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NEWS

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The official news fromwww.givenow.com.au

EDITION 1, 2009

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About Us:

GiveNow News is the official newsletter of GiveNow.com.au (proudly supported by ) dedicated to helping Australians give more, give smarter and give better. GiveNow.com.au is an initiative of the Our Community Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation established by Our Community to catalyse funding for Australian community groups and to transform the community sector through greater efficiencies and effectiveness. This newsletter has been produced with the support of the Liberman Family Foundation.

Publisher:

Our Community Foundation National Headquarters 51 Stanley Street West Melbourne VIC 3003 Australia

(PO Box 354 North Melbourne VIC 3051 Australia)

Telephone (03) 9320 6838 Fax (03) 9326 6859service@givenow.com.auwww.ourcommunity.com.au/foundation

ISSN 1441-8947

Copyright:

© Our Community Foundation.

This is a free newsletter and we would like it to be distributed as widely as possible. Please feel free to send it on. If you want to use the individual articles, however, you’ll need to ask our permission (we almost always give it). Email your request to service@givenow.com.au

The articles in GiveNow News do not necessarily reflect the views of the Our Community Foundation, its staff or members. The purpose of this publication is to provide ideas, inspiration and best practice examples. We are not responsible for any actions taken by, or losses suffered by, any person on the basis of, or in reliance upon, any information in this newsletter, nor for any omission or error.

We welcome your input:We welcome your article ideas, input and feedback. Email service@givenow.com.au

Production schedule:GiveNow News is distributed monthly via email. This Issue Published: November 2009

Our Commitment to Corporate Responsibility:In line with the Australian Institute for Corporate Responsibility (AICR) model actions for achieving environmental sustainability, this publication is produced for online distribution. Where a hard copy is requested, we use 100% recycled paper.

Our Commitment to Accessibility:We are committed to ensuring our resources are accessible. This newsletter is available to subscribers in alternative formats on request. Email service@givenow.com.au

We know you want to make a difference in the world. This newsletter will help you find the ideas and tools you need to get started.

But the newsletter’s only the start. The rest is up to you.

GIVE MOREYou can give more – more of your time, your skills, your resources, your connections, your money. What did you give last year? What will you give this year?

GIVE SMARTERBefore you dip into your pocket or sign up as a volunteer, think about it – is this the best possible use of your money and time? Will this action help to create the sort of world you want to see? If not, what is?

GIVE BETTER Once you have identified the causes you believe in – the ones that align with your values, the ones you want to contribute to – what’s the best way of converting your good intentions into solid action for change?

GIVE NOW!You have the power to make a difference, to build a better community, to shape our country, our world. www.GiveNow.com.au is the place to go to find the tools, ideas, inspiring stories and practical tips you need to convert your good intentions into action.

t START GIVING t COMMENT

GiveNow Join the Giving Revolution!

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What’s On?

What’s Not:THE GFC: The Global Financial Crisis has created serious flow-on effects for community groups. Many philanthropic foundations, private donors and businesses are re-thinking their spending – as a result, charitable spending has taken a hit. At the same time as they contemplate a downturn in donations, community organisations are facing the prospect of increased need as those hit by the economic climate look for support.

t GiveNow!

What’s HotSOCIAL NETWORKING: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace. Online social networking sites are no longer just for the enjoyment of Gen-Y. Increasingly, the communication and publicity potential of these sites is being harnessed by community groups looking to expand their supporter base and raise awareness of their cause – and raise money! Check out Operation Smile’s ‘140 characters for 140 smiles’ Twitter campaign:

t www.140smiles.org/community.php

Giving the BOOT to Disadvantage

Got an old pair of footy boots you or your kids have grown out of?

A new AFL club program can send them where they are most needed.

Essendon Football Club is working with not-for-profit group Boots for All to collect good quality second-hand boots and other equipment in Melbourne to pass onto disadvantaged communities across Australia.

