Corporate Philanthropy Study
25 June 2004 at 1:06 pm
A South Australian researcher is investigating the management of Australian corporate philanthropy – thought to be the first study of its kind in this country.
Researcher, Dawn Smith is completing her thesis at Flinders University’s Institute of Public Policy and Management using her experience of almost forty years as a fundraising consultant both nationally and internationally.
Smith says the research focuses on the perspective of donors and managers and studies both motivation and techniques.
The Former National Director of the Australia Day Committee says while there has been good work carried out from the perspective of Australian charities, such as the research by Mark Lyons in Sydney, her study looks at the management and thinking of the corporate givers.
This study addresses the lack of research into corporate philanthropy by identifying motivations and techniques employed by a selection of private and family donors, as well as corporate donors and trust and foundation grantors.
The new data for the thesis has been collected from eight major sources:
– Chairmen & Managing Directors of major Australian companies,
– Individual private philanthropists,
– Managers of trusts and foundations,
– Senior executives of trustee companies,
– Senior professional fundraisers,
– Senior representatives of recipient organisations,
– The Australian Bureau of Statistics, and
– Philanthropy Australia.
Dawn Smith’s own philanthropic journey began during World War 2 when as a ten year old she and her younger sister held a successful fete near their home in the Adelaide Hills to raise money for the Red Cross having pushed a pram around the suburbs asking people to donate goods to sell!
She went on to have a life long career as a professional capital fundraiser and consultant in Australia, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Poland, the UK and Ireland and New Zealand. Currently she is on the board of United Way SA and Wheelchair Sports.
Smith says the thesis will be delivered in 2005. If anyone would like to contact Dawn Smith about her research you can do so via email to ds24apr@dodo.com.au.
