New Foundation Turns to Storytelling
21 November 2013 at 9:11 am
The new national organisation, the Not for Profit Foundation has been established to connect Australians and charitable organisations through the power of storytelling.
The brainchild of Private Portfolio Managers (PPM) the Foundation has launched an online Australian Charity Storybook – a diverse collection of stories and achievements from an array of people across Australia, who have been assisted by one of the participating charities.
Research conducted by The Not-For-Profit Foundation showed the majority of Australians (53 per cent) make donations based on emotional connections, rather than level of trust or efficiency of the charity organisation.
The Foundation conducted research across more than 1300 Australians, drawn from a wide range of industry sectors, to identify how individuals select a charity as well as barriers to giving.
One in five respondents said clear availability of information was the key criteria in selecting a charity to make a donation, while only 8 per cent said current events was the deciding factor when drawing up a shortlist of charities.
The research also found that key barriers to giving were lack of transparent and clear information about a charity’s purposes, perceived inefficiencies and over-intrusive collection methods.
“The new website and hard copy Australian Charity Storybook aims to drive generosity by building greater awareness and a stronger emotional connection through publishing inspiring real life success stories of individuals whose lives have been impacted by the 30 charities selected,” Not–for-Profit Foundation General Manager and PPM Head of Corporate Development, Kris Vogelsong said.
The venture aims to showcase the remarkable work of Australia’s many and varied charities, and help to build the emotional bridge with philanthropists, government and the mainstream giving public.
“These emotional stories are real life case studies of the work being done by Australia’s charitable sector and illustrate how important our Not for Profit sector is to Australian society and culture.
“While the efficiency of a charity was important to many Australians, the defining factor for giving was how passionate they felt about the cause,” Vogelsong said.
The Australian Charity Storybook is available online through The Not-For-Profit Foundation website www.nfpfoundation.org.au
The charitable organisations featured in the inaugural edition of The Australian Charity Storybook are: Australian Diabetes Council, BBM Youth Support, Bear Cottage – The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, The Benevolent Society, Byron Community Centre, Camp Quality, Can Assist, The Creche And Kindergarten Association, Cure Cancer Australia, David Wirrpanda Foundation, The Evolve Foundation, Fitted For Work, Foresters Community Finance, FRANS, Girl Guides NSW & ACT, The Homeless Persons’ Legal Clinic, Indigenous Marathon Project, Mission Australia – Cafe One On Wickham, Mittagundi Outdoor Education Centre, NADO, Opportunity International Australia, ParaQuad, The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, Refugee Advice and Casework Service, Royal Far West, Second Chance Toys, The Sydney Story Factory, The Shepherd Centre, The Wesley Research Institute, YWCA NSW.
A copy of the full storybook is available here.