Apart from sports boots, Boots for All also aims to collect new footballs and ball pumps for redistribution. The equipment will go to football clubs and programs that need access to the equipment.

Boots can be donated at the Bomber Shop at Windy Hill or contact Boots For All on 1800 752 227 or via email to info@bootsforall.org.au to arrange collection from your local football club.

GIVING WEEK29 Nov – 5 Dec 2009

Join Australia’s annual celebration of giving, and find out how you can give more and better in the lead-up to Christmas and beyond.

Visit the website to find:

· The 2009 Good Gifts Guide – where to buy Christmas gifts that benefit the community

· The Sustainable Christmas Checklist – how to minimise your impact

· How to order Christmas Giving Cards – $1 from each card is donated to a community group of your choice

· Good Supplies – where to buy Christmas cards and Christmas puddings that help the community

· Tips Sheets – to help you get involved and give better

t www.givingweek.com.au

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Giving DoctorQ: “I am finding that I am being very confronted by the number of homeless people begging in the streets. Should I give them cash? Should I have vouchers from local community groups or supermarkets to hand out to them?”

THE FACTS• 105,000peoplearehomelessin

Australia each night (if they were in the same place, they’d be a town the size of Albury/Wodonga).

• Some16,000ofthesepeopleareliving on the street or in improvised shelters (and even that’s half the size of Bathurst), while the rest are in temporary accommodation.

• Contrarytocommonperception,almost half of Australia’s homeless people are children and young people under 25. Around 76,000 people who receive homeless support are children under 15.

• Thelargestsinglecauseofhomelessness in Australia is domestic and family violence, which overwhelmingly affects women and children.

• Thoughdemandisveryhigh,manyservices seek to assist homeless people to stabilise their housing, resolve their health and personal issues and reconnect with their communities.

THE MYTHS•Homelesspeoplelikeitonthe

streets – they wouldn’t take a room if you offered it.

Certainly, the longer someone’s on the streets the harder it is for them to live what we may regard as a normal life – but it’s what most of them would want, if they thought they could get it.

• Allhomelesspeopleliveonthestreet.

Of the 105,000 people listed as homeless, only some 16,000 experience ‘primary’ homelessness – that is, living on the street or in improvised shelters. Many have access to some form of shelter, some of the time. What they lack is stable, safe, suitable shelter they can count on for the long term.

•Homelessnessispermanent. Many people are homeless only

once in their lives, while others cycle between homelessness and more or less unsatisfactory accommodation. Some people p

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remain homeless for years, but this is hardly the norm; more often it’s just for a few nights or weeks.

•Homelesspeopleareolder,maleandsingle. Almost half of Australia’s homeless people are

children and young people under 25. Around 76,000 people who receive homeless support are children under 15. The largest single cause of homelessness in Australia is domestic and family violence, which overwhelmingly affects women and children.

•Homelesspeopleareallmentallyill.They’reonthestreetsbecausewecloseddownthementalinstitutionsinthe1970s.

Around one in five Australians will experience a mental illnes at some stage of their life and most people with mental illness live independently in the community. Institutions aren’t the answer: houses are.

•Homelesspeoplearedifferentfromyou andme.

Many homeless people have work and family histories much like everyone else’s. However, they may face one or more challenges that make establishing or maintaining stable, secure accommodation particularly difficult. Such challenges may include unemployment, family breakdown, poor health, lack of support from family and friends as well as the general lack of affordable housing.

WHATCANIDOTOHELP?

You can give to people who ask you for money in the street (you might think of it as There But For the Grace of God Go I tax). Of course, this is open to the objection that the people who accost you may not be the ones in most need, or in need at all. They may want the money to spend on alcohol or drugs. Giving them money may encourage them to be even more abject rather than more independent.

So what to do?There are two ways to look at this issue, and

they both have telling arguments. One is to help individuals or organisations that give to individuals; the other is to try and change the system so that there are fewer homeless people to be philanthropic to.

Whatyoucando...

