With thousands of charities to choose from, how do you decide which one is right for you? Here’s what to look for and why it matters.

With over 60,000 registered charities in Australia, the not-for-profit sector plays a vital role in supporting communities and causes across the nation, but how do you choose which charity to support?

That is one of many questions discussed with Marion Bennett (Mission Australia‘s Executive of Practice, Evidence and Impact), Joe Ware (CEO of the Chatleigh Foundation), and Pip Kiernan (Chair of Clean Up Australia and daughter of late founder Ian Kiernan).

Why Charities Matter

Joe explains that charities often excel where government and private entities cannot. 

“Charities are really good at the learning process,” he says, noting how organisations like Mission Australia gather evidence on what works and adapt their programs and services accordingly. 

Marion continues by focusing on the people who work in the charity sector, saying, “They understand the communities that they live [and work] in, and they’re able to respond in a nuanced way” that government agencies and private entities are not equipped to respond to.

The Power of Volunteers

Clean Up Australia exemplifies volunteer power. With just 12 staff, it mobilises over one million Australians to pick up rubbish every year. 

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of our organisation,” says Pip. “It started with Dad seeing a problem … and 40,000 Sydneysiders joined him.” Today, Clean Up Australia has volunteers in every state who pick up thousands of tonnes of rubbish and waste, helping the environment and building friendships as well. 

Volunteers help charities across Australia to deliver many of their services, and provide exponential returns. In any given year, volunteers provide over $20 billion of value to the Australian economy.

Evidence and Impact

Marion explains Mission Australia’s approach to measuring their impact and reporting on their effectiveness. “We design well, we measure well, and we act well,” she says.

Mission Australia uses their feedback to develop programs across their range of services, which are more likely to deliver desired outcomes, and they continually reassess and adapt programs based on their ongoing evaluation processes. 

Joe says donors should expect the charities they support to continually evaluate their programs and processes, to ensure they are effective. “Most of the work that charities are trying to do is really difficult,” he says, “Donors should expect their charities to take that work really seriously and be constantly measuring it.” 

For Clean Up Australia, measurement includes volunteer numbers and an annual litter report. Recognising plastics make up around 80 per cent of items collected, they lobbied the government to start the Return and Earn glass and plastic bottle recycling program – which rewards Australians for recycling drink bottles and cans that would otherwise go to landfill.

Building Community Connections

Beyond financial and logistical measurable outcomes, charities can also build social cohesion in ways that government programs and private enterprises cannot. 

Clean Up Australia, for example, has an 89 per cent brand trust in the community, making it one of Australia’s most trusted organisations. This has been achieved over the many years of bringing people together in their communities to work towards a common goal, and creating personal connections along the way. 

“[Volunteering at Clean Up Australia is] a great antidote for loneliness,” Pip says. “You never forget the name of the person you cleaned up with.”

Choosing Where to Give and Who to Support

Joe, Marion and Pip agree on four common areas to consider when deciding which charity to support: 

• Follow your heart and choose a cause that resonates with you. 
• Look at impact and ask what difference the charity makes. 
• Check the sustainability and transparency of their services and programs, ensuring they do what they say they do. 
• Ask for evidence and data about their effectiveness.

Article supplied with thanks to Helping Hands TV.

About the Author: Helping Hands is an Australian produced TV program that airs on 9GEM, Channel 9 and 9NOW, and showcases people and organisations who make the world a better place.

Feature image: Canva

When floodwaters reached a catastrophic 14.5 metres in Lismore in 2022, the city faced its worst natural disaster in recorded history. People woke in the night with water in their homes, forcing thousands to crawl onto roofs and wait to be rescued.

In the aftermath, Convoy of Hope arrived to coordinate a massive relief effort that continued for 18 months.

The 2022 flood was unprecedented. Lismore sits on a floodplain where two rivers meet, and residents were familiar with flooding – but no one imagined the water levels would surpass the 1974 flood by over two metres.

“People had packed to a certain level and then people woke up through the night and they put their legs and their feet out of their bed into water,” recalls Rebekka Battista, associate pastor of CentreChurch Lismore. “It’s pretty devastating.”

When Convoy of Hope arrived, the scene resembled a war zone. Dead livestock, overturned cars, boats in wrong places, and debris covered every street. Locals wandered in a daze, trying to comprehend what had happened to their city.

Convoy of Hope’s response was immediate and comprehensive.

After connecting with Rebekka – who had been kayaking down the main street just hours before – the Convoy of Hope team secured the post office as a base and connected with community leaders, church groups, and business partners to coordinate the massive relief effort.

