Savvy Giving Roadshow captures priority learning areas for philanthropy sector

Over the past six months, sector stalwart and philanthropic knowledge font Genevieve Timmons hosted a Savvy Giving Roadshow across Australia. At seven sessions for more than 250 Philanthropy Australia (PA) members and guests, Genevieve asked them ‘what are you most keen to learn about in philanthropy and what matters most?’. Here she reflects on the workshops, and what she learned. 

The Savvy Giving Roadshow was conceived for people to delve in to contemporary philanthropic practice, based on fundamentals laid out in the book Savvy Giving: A Roadmap for Contemporary Philanthropy.* At seven sessions across the country, they shared achievements and challenges in modern-day philanthropy; networking and learning together.  

The Roadshow was also an opportunity for PA to take the pulse on knowledge and learning priorities and hear what people most want to learn about as active participants in the philanthropy sector.  

What did the sessions cover? 

We briefly touched on the history of money and philanthropy and how we got to here. Fun fact, money has only been around for 4000 years and philanthropic dollars keep shaping how money linked with love of humanity. 

We tested a map of the philanthropic ecosystem in 2025 and talked about how it evolved in Australia. We looked at who is in the ecosystem, who has fingerprints on the work of giving, where we all fit, the structures, roles and relationships, noting that some people can wear multiple hats and that the ecosystem is constantly changing. It’s a lively space! 

While sizing up what we already know and where the gaps are, we noted that so much of the information about our sector that is available now just didn’t exist 15 years ago, and that the establishment of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) has made our sector is visible.  

We also focused on a few of the most popular and enduring Savvy approaches to developing personal skills and honing effective mindsets for whatever role we have. The most popular approaches are Balancing the Essentials, the Knowledge Wheel and scanning 24 steps in the Savvy Giving Granting Pathway. 

What did we learn? 

Attendees at each session were asked what they most want to learn and what they think are priorities for the sector.  These responses have all been woven into a beautiful spreadsheet, which is being distilled to guide future plans for PA’s Practice program. Key takeaways include: 

• People want to be updated on the sectoral landscape and positioning, particularly as it changes and expands rapidly 

• They want more options for networking, for sharing trends and challenges, and for collaboration 

• Many want to learn from our global peers, while others want to know how to support new and emerging endeavours such as community wealth and place-based projects. 

• How to weave trust and efficiency into funding negotiations and relationships is an important area of learning 

• People are craving more data and research, and how to better define, identify and quantify our sector and ecosystem 

• Philanthropy in Australia needs common data and common language. 

 We will have a more detailed picture of what our members are looking for to improve their practice in 2026. 

Who do we need to thank? 

Thanks to our fabulous members who provided hospitality and wonderful spaces for these sessions. Mercer Super Australia was our host in three states – Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney; Lotterywest hosted us in Perth; and the Tasmanian Community Fund welcomed us in Hobart; Brisbane was jointly hosted by Queensland Gives with McCullough Robertson; and in Canberra, Hands Across Canberra gathered us together at the Canberra Club.  

Special thanks to Maree Sidey, Philanthropy Australia CEO for supporting the tour and to Rebecca Moriarty, Knowledge Lead, who sourced and assembled the data and research about the ecosystem that got us all very excited! 

* Savvy Giving: A Roadmap for Contemporary Philanthropy was published in 2024, the second edition of Savvy Giving supported by Australian Communities Foundation (ACF).  All proceeds from the sale go to ACF, and the book is a gift with love from the author to the sector. 

Just in time for Christmas 2025, a reminder that a copy of Savvy Giving is the ideal gift for people who have everything – or need nothing!