1. Engage If someone approaches you on the street asking

for money, talk with them about what they really need. Offer to shout them lunch while you chat. Ask how you can help.

2. Buyacopyof‘TheBigIssue’ Sold on the streets by vendors, The Big Issue magazine

provides people who are homeless, unemployed, disadvantaged or at risk of becoming socially excluded an opportunity to earn an income and take steps towards making positive changes in their lives. t Findoutmore

3. BuyaSwag Swags for Homeless, as its name suggests,

provides swags for the homeless – “a dignified swag” that is heavy duty, waterproof, breathable and includes mosquito protection and an insulating mattress. t Findoutmore

4. GiveFood SecondBite redistributes food that would otherwise

go to landfill to people who are homeless or living in disadvantaged circumstances. t Findoutmore

5. HelpKids Kids Under Cover builds homes and provides

scholarships for homeless and at-risk young people. t Findoutmore

6. BuyaBook The Footpath Library program delivers books

to homeless and disadvantaged people living in hostels and on the streets. t Findoutmore

t COMMENTONTHISARTICLE

t WATCH‘MANKINDISNOISLAND’

“Somepeopleremainhomelessforyears,butthisishardlythenorm;moreoftenit’sjustforafewnightsorweeks.”

t MOREIDEAS

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Talking Heads

“If you had $2000 to give to a cause, which community organisation would you give it to, and why?”

With $2000 I would find an existing project and offer to pay someone to evaluate the project and document its pros and cons.

I could not help but be touched by the dedication displayed by the men and women of the Yarra Glen CFA, unpaid volunteers who put their lives on the line every day to save lives and property – absolute unsung heroes.

SIMON HERD, MYER FOUNDATION DIRECTOR:

“I would look for a story that needs to be told.

“Too many organisations in Australia do great work and create innovative solutions to problems but do not have the resources to share learnings with the wider community. Another organisation can spend time and energy developing a new idea or approach, without realising that something similar has been tried and tested previously. This leads to duplication of effort and also limits thinking and development.

“Ideally, organisations developing new ideas or programs could build on others’ experience of what worked and what failed. For this to happen, organisations need the resources to document learnings and to disseminate that information.

“With $2000 I would find an exist-ing project and offer to pay someone to evaluate the project and docu-ment its pros and cons. While formal evaluations can be expensive and can require specialist skills, it is almost always possible to document some of the experiences of people involved and some of the lessons learnt.”

FRED HARRISON, RITCHIES STORES CEO:

“If I had $2000 to give to a cause it would be to the Yarra Glen CFA.

“On Black Saturday, 7th February 2009, I was conducting the official launch of our new Yarra Glen Supermarket with Malcolm Cameron, another director of our company. As the tragic events unfolded, we were very much involved with the bushfire evacuation which took place in the Yarra Glen/Kinglake region. I could not help but be touched by the dedication displayed by the men and women of the Yarra Glen CFA, unpaid volunteers who put their lives on the line every day to save lives and property – absolute unsung heroes.

“Ritchies as a company, through Ritchies Community Benefit Program, anticipate donating close to $5 million dollars this year alone to more than 5000 clubs, schools and charities nominated by our customers. Over $31 million in cash has been donated since the inception of the program 15 years ago and it is very gratifying to me to see that the various CFA units throughout Victoria have received a total in excess of 1.7 million dollars of this total to date.”

HELEN SZOKE, MELBOURNE, VIC: I would definitely give $2000 to a human rights body like Amnesty, because the work they do not only looks at individual challenges but also systemic abuses of human rights.”

“

ANNE HYWOOD, TORRENS PARK, SA:“I would support Anglicare SA’s ‘Generate’ program, which works to combat entrenched unemployment in families in Adelaide’s north. $2000 would go a long way to providing the work clothes, tools and transport fares required for these young people break out of the welfare dependency cycle.”

“

t READ MORE t COMMENT: WHO WOULD GET YOUR $2000?