Volunteer Brittany Molloy describes the devastation: “Every house, every street you would look down was just horrific. But being a part of a team that really cared for people and just put everything on the line – everyone dropped whatever they were doing and we were just here and present – was something I can’t really put into words.”

Convoy of Hope provided essential supplies, purchased tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of vouchers from local businesses to distribute to residents, and even used cardboard boxes as temporary wall protection for damaged homes.

Lismore resident, Irene Bailey’s home was flooded up to the windows. She says “Convoy of Hope was our main helper.”

As winter approached, Convoy of Hope provided tents and sleeping bags, setting them up inside gutted homes so families could begin living in their houses again.

Convoy of Hope’s ability to respond quickly comes from their network of hubs across Australia and around the world. Their mobile operation centre – a purpose-built, air-conditioned trailer with kitchen, shower, and toilet facilities – means volunteers aren’t a drain on the already devastated communities they serve.

“Within a couple of weeks, people move on to the next story,” says Joel A’Bell, National Director of Convoy of Hope Australia. “But the devastation was so widespread that we were here for months, up to 18 months, still working with locals.”

For Rebekka, Convoy of Hope’s presence meant everything: “It actually gave me hope that someone out there cared.”

Article supplied with thanks to Helping Hands TV.

About the Author: Helping Hands is an Australian produced TV program that airs on 9GEM, Channel 9 and 9NOW, and showcases people and organisations who make the world a better place.

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“Operation Christmas Child is a really tangible, hands-on way that Australians can show love to kids in need around the world,” says Leanne Palmer from Samaritan’s Purse.

At a Sydney warehouse, volunteers sort, pack and prepare shoebox gifts for children around the world. Through local churches, schools and community groups, this simple act of generosity becomes a global story of faith and kindness.

Watch Part 1: The Heart of the Shoebox Project

From Local Churches to Shoebox Goals

At Hawkesbury Valley Baptist Church, volunteers have packed shoeboxes for 25 years. “The goal for today is 1,500 shoeboxes,” says organiser Ila Spence. “Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world, it’s God’s love in action.”

Each box contains a mix of practical and joyful items. “There’s so many people along the way that contribute to a child getting a shoebox, and I love that,” says volunteer Pam Fairhurst.

Lucas and Lincoln, aged 12 and 14, help rally their church groups to make more boxes each year. “We feel really recognised … so we can make more people happy across the world,” they say.

At St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox College, teacher Amal Awadalla reflects: “Our children watched a video about where these boxes go … they were overwhelmed. It’s an international story, and we’re proud to be part of it.”

The Warehouse: From Donation to Dispatch

Inside the Sydney warehouse, one of eight globally, volunteers inspect, scan and pack thousands of boxes for shipment. “It’s not just logistics,” says Leanne Palmer. “These gifts create connection and hope.”

Watch Part 2: Behind the Scenes – The Warehouse Story

Paul Buckley, who takes two weeks off work each year to volunteer, says: “I just love the idea that we’re giving a present … because we love them so much.”

For many, this is love made practical. “When we’re hands-on,” Leanne adds, “this box becomes a symbol of that love.”

Lives Transformed — Then and Now

In the final chapter, we meet Lina and Larsa, sisters who once received shoeboxes as children in war-torn Iraq, now volunteering in Australia. “That was us twenty years ago,” says Lina. “It truly did mean a lot.”

“They may not mean anything to others,” adds Larsa, “but to me, they were a ray of hope.”

Watch Part 3: Full Circle – The Recipients Who Give Back

More than 11 million shoeboxes reach children in about 170 countries each year. “If we pack 5,000 shoeboxes, that’s 5,000 children receiving gifts,” says Dave Wu, Queensland Regional Ministry Leader. “It’s far greater than just giving gifts.”

A Call to Generosity

From church halls and classrooms to warehouse floors and distant villages, Operation Christmas Child shows how small acts of kindness can ripple across the world. Each shoebox carries the same message: You matter. You are loved.

Article supplied with thanks to Helping Hands TV.

About the Author: Helping Hands is an Australian produced TV program that airs on 9GEM, Channel 9 and 9NOW, and showcases people and organisations who make the world a better place.

Feature image: Supplied

“You don’t get to be the world’s oldest living continuing cultures without a great foundation of a system of law and living,” shares Education and Cultural Consultant, Brooke Prentis. 

Brooke is an Aboriginal Australian of the Wakka Wakka nation, and speaks about the relevance of the Dreaming and Songlines – significant concepts within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures – in this special Helping Hands two-part series on Indigenous Australia to coincide with NAIDOC Week. 

