward 👋
In this edition, we will explore Collective Giving and how it offers an exciting alternative to the traditional model to charitable donations. Collective Giving focuses on pooling together both bank notes and brains, where people combine contributions to make a greater impact. Whilst it may sound complex, organisations like Five Bucks are leveraging partnerships and community to create a smooth giving process that is more strategic, impactful and – dare I say it – fun.
⛓️ “Is the system of charitable giving broken?”
Not-for-profits are increasingly grappling with decreased donations, whilst facing an increased demand for services and rising operational costs.
In Australia, research shows that less people are giving each year - and giving way less than those in the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand. And the total lower amount that is being given is highly concentrated into a small number of already well-known charities.
Enter Brianna Kerr. After almost a decade in the international development and NFP sector, she couldn’t help but notice some systemic challenges that consistently hindered meaningful impact: dysfunctional donor dynamics that undermine the altruistic intentions of philanthropy, the increasing misinterpretation of the “philanthropist” identity as skewing towards wealthy individuals, and the growing presence of futility thinking (”my small donation won’t make a difference anyway”). Bri decided to dive a bit deeper.
🫴 Why aren’t young people giving?
Bri interviewed 170 people between the ages of 23 and 26 to understand if they’re giving, how much they’re giving and if not, why not? The results were clear. Young people are:
Overwhelmed - “Who should I donate to? Where do I begin my research?”
Experiencing compassion fatigue - “I’m exhausted by being exposed to so much suffering in the world”
Feeling cynical and distrustful - “Where would my money really be going anyway?”
And it’s not to say that this generation do not care. In fact, research shows that Gen Z care more than other generations. But when it comes to giving, they feel emotionally drained, unsure how to give, and skeptical about the impact of their contributions.
💸 Introducing Five Bucks
Seeing an opportunity in this challenge, Bri founded Five Bucks – Australia’s most accessible giving circle. The idea is simple. All members chip in $5 per week throughout the week, and on an annual basis the community votes on which organisations to give the collective amount to.
The process looks like this:
Consult with members, philanthropy experts and people with lived and/or learned experience in one of their focus areas (ecological and social)
Invite a long-list of organisations to submit proposals
Panel evaluate against a robust framework and shortlist the strongest fit
Conduct due diligence for shortlisted organisations
The community gets together once a year to vote on the short-list
Organisations with the most member votes will receive grants distributed by the Australian Communities Foundation
Five Bucks makes the giving process is inclusive, transparent and strategic – ensuring that funds landing in the hands of the highest impact potential organisations.
🤝 Why is collective giving the future?
Collective giving is defined as the “coming together of knowledge, expertise and financial resources to make strategic philanthropic contributions.”
According to research, collective giving is challenging traditional system with significant impact, by:
Democratising and diversifying philanthropy: by shifting the narrative around who and how people donate, and even redefining the “philanthropist” identity
Expanding what gets funded: by creating a more equitable distribution of funds across a range of issues, populations and organisations
Pushing the boundaries of how philanthropy is practiced: by encouraging donors to donate their time and talent rather than just their money, and moving away from centralised philanthropy to community-led giving
Deeply impacting members themselves: by contributing to wellbeing, a sense of community, agency and purpose
Many versions of collective giving exist (giving circles, corporate giving programs, impact investment funds) - but oftentimes they can again be seen as designed for the rich, disconnected from the cause, or lacking the community feeling that people are increasingly craving in modern society.
🙋 What makes Five Bucks different?
A few days before I was due to chat with Bri, I noticed Five Bucks were hosting a “Pool Party” in Sydney (spoiler alert: a funding pool, not a swimming pool). I went along.
Designed for members and the curious like me, it was hosted at Vivcourt Trading, a purpose-led trading company with a vibrant, non-investment-floor-like office space. Bri gave us a “fun i.e. not boring rundown” (her words, not mine) of the Five Bucks concept in an interactive presentation, encouraged us to chat to those next to us and got us to do our best Five Bucks inspired drawings. 35mm photos were taken, kombuchas were drank and people stayed behind to connect.
The vibes were high and it is clear that Five Bucks are onto something special with their get-together-led approach. When Bri and I chatted later, she referenced the empowering nature of doing things with others (whether that’s experiencing or giving), and referenced the African proverb “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”.
And all good organisations have a fun identity for their members, right? Five Bucks affectionately call their members “Buckaroos” and are on a mission to hit 5,000 members this year, amplifying the impact of individual contributions with a strong community driven towards positive social and environmental outcomes.
With the help of their pool parties, their playful branding and communications, and a growing number of keen volunteers with bright brains, I have no doubts that they’ll hit it before that number end of 2025.
💛 On being a good human
Finally, we asked Bri what advice she would give to someone looking to make an everyday impact in their lives.
“Be good to others. As Maya Angelou said, ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’”
👀 What can I do next?
Learn more about collective giving via Philanthropy Together
Find out more about the wonderful work of the Five Bucks team and become a Buckaroo, here
Check out Humans For Good’s community fundraising page for the Against Malaria Foundation. So far, we have provided 49 long-lasting insecticidal bed-nets in regions which experience the highest burden of malaria cases
Get involved in HFG
Sign up for our Slack community to find social impact related events & opportunities, and to ask for and offer help
Join the Good Talk Club: Climate Anxiety to Action at Parliament On King in Erskineville, on Friday the 2nd May (election night). This is a small, 20-person dinner that funds a social enterprise, and is for anyone who’s feeling concerned about climate change, keen to meet likeminded people, and wanting to swap learnings about how to vote for the planet this election
Express your interest in joining a six-person dinner or lunch club at a social enterprise near you, or in co-working with other humans who are doing impact-related jobs, passion projects and side hustles
Good deals & discounts
Grab 27% off your first purchase of Who Gives a Crap toilet paper by following this link and using the code, “HUUUGE” (new customers and between the 14th – 26th April, 2025 only)
Organise a fun, 10-day company-wide challenge – where every 15k steps you take, a tree is planted. Get 10% off your Treely challenge by mentioning HFG when you sign up
Drink sustainably with 20% off Sörzero for your event or day out: sustainably brewed and tea-based non-alcoholic beer. Use the code HFG20 to claim this
Have an offer to share? Let us know here.
That’s all folks
Thanks for reading the second-ever edition of Unconventional, and we hope to see you around the community soon!