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Sian Hughes and her family travelled to Sri Lanka in 2004 for a beach holiday but instead found themselves

in the midst of one of Asia’s greatest catastrophes as a massive tsunami swept along the coastline.

She and her family – husband Tony and children Sam (11), Rosie (10) and Matilda (6) – were staying in a resort when the disaster struck.

“We were in a Dutch-built part of the resort so our building was stronger than those built recently by the Sri Lankans. People were starting to climb on to our balcony,” Sian says.

She and her husband pulled their children to safety. It was then time to swing into action.

Who Gives?

“It was easier to be a doctor than to be a mother. I had a role. I was important and I was focused and able to help. So I left the kids and Tony to go and help the people.”

Sian worked non-stop for five days. “I had lots of people with chest pains, broken bones, flesh ripped by barbed wire. There were more Sri Lankans dead than foreigners because many couldn’t swim.”

She and her family stayed on even after the British embassy came to evacuate stranded tourists.

“The local people looked after us with freshly baked bread, dahl and rice. They were so grateful. I set up a little clinic. I had my medical kit and I had the word out. The French travel with loads of medical supplies which they gave me and, when we ran out of antiseptic, we used travellers’ French perfume.”

“Once we have enough to fill a 40-foot container we send it over to our contacts in Sri Lanka,” Sian says.

“I recently took over nine anaesthetic machines and some ventilators. It’s hard getting in on the other side but we work with people who are politically savvy. It’s about $5000 to send a container, and we have fundraisers with the Sri Lankan community here to raise the money.”

Sian returns to Sri Lanka at least twice a year to run medical clinics in the southern part of Sri Lanka.

“We take over a few doctors and we take a big supply of medication. We arrive at the school or a hall, we set up clinics and we get the local medical officers to send people along. We see arthritis, skin infections, and lots of asthma, scabies, and lice. We take blood pressure and do a diabetic screening and a worming treatment

THE GOOD SAMARITAN: Sian Hughes, consulting paediatrician

Sian and her family have also supported a local family they met on the beach before the tsunami struck, giving them money to rebuild their home.

And they have worked to collect surplus equipment from hospitals around Melbourne – foetal monitors, anaesthetic machines, etc. – to send to hospitals in Sri Lanka.

for all the kids.“Many doctors bring their kids

and the kids help. We take boxes of toys and my kids give them out. Sam, now 16, actually helps run the pharmacy and hands out ointments, etc. It’s such good fun and it’s a great feeling. At the end of the day we feel exhausted and thrilled we could help these people.”

“Many doctors bring their kids and the kids help. We take boxes of toys and my kids give them out.”

t WHY DOES SIAN GIVE?

t DO YOU KNOW A GIVER? SHARE THEIR STORY

t VIEW PICTURES OF SIAN IN ACTION

t GIVE TO A SRI LANKAN MEDICAL APPEAL

Sian administers asthma medication in Sri Lanka

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There aren’t many advantages to being dead, but one thing that might be considered a positive is that any giving

you choose to do is going to involve no sacrifice on your part whatsoever.

Your will is an opportunity to think only of what’s best for the people, and the values, and the community that you love.

Once you’ve provided for your nearest and dearest, you’re free as a bird – you can do a favour for any organisation you think is doing a good job.

MAKING A WILL If you want to be sure that the

money goes exactly where you want it to, you have to make a valid will.

At its simplest, you can make a valid will by writing down your intentions clearly and having your signature on that document witnessed by two people you’re not going to leave anything to.

Giving Bootcamp

Bear in mind, though, that life isn’t always at its simplest, you’re not always at your clearest, and it’s probably a good idea to run your will past a solicitor, even if it does cost a little more. There may be things you haven’t considered. (And if you don’t like the idea of giving money to lawyers, just imagine them making out like bandits when the will is contested in court.)

A new report, titled Every Player Wins A Prize, looked at 46 major cases and found that in court, charities lost the entire bequest in six instances and had it substantially reduced in another 35.

If you do decide to set aside some money for a good cause, talk to your family about it so they’re aware of your wishes.