Brooke is joined by Adnyamathanha woman and University of Adelaide researcher, Rhanee Lester, and Gundungurra man and Indigenous Education Facilitator, Uncle David King. 

In this panel discussion, Rhanee explains the term Dreaming was coined in the 1950s by an anthropologist in Alice Springs who was trying to explain the common connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had to the land, and also the unique ways each nation would express their connection through culture, language, environment and history.

Rhanee explains that the Dreaming, as a term, is not an accurate description of Indigenous Australian connection to Country.  “There’s something that’s not reachable, not attainable (about the term),” says Rhanee.

“For us, as Aboriginal people, it’s embedded into our everyday lifestyle … Dreaming, to us, is telling the story of our history; how our people came to be, how creation came to be, how our land formed and our environment around us formed.” 

The Dreaming is an integral part of the foundation of Indigenous Australian cultures. It gives meaning to identity and wisdom for life on every level; individually, within community, to nations and as a people, communicating and connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to their past, present and future, through stories. 

While the stories of the Dreaming create the foundations for life, Songlines, says David, create the connections between stories, peoples, lands and skies across Australia. 

David uses an analogy of his pathway of education from primary school through to university to explain that, for Indigenous Australians, Songlines are the classrooms of cultural learning. Their purpose is to create connections of the lands, lores, kinship processes and peoples of his Gundungurra nation, to that of their neighbours, and then further across all of Australia, along lines of cultural geography. 

The Dreaming and Songlines are always intertwined, explains Brooke, and they continue to empower Indigenous Australians today. 

“(They) are our whole system of law and living – carried through song and dance across Country,” says Brooke.  “Here we are as three Aboriginal people from various different nations, yet there’s a common thread through our systems of law and living.” 

Article supplied with thanks to Helping Hands TV.

Feature image: Canva

About the Author: Helping Hands is an Australian produced TV program that airs on 9GEM, Channel 9 and 9NOW, and showcases people and organisations who make the world a better place.

“Because people don’t have the experience walking alongside us, on Country, or in our daily lives … there are misconceptions and misunderstandings out there” says Rhanee Lester, Adnyamathanha woman and researcher at the University of Adelaide.

In this Helping Hands panel discussion, Rhanee is joined by Brooke Prentis, Wakka Wakka woman and Education and Cultural Consultant, and Uncle David King, Gundungurra man and Indigenous Education Facilitator, and share their personal stories of family and culture, and bring clarity to understanding Aboriginal identity.

“We, as Aboriginal people, are trying to figure out our own identity,” Rhanee shares, when asked if there is a correct term to use when referring to Aboriginal Australians – Aboriginal, Indigenous or First Nations.

Many non-indigenous Australians are keen to respect Aboriginal cultures and practices, and are careful to not offend when referring to Aboriginal peoples, Australia’s recent history, and the sensitives around reconciliation.

Brooke explains, “Those terms; Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Indigenous, First Nations, in one way they’re actually all correct terms and they are being used every day. But for us, as Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples, each person will have their own preference.”

David says that connecting with an Aboriginal person is key to know which term to use, and to help foster better relationships built on respect and understanding between all Australians.

He gives an example of his mother’s experience, “She said to me once that she wants to be Aboriginal … She struggled with Indigenous because she was brought up under the Flora and Fauna Act (which identified Aboriginal peoples as Indigenous animals of Australia). She reflected that being Aboriginal was being human, so she wanted to be that. So, it is that journey of connecting with your local people, finding out their terminologies … it’s getting to know that person.”

Understanding Aboriginal identity is more than knowing which term to use when referring to an Aboriginal person.  It is also about understanding the diverse cultural backgrounds of Aboriginal peoples, their stories, their ancient and recent histories, kinship, and much more.

David, Rhanee and Brooke share stories from their families and communities of the complex, regrettable, and often devastating history the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have experienced, and continue to take steps forward to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to find their own identity, and walk alongside non-indigenous Australians to step towards a positive future.

Article supplied with thanks to Helping Hands TV.

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About the Author: Helping Hands is an Australian produced TV program that airs on 9GEM, Channel 9 and 9NOW, and showcas

Beyond Stereotypes – An invitation To Understand The Indigenous Peoples of Australia

“83% of non-indigenous Australians have never socialised with an Aboriginal person,” shares Brooke Prentis, Education and Cultural Consultant*. “I think that’s where some of these stereotypes are coming from … I just hope that people can break down those stereotypes, actually get to know us and stop saying things that do hurt.”

