Charities have welcomed a new opportunity to showcase their work to donors, supporters and the public on the ACNC Charity Register. When charities submit the 2020 Annual Information Statement, they can now provide details about up to ten programs.
Mission Australia delivers a range of programs including homelessness crisis and prevention services. General Counsel and Company Secretary Sally Ascroft said promoting the charity’s work means it can reach more people at their time of need and demonstrate the importance of its frontline work to existing and potential supporters.
‘Those who have been in a position to donate or support Mission Australia are often moved to do so because they have seen and heard about the vital work we do, and our impact on people’s lives. These days, we work in a challenging setting because the way services are funded is growing in complexity. Charity service providers such as Mission Australia must prioritise promoting ourselves to governments, charitable supporters and social investors,’ Ms Ascroft said.
‘Supporters are, rightly, increasingly discerning about who they will trust with their donations, and what they expect to see for the dollars they give. Perhaps now more than ever, engaging stakeholders and fundraising is vital to our work and ongoing promotion helps to nurture support, trust and loyalty to our charity and the people we serve. While we receive government funding for some of our services, many are funded through the generosity of donors, supporters, corporate partners and bequests that enable us to continue our invaluable work to support Australians at their time of need.
‘With the ACNC providing the classifications for different types of services the process was simple and efficient. We were glad to have the opportunity to identify and communicate about our great programs and the fact that so many categories were provided by the ACNC was an advantage.
‘As Mission Australia provides a range of services our challenge was deciding which 10 service descriptions to choose. We chose 10 programs that define what we do and we are sure that this initiative will help the general public to learn about our services in a more efficient way.’
Australian Photographic Society Secretary, Stella Fava also welcomed the initiative. She said promotion is very important for her charity. ‘APS is a unique organisation in the photographic community and we strive for the widest exposure possible. It’s the key way we engage with stakeholders and attract more photographers to join the organisation,’ she said.
‘Filling in our program information was really simple, and our profile is neatly and attractively laid out on the ACNC Charity Register. I think most charities would see this as a good way to promote their programs, and get more support.’
The ACNC Charity Register is the most comprehensive charity database in Australia. In the last financial year, there were more than 3.2 million searches of the Charity Register. It is anticipated that number will grow once people can search for programs that interest them, making it like a 'charity marketplace'.