If you already have a will and don’t want to have to change the whole thing, you can add a codicil, which is like an addendum. Remember, though, that it has to be signed and witnessed just like your will in order to take effect.

WHO TO GIVE TO? You don’t have to give to the big

charities or organisations that have tax-deductible status (only around 25,000 of the 700,000 community groups in Australia have this status). Australia has abolished death duties so there is no tax to pay; choose any community groups that take your fancy. That could be a sports club, a kindergarten, an animal shelter – any group at all that is working to create the world that you want to see.

HAVE YOU MADE A WILL?•Only 58% of adult Australians

have made a will

•Only 7% have left something to a good cause

“If you don’t like the idea of giving money to lawyers, just imagine them making out like bandits when the will is contested in court.”

FIGHTS OVER THE WILLA recent study found that while about one in 14 Australians leaves a bequest to charity, their wish is likely to be overruled if relatives contest the will. The new report, titled Every Player Wins A Prize, looked at 46 major cases and found that in court, charities lost the entire bequest in six instances and had it substantially reduced in another 35.If you do decide to set aside some money for a good cause, talk to your family about it so they’re aware of your wishes.

To be safe, it’s best to choose a group with some sort of legal status – a group that’s incorporated, for ex-ample (as this example shows, it can all go very wrong if you’re not very, very clear about your intentions). Ask your solicitor for help.

Once you have a group in mind, it’s worth letting them know that you’re thinking of a bequest – apart from allowing them to thank you while you’re available, it gives them a chance to plan ahead. They may also have some model wording that you can use.

HOW MUCH TO GIVE? “I want to leave my children enough

money so that they would feel they could do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing.”

Warren Buffett

It’s totally up to you to decide how much you could or should give a community group through your will. You could choose to:• Giveacertainamountofmoney

($5000, say, or $50,000, or $500,000)

• Giveaspecificgift–money,property, stocks and shares, for example

• Giveacertainpercentageofyourestate (10%, say)

• Givetheremainderofyourestate,after those you specify have first been provided for.

Remember, you don’t have to leave your entire fortune to a community group – any bequest of any size will be happily received. p

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STRANGE BEQUESTS1. Heinrich Heine spent years writing romantic poetry to his wife,

although you wouldn’t believe it after reading his final thoughts to her in his will. Heine left his estate to his wife on the condition that she remarry, so “there will be at least one man to regret my death.”

2. Samuel Bratt’s wife never allowed him to smoke; so he returned the favour. The embittered Bratt left her £330,000, provided that she smoked five cigars per day.

3. In 1955, Juan Potomachi left more than $50,000 to the Teatro Dramatico Theatre – on the condition that his skull be used in Hamlet.

4. In 1862 Henry Budd bequeathed money to his two sons, on condition they never grow moustaches.

5. A Finnish business man left 780 shares of a rubber boot company to the residents of a nursing home in Finland. That company later became Nokia, which makes mobile phones, making all the nursing home residents millionaires.

6. George Bernard Shaw, the Irish playwright, left his fortune to the person who could create a new English alphabet. The money was ultimately shared between five people who created phonetic alphabets.

7. Eccentric lawyer Charles Vance Millar bequeathed a large sum from his significant estate to the woman in Toronto who could produce the most children in the 10-year period after his death. The resulting contest, after his death in 1926, became known as the Great Stork Derby. The four winning mothers, Annie Katherine Smith, Kathleen Ellen Nagle, Lucy Alice Timleck and Isabel Mary Maclean, each received C$125,000 for their nine children.

t MORE STRANGE BEQUESTS

He Said What?

“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.” H. Jackson Browne

t COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLEt FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WILLS AND BEQUESTSt FIND A GROUP TO REMEMBER IN YOUR WILL

GREAT AUSTRALIAN BEQUESTS

1. MooreOne of the first Australians to get his name on

something by means of a well-judged bequest was early Sydney settler Thomas Moore, who in 1856 left his estate for educational purposes; this led to the founding of Moore College.