Brooke is a Wakka Wakka woman and has a passion to see greater understanding, better relationships and a positive future develop between all peoples of Australia; Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians alike.

Joining her for this important Helping Hands panel discussion is Rhanee Lester, Adnyamathanha woman and researcher at the University of Adelaide, and Uncle David King, Gundungurra man and Indigenous Education Facilitator, inviting us get a better understanding of the Indigenous peoples of Australia.

To understand what it means to be an Indigenous Australian is both a simple and a complex task. As a simple first step, explains Brooke, there are three different definitions to understand.

To be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander means that;

• geographically, you belong to one of the three hundred Aboriginal nations across Australia, or hail from one of one hundred islands in the Torres Strait
• scientifically, you share genetic biology with the peoples identified as having existed here in Australia for 65,000 years
• and officially, according to the Australian Government’s definition, you;
  • have a proven Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage
  • self-identify as such
  • and are an active member of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community

However, for our panellists, defining what it means to be an Indigenous Australian goes deeper than meeting a set criteria. While the above definitions have an appropriate place, understanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at only this superficial level allows room for misinformation, misunderstandings and unhelpful stereotypes to shape our conversations.

To overcome this lack of understanding and reduce stereotypes about Indigenous Australians, our panellists agree that fact-checking and relationship building are two essential keys.

“I think people need to understand … Indigenous history,” David says. “There were impacts. Quite often, I meet people who didn’t realise that there were people removed. Or some of the choices that were made within our society, and some of the changes that happened with our intake of food, our access to Country. And that really destroys Indigenous people. Going home and connecting to Country is a big thing.”

For Rhanee, who feels she is still journeying the best ways forward in understanding her identity, being known as a person of the Adnyamathanha people is an important foundation. While there are similarities between the many nations of Indigenous Australians, she explains that each nation is unique.

“We’ve got our own language. We’ve got our own cuisine. You’ll find certain foods in the environments in our area that will only be specific to that group. The songs and the dance will be specific to the landscape and specific to the sounds they’re hearing,” Rhanee says.

It’s these characteristics, she explains, that create the connection she seeks in understanding who she truly is, and she invites every Australian to find out more about the Aboriginal people and Country in our own neighbourhoods.

But perhaps the most important step forward, shares Rhanee, is making the choice to connect with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person better.

“Coming from a dual heritage – I’m also from a non-Indigenous background on my father’s side,” says Rhanee.

“You’re bringing two families together … and seeing how those relationships play out. In my case, I watched my family let love lead the way (and) it created a new family and a new sense of belonging to each other.”

Rhanee continues, “We need to come together an connect.”

* Brooke’s statistic quoted from the Reconciliation Barometer, 2022

Article supplied with thanks to Helping Hands TV.

Feature image: Canva

About the Author: Helping Hands is an Australian produced TV program that airs on 9GEM, Channel 9 and 9NOW, and showcases people and organisations who make the world a better place.

“For me, growing up on Boigu Island was like living in heaven on earth”, says indigenous evangelist, Laurel Pabai.

Located in the northernmost tip of Queensland’s Torres Strait Islands and just six kilometres from Papua New Guinea, Boigu Island is where Laurel was born and raised, among idyllic natural beauty, within the love and strength of her indigenous culture and community.

This week on our Helping Hands Easter special, we join Laurel as she returns home for the first time in 20 years.  We journey with her through emotional reunions with family, see her reconnect to indigenous tradition and culture, and see how she shares the Easter story with family and friends.

As the tiny single turboprop Cessna aircraft starts its descent towards Boigu Island’s airstrip, Laurel’s excited anticipation at being so close to home is evident in the upturned corners of her wide smile and the joy in her eyes. They reflect happy memories of home bubbling ever closer to the surface of her mind.

Once on the ground, Laurel immediately sees changes and improvements in her community. It now has many “Queenslander” style homes (raised off the ground so the flow of cool air can bring relief from the intense tropical heat), plantations of fruits and vegetables to sustain daily life, and greater employment, evidenced by buildings for a supermarket, ranger headquarters and a police station.

“The yarning circle of the First Nations Peoples of Australia is (for) storytelling and the passing of culture to the younger generations.”

“Time flies! You know, I get busy with my evangelism work. You’re not realising that there are family that are getting old because in your head you are thinking they are still young! It’s exciting. It’s a great time to come back and really get reconnected back into the culture … To us, culture is a way of life.”

While reliving childhood memories and reflecting on culture, Laurel invites us into a yarning circle.

