CHARITIES

Fundraising involves seeking financial support or other resources for a charity, cause or some other enterprise. Fundraisers ask people to give for the benefits of other people rather than their own benefit.

Fundraising can be done in a number of different ways, though most often it's done through a charity. A charity is an organisation designed to assist a cause, financially or in some other way. Causes can be human, animal, environmental, or political.

There are laws that govern fundraising activity for charities and political parties, to ensure they spend their money as advertised. Charities are therefore legally required to register with the charities commission and provide annual reports of their fundraising and expenditure. This video gives a brief outline of how charities work in Australia:

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Local charities (5 coins)
According to the video above, there are 55,000 charities in Australia!

1. Complete the 'Charities in my area template'.
2. Upload the completed template to the 'Local charities submission'.
3. Find ten charities that operate in your area, and complete the table below. Keep in mind that some not-for-profits, including sports clubs, are not charities.

Charitable obligations
Registered charities are sometimes criticised for spending money on administration. In fact, the process of reporting their fundraising and expenditure usually costs about 10% of donations. 

Laws restrict what registered charities can spend their money on. Each charity is established to raise money for a particular cause, and they can only spend money on that cause. This led to criticism during the 2019-20 Australian bushfire crisis when many charities were unable to contribute to bushfire relief interstate.

Australian charities are regulated strictly to prevent corruption. To get an idea of what might happen without regulation, watch this video which outlines ten of the most corrupt charities in the US:

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Charity register (5 coins)
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) maintain a public charity register to keep track of charity spending in Australia.

1. Search for a charity of your choice on the ACNC charity register. How do they spend their donations? What proportion do they spend on the advertised cause and what proportion do they spend on fundraising, administration and other costs?
2. See if you can find the best and worst charities in Australia with regard to how they use their funds.
3. Discuss your findings in the 'Charity register forum'. Aim to post at least four sentences.

Misconceiving charity
Charities and not-for-profits are held accountable differently to for-profit companies. This talk explains some of the misconceptions people have around charity and fundraising:

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_{Evaluating charities (5 coins)}

Having watched the video above, what are your thoughts about how charities run? Have you been judging them by the wrong criteria? Would you consider working for a charity in your future and if so, what would you expect in terms of the role and compensation? Discuss these questions in the 'Charity work forum', in at least three sentences.

Crowdfunding

Platforms like GoFundMe allow people to raise money for a cause of their choice, charitable or otherwise. Anyone can use them, regardless of whether they are associated with a registered charity. This video explains how GoFundMe works:

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The pros and cons of crowdfunding (5 coins)
Crowdfunding is a different model to the registered charity, with benefits and problems of its own. Answer the following questions on the 'Crowdfunding forum':

1. List three pros of crowdfunding.
2. List three cons of crowdfunding.
3. Having considered the pros and cons, do you think people should be able to raise funds on their own, apart from a registered charity? Or should fundraising be restricted to official, publically regulated organisations?

Choosing charities

So how do you choose which charities to give to? This video explains how people tend to decide:

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_{Charitable choices (5 coins)}
Which charities appeal to you and why? Share your thoughts on the 'Charitable choices forum'. Try to write at least four sentences, either in a new thread or in response to someone else.

Why fundraising?

The ethics of care
You might be wondering why you would want to get involved in fundraising in the first place. After all, you might not benefit directly from it. The answer to this question lies in the extent to which we owe a duty of care to others. The next video explores the arguments for and against the ethics of care, with global poverty as a case study. Most people would make every effort to help a dying person if they were right in front of us, but not if they're overseas.

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Moral philosophy (10 coins)

Which philosopher do you agree with? Peter Singer or Garrett Hardin? Singer argues we have a moral obligation to all people regardless of where they are, whereas Hardin argues that we only have an obligation to people in our own nation - after all, it's not our fault that some people are born into dire circumstances.

1. Vote for either Peter Singer or Garrett Hardin in the 'Ethics of care choice'.
2. Answer the following questions on the 'Moral philosophy forum':
1. Does your opinion on the ethics of care imply anything about whether or not you should fundraise?
2. Use the concepts in the video above to discuss Australia's treatment of asylum seekers. Take a look at this article for more information.

Taxation (5 coins)

What do you think? Should charity be conducted through taxation or private means? If the government didn't redistribute income via taxation, do you think people would end up contributing less of their income to charitable causes? Are taxes a form of charitable giving? Discuss your thoughts on the 'Taxation forum'.

Charity and advocacy
The Australian government recently attempted to implement laws which could prevent charities from engaging fully in public debate, silencing their advocacy efforts on a range of issues including climate change. This issue highlights the role of charities in representing the needs of the causes they advocate for. You can read more about the proposed laws here.

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Advocacy (5 coins)
Do you think charities should play a role in advocacy? Should they promote the causes they support, or should they just raise and distribute funds? Find an example of a charity engaging in public advocacy and discuss their message in the 'Charities as advocates forum'. Do you think their message would be heard without charities to promote it?

How to raise funds

In the next section, you will be challenged to raise funds for a cause of your choice. This page provides some guidance about how to do so. The next video provides 100 ways to raise money, particularly in an institution like a workplace, school or community organisation. The challenge is to pick a fundraising method that suits your chosen cause.

Fundraising ideas (5 coins)

Do this task after watching the videos above.

1. Fill out the 'Fundraising ideas template'.
2. Upload the completed template to the 'Fundraising ideas submission'.

Fundraising online
The next video explains how to raise money with GoFundMe, which will be the most convenient fundraising method for some - but not all - causes. Even if you don't want to use GoFundMe, however, it contains some good tips for raising funds more generally. However you choose to fundraise, make sure you get an adult's permission first.

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The challenge

Your goal (5 coins)
When you undertake any big task, it's best to decide precisely what you want to achieve first. It also helps to commit to your goals publically, to remain motivated and accountable.

1. Choose a cause.
2. Choose a method.
3. Decide how much money you want to raise.
4. Decide on an achievable time frame.
5. Hold yourself accountable by posting your idea on the 'My fundraising challenge forum'. Make sure you mention how much you hope to raise, and when.

Your plan (10 coins)

1. Write a one-page plan explaining precisely how you hope to achieve your goal.
2. Get permission to implement your plan by showing it to your parent or caregiver as well as anyone else who might be involved - that might include your school or the people you are raising money for.
3. Post your plan on the 'My fundraising challenge forum' by responding to your earlier post. Take a look at others' plans to see if they give you any additional ideas, too.