2. WyattDr William Wyatt migrated to Australia in 1837 and

bought six downtown acres in the first land sale held in Adelaide, the basis for his fortune. Dr Wyatt’s only child to survive infancy was murdered in 1872, leaving him without heirs; in 1881 he arranged for the incorporation of a Trust. The Wyatt Benevolent Institution has provided financial assistance to South Australians in need ever since, and now gives tertiary education scholarships for people on low incomes, housing assistance and No Interest Loans.

3. FeltonOn January 8, 1904 businessman Alfred Felton died,

leaving some £378,000 ($40 million in today’s money) in trust. Having lived in a few modest rooms in St Kilda’s Esplanade Hotel, his enormous bequest made the National Gallery of Victoria one of the most richly endowed galleries in the British Empire. Felton wrote in his diary in the last year of his life, “Wealth!! Get it spent.”

Felton’s bequest enabled the National Gallery of Victoria to build a comprehensive collection including works by Rembrandt, Blake, Tiepolo, Monet, Cezanne, van Gogh, and Turner.

4. MyerMyer Family Philanthropy has its origins in the life of

Sidney Myer who founded the Myer retailing business. On his death in 1934, Sidney left one-tenth of his estate for the benefit of the community in which he made his fortune, and to this day the Sidney Myer Fund continues his legacy.

The Myer Foundation was established and initially endowed in 1959 by Sidney Myer’s sons, the late Kenneth Myer and Baillieu Myer. It is now supported by three generations of Myer family members.

5. ReichsteinThe Reichstein Foundation was established in

1970 by Lance Reichstein, engineer, industrialist, and entrepreneur. Upon Lance’s death in 1979, the Foundation inherited a significant proportion of his wealth. Since that time the Foundation has established a strong record as a progressive and strategic grantmaker, fostering social and structural change.

t MORE GREAT BEQUESTS

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WHO? Jimmy Ross, 66, retired car salesman

WHERE?Cohuna, Victoria (population 2200)

WHAT? One day every week, Jimmy sells raffle tickets to raise money for various local community groups – the schools, the hospital, the retirement groups and sporting clubs. He raises about $350 each week – that’s $23,000 last year and $104,000 since he began selling tickets in 2002.

WHEN?Each Friday from 10am to 7pm

WHY? Jimmy says that handing over the money he raises gives him a real buzz.

Since developing throat cancer 12 years ago he can’t work, but the skills he developed from selling cars and farm machinery and the strong connections he has with the local community are put to good use in selling his tickets.

Sometimes community groups approach Jimmy to seek his help; other times he goes around asking who needs what.

Because of Jimmy, the local football club has bought a home movie theatre, new tables and an industrial dishwasher. The local netball courts have been re-sealed and the golf club has bought water for the course and can now top-dress the greens.

Who Gives?THE RAFFLE SELLER: Jimmy Ross

Who’s in the Poo Australian Millionaires: studies show that Australia’s super rich are among the most ungenerous in the world – giving a mere 2% of their annual income compared to America’s 3.5% and Canada’s 3.2%.

t COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLEt FIND OUT HOW TO BECOME A VOLUNTEERt DO YOU KNOW A GIVER? LET US KNOW © Cindy Power Photography

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UncharitableThoughts Sooner or later it comes up; someone comes along and says

snarkily, “Why are you working with greyhound rescue/heritage preservation/local football/whatever when there are children starving to death in Africa? Wouldn’t that be a

more moral use of your resources?” This is particularly irritating, of course, when it comes (as it very

often does) from someone who hasn’t really made any effort for either the greyhounds or the African children and who’s just making a pre-emptive strike in case you’re going to ask him to, but there is a real argument there, and it does deserve an answer.

The problem with this approach is that as an argument it’s altogether too good. Taken to its logical conclusion, it would involve everybody in the world getting together, coming to an agreement on which single individual in the world is absolutely the worst off of anybody, and fixing that person’s problems.

