Starting the year with purpose, connection and generosity: A note from CEO Maree Sidey
As we share the first edition of Giving News for 2026, it feels a little late to say Happy New Year. Yet the sense of renewal that comes with a new year remains important. Many communities have experienced a difficult beginning to the year. Recent weeks have brought moments of grief and disruption, including violent incidents affecting Jewish and Aboriginal communities, and early bushfires and sudden flooding across the country.
Fitted For Work launches a giving circle to bring donors ‘closer to the cause’
Fitted for Work is best known for providing women experiencing adversity clothes for job readiness, but the charity does much more. As traditional fundraising becomes more competitive than ever, the charity has launched a giving circle to bring its many committed supporters ‘closer to the cause’.
Catch up on Philanthropy Leadership Summit 2025 breakout sessions – Part 2
Here’s your chance to catch up on what you missed in the second set of our ‘Deeper dive into real life leadership’ sessions. Read reflections on investing in leadership to collective solutions to climate change and emerging approaches to addressing inequality.
Catch up on the Philanthropy Leadership Summit breakout sessions – Part 1
From First Nations leadership to community-led solutions and the rise of AI, among a plethora of other topics from our ‘Deeper dive into real life leadership’ breakout sessions – our facilitators share their reflections.
Impact-driven networks – this is how philanthropy can ‘fund the glue’
Julia Gillard’s call to action was possibly the most oft-repeated at the Philanthropy Leadership Summit 2025. This Q&A with Darius Polok, Managing Director of the International Alumni Center (iac Berlin), who spoke at the event, delves into how philanthropy can invest in supporting the community networks and ecosystems necessary to achieve systems change. However, this will require shifts in perspective and practice.
Canberra charity roundtable looks to boost productivity, streamline reporting and boost innovation
A strong commitment to boosting productivity in the charity and not-for-profit sector, as well as improving government evaluation and reporting demands, dominated an industry roundtable in Canberra Tuesday. The roundtable was organised to allow Charities Minister Andrew Leigh and Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek to spend time with more than 25 sector leaders, behind closed doors and with all ideas on the table.
The power of Five Bucks: founder Brianna Kerr on ‘going small to go big’
Five Bucks – a giving community where members chip in $5 a week – is all about ‘going small to go big’. Giving News talks with the founder of this collective giving initiative as the community distributes its first $62,000. In this Q&A, Brianna Kerr shares fascinating insights on the democratisation of giving in action – and what’s in store for year two.






