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Opinion

Best practice lives at home too: Insights from North American philanthropy

Andrew Binns, CEO, Australian Communities Foundation Fri, 11 Jul 2025

North America often looms large in the philanthropic imagination. It’s home to some of the world’s most storied foundations, biggest givers and boldest initiatives. Andrew Binns, CEO of Australian Communities Foundation, has had two weeks of meetings and conversations across Canada and the US. He has returned with a powerful reminder: the most effective and innovative philanthropy isn’t confined to one part of the world. Best practice lives here, too.

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Opinion

Beyond the 5% Rule: Why charity trustees should invest for impact

Paul Ronalds, CEO, Save the Children Global Ventures Fri, 11 Jul 2025

You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Or some would argue that if you want to generate social or environmental impact from your investments, you have to compromise financial returns. This debate matters because society desperately needs to unlock large, patient chunks of capital to use to scale innovations that can solve the planet’s biggest social and environmental challenges, writes Paul Ronalds, CEO of Save the Children Global Ventures.

Opinion

What do the taxation statistics of giving reveal?

Emeritus Professor Myles McGregor-Lowndes and Dr Alexandra Williamson Fri, 11 Jul 2025

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has recently released its statistics for the financial year 2022-23, including gift tax deductions by claimed individuals, as well as the latest numbers on private and public Ancillary Funds. Both provide a backdrop for the potential implementation of recommendations from inquiries and the current Treasury consultation on ancillary fund distribution rates.