And then moving on to the second priority, and so on down the list.

That way we could be sure that our funds were only going to the most deserving case.

There might be a world out there somewhere in which this would work, but it’s not the world we live in. Our world doesn’t have a single scale of value on which we rank everybody and everything. We weight our preferences according to our histories and our responsibilities and our beliefs and our capacities. We look for areas where our talents can be put to use. We choose between making a large difference to a small cause and making a fractional improvement in a worldwide problem.

And all of this is quite proper. This isn’t to say you can’t do more, or do better, or do both. But the

ideal world isn’t one where everybody is working for the same good cause – an ideal world is one where every good cause has someone willing to take it on.

t FIND YOUR CAUSE! t COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

ERIC BANA teamed up with producers and environmental group Climate Positive to offset the carbon emissions from his most recent film. The film is, ironically, about cars!

t GIVE A GIFT TO THE ENVIRONMENT

MICHAEL JACKSON left not only a lasting cultural legacy, but a philan-thropic one as well. Jackson was one of the first celebrities to champion the fight against HIV/AIDS and also sup-ported a variety of children’s, cancer and medical research organisations, donating more than $500 million.

RUSSELL CROWE is not known in the media for his angelic behaviour – but he handed over a £1000 cash donation to a local op shop in the UK where he was filming his next movie, Robin Hood.

t FIND AN OP SHOP

Celebs Done Good:

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Giving BizzThink businesses are only there to make profits? Think again.

run is successful, Mr Buxton hopes to raise a further $500,000. He has himself made two circumnavigations of Australia, one by sea and one by air, following the path taken by Matthew Flinders between 1801 and 1803. To buy a copy of the book, go to www.epsilonresearch.com.au.

REALESTATE.COM.AU AND RED NOSE DAY: realestate.com.au occasionally gives community groups temporary free banner advertising space on its homepage. Recently realestate.com.au featured a smiley face with a big, red nose and the words “realestate.com.au supporting red nose day.” Community groups benefit from the 4.5 million unique browsers visiting the site each month. realestate.com.au pays one of its design agencies to design the banners. Look out for the next one, in support of Movember (growing moustaches in November to raise money for men’s health).

MELBOURNE AIRPORT: Melbourne Airport continues its longstanding support of the arts in Melbourne with writer and director Dominic Allen winning the Melbourne Airport Award for Emerging Australian Filmmaker at the Melbourne International Film

Festival. The airport provides the winning filmmaker with $5000 in cash and an airfare to the Berlin Film Festival, the Berlinale.

SAATCHI AND SAATCHI AND RECONCILIATION AUSTRALIA: You may have seen the product of advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi’s contribution to Reconcilia-tion Australia – an ad campaign chal-lenging our stereotypical perceptions of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The individuals working on the campaign volunteered their time and other suppliers worked for free or at significantly reduced rates. Paying standard rates for the cam-paign would have cost Reconciliation Australia between $200,000 and $250,000. If you missed the ads you can see them here.

CONNEX FOR CANCER DAY: Outgoing Melbourne rail network operator, Connex, is counting the dollars from its fifth and final Connex for Cancer Day. Connex’s 2009 efforts raised $70,122 for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. That takes the total raised over five years to about $400,000. Connex donated $1 from the sale of every ticket on July 30, and commuters also supported the cause by donating to tin rattlers.

If all salaries were $1000 a year:Artists would give $11.40

Brickies would give $1.10

Secondary School teachers would give $3.40

Primary School teachers would give $2.80

Source: Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies, QUT

t HOW YOUR BUSINESS CAN GIVE t COMMENT

IF MATTHEW FLINDERS HAD WINGS: Buxton Group managing director Richard Buxton is donating the first $500,000 in proceeds from his coffee table book, If Matthew Flinders Had Wings, to Alzheimer’s Australia. The book features photography and history of the Australian coast line. If the first print

t HOW GENEROUS IS YOUR PROFESSION?