“The yarning circle of the First Nations Peoples of Australia is (for) storytelling and the passing of culture to the younger generations,” says island elder, Uncle Fred Pabai, “making sure that our culture is alive … It’s the survival kit to the community to maintain and to be able to come together as one and unite.”

Storytelling is an importance part of all indigenous cultures across Australia, Uncle Fred says it is how indigenous people share and learn important cultural knowledge and history.

Uncle Fred acknowledges the role the Christian faith plays in the Boigu Island indigenous community, and invites Laurel to share the Easter story.

“With the Christian faith coming in, it’s good for the community,” says Laurel, referencing the Easter story as a light in the darkness that brings joy.

Laurel shares the Easter story in plain English, using an Easter story booklet produced by Bible League. The Plain English Version (PEV) of the Bible is an English translation designed for Indigenous Australian’s whose mother tongue is an Aboriginal language.

“It’s written in English,” says Laurel, “and it is easy to understand because it’s written in the English that we speak,” continues Laurel.

Laurel and Uncle Fred read the Easter story in English and talk about the Easter story in their native language.

“Because of the way it’s written, they now understand what the true meaning of Easter is.”

See the BIBLE LEAGUE – EASTER AT BOIGU ISLAND story and the full catalogue of Helping Hands documentaries at helpinghands.tv. Catch up on full episodes of Helping Hands on 9NOW.

Article supplied with thanks to Helping Hands TV.

Feature image: Supplied

About the Author: Helping Hands is an Australian produced TV program that airs on 9GEM, Channel 9 and 9NOW, and showcases people and organisations who make the world a better place.

“I’ve interviewed the CEOs of Bunnings, ANZ and Microsoft … they really are humble people. And I think that humility allows other people to copy that approach, but also it’s inclusive,” explains mental health speaker and advocate, Graeme Cowan.

Graeme is speaking about his observations while speaking with high-flying CEOs for his podcast, The Caring CEO. He is joined in this Helping Hands panel discussion by psychologist, Collett Smart; and CEO of Charitabl., Mike Gore, to discuss what it looks like to respect authority figures and be respectful in a role of authority at home, in social settings and in the workplace.

What was once a role of command and control in the workplace, Graeme explains, has transformed into a responsibility to champion a culture of care and a culture of high performance. The result, says Graeme, has been a hugely positive shift for all involved.

“They’re not trying to dominate a discussion … The very very best ones (CEOs) are trying to identify the best idea in the room. And that can only come from multiple people working together, not a command and control.”

When people feel heard, Graeme adds, it fosters an environment of psychological safety. Employees are happier, and as a result, are more likely to take ownership over their responsibilities and to reflect that same behaviour towards their superiors and co-workers.

The same parameters of safety in relation to authority should also apply, says Mike, to the social situations in which we find ourselves. With vulnerability, he explains that this has sadly not always been his experience.

Adopted as a six-month old, Mike explains that he “grew up as a brown kid in a white family.” He has dealt with racial abuse all his life, including from figures of authority, and as recently as just a few months ago.

Yet, despite the lack of respect he’s been shown, at times, by society’s authority figures, Mike carries the strong conviction to teach his two teenage daughters that all people deserve to be treated with respect, even when it’s not reciprocated.

“I think that’s one of the real wrestles … It requires courage, conviction, character (to show respect in all situations) because sometimes you need to see above the issue, particularly when you’re leading others, about how to respect authority in social or corporate settings.”

To hold a position of authority, Mike concludes, shouldn’t necessarily be equated with the expectation of holding control of a person or situation, and Collett agrees.

In today’s family households, Collett says, healthy relationships depend on the development of an environment in which children continually learn to engage respectfully with their parents over matters that are important to them.

While holding respectful authority over your children, rules still exist, but they are in place for the sake of a child’s safety, not their punishment. And when those boundaries of authority inevitably need to shift, change is made easier because the child knows their feelings are valued and their voice will be heard.

“In the home, your children learn what it looks like to have healthy disagreements without somebody flying off the handle or demanding that their way is met … as they get older that is how they deal with other people – they learn to listen and they learn to respond respectfully and they learn to disagree respectfully.”

See the RESPECTING AUTHORITY FIGURES discussion and the full catalogue of Helping Hands panels at helpinghands.tv. Catch up on full episodes of Helping Hands on 9NOW.

Article supplied with thanks to Helping Hands TV.

Feature image: Canva

About the Author: Helping Hands is an Australian produced TV program that airs on 9GEM, Channel 9 and 9NOW, and showcases people and organisations who make the world a better place.