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This guidance provides information for members of the public who want to donate to or volunteer with a charity. It includes information about how to choose a charity to support, and some things to consider when you are donating and volunteering.

What to consider when choosing a charity to support

When choosing a charity to support, consider which causes might be close to your heart and then look to find out more about the charities working in these areas.

A good starting point is to focus on the nature of the charity's work, who it helps and the impact it is having in the community. From there you might want to consider:

  • if it is clear what the charity is trying to achieve and how its activities work towards its objectives
  • if you would like to spend your money or time to support these objectives
  • if the charity is being transparent about its activities.

If an organisation is registered with the ACNC, it has met the requirements to be a registered charity set out in the ACNC Act.

You can find a charity to support by searching the ACNC Charity Register. A charity’s listing on the ACNC Charity Register contains information that may help you decide if you wish to support it.

That information includes the charity's purposes, activities, where it operates, who it helps, and information about its finances and reporting.

On the Register, you can search by the charity’s name or by the type of work or programs it does.

Searching by a charity’s name or Australian Business Number (ABN) is a great way to see the details of a charity that you already know about.

Searching by charity programs means that you do not need to know the name of a specific charity when looking for one to support.

The Register’s program search function lets you filter the program location, beneficiaries, program classification and other details so you can find a charity program to support. Once you have found a program, you can view the details of the charity that runs it.

You can use the information on the Charity Register to see if the charity’s mission aligns with your values, and you can find the charity’s contact details and website if you want to reach out to the organisation about volunteering or donating.

In addition, many charities also have more information on their websites about their objectives and the work that they do.

Donating

Donations to charity are commonly made in the form of money or goods. Contributions of time or expertise are more commonly known as volunteering, which we also look at in this guidance.

When looking to donate, it is a good idea to contact a charity directly and ask what help it may need.

Some charities may need specific goods for a specific reason or appeal. Others may not take goods – for example, due to their inability to properly or securely store them – and would prefer monetary donations.

Each charity is different, so it is worth asking what they need most as a way of making sure your donation is effective.

If you want to make a big donation, or leave money or gifts through your will, you should consider getting professional advice from a lawyer or accountant to ensure your donation or bequest gets to the right place.

Not all charities are able to accept tax deductible donations.

Only organisations that have been endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) as deductible gift recipients (DGRs) are able to accept tax deductible gifts and contributions. If you donate to a DGR-endorsed charity, then you may be able to claim a tax deduction for any donations you make of $2 or more.

You can check if a charity is DGR-endorsed on the Australian Business Register’s ABN Lookup.

If looking at a charity’s ACNC Charity Register page, you can click on the button in the top right-hand corner that says ‘Will my donation be tax deductible?’ Doing so will display more information about the charity's tax concessions, including DGR endorsement, on the Australian Business Register (ABR).

Not all organisations that are endorsed as deductible gift recipients are charities. Non-charitable organisations that are endorsed as deductible gift recipients are not listed on the ACNC Charity Register. You can still look up the details of these organisations on ABN Lookup.

The ACNC does not endorse organisations as deductible gift recipients. For more information about DGR endorsement, visit the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) website.

Volunteering

Volunteers help charities in many ways - from preparing food to being a board member. If you want to volunteer, ensure:

  • the charity's purpose and the work it does matches your values
  • the charity needs the skills and experience you can offer
  • you are realistic about what you can contribute and understand what is expected before you commit.

If you are a volunteer, the charity has a responsibility to ensure a healthy and safe environment. You can ask the charity if it has insurance cover for volunteers. Here are some external websites that aim to match people with volunteering opportunities:

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