CENTRAL Victoria is filled with generous people willing to go to extraordinary lengths to help family, friends and even complete strangers in times of need.
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In fact, this region can officially lay claim to the most generous community in the country – Castlemaine – according to the NAB’s charitable giving index.
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission report calculates that registered charities had a combined income of $103 billion in 2014.
About 30 per cent of that money is donated to religious organisations, 18 per cent to education and research, 9 per cent to health and 8 per cent to housing.
By any measure it is a staggering amount of money that undoubtedly makes an enormous difference to a great many people’s health and well-being. But as impressive as that $103 billion figure is, it applies only to the charities registered with the ACNC and not to any other of the other unofficial, but equally worthy, causes.
While it is still common to come across collection tins occupying a spot on corner store counters, much of the grassroots fundraising is now done online. A day would not go by in Bendigo without a GoFundMe page, or equivalent, being set up to assist someone down on their luck.
Many of these poor souls might need a life-saving operation, or an expensive piece of medical equipment or simply some help paying their bills due to illness.
However, the problem is that it is almost impossible to distinguish between the legitimate campaigns providing support to locals and those that are not.
It is only human nature to be touched by these tales and want to help through monetary donations.
Effective campaigns can raise thousands of dollars, if not more, in just a matter of days, but there are few safeguards to ensure the money goes where promised.
Even some of the country’s most established and trusted charities have come under intense scrutiny in recent times for the amount of money chewed up in administrative costs.
But at least there are some checks and balances on these bigger players, albeit, with 54,000 registered charities as of 2014, the ACNC has its work cut out.
Before donating to any charity drive do your homework, because you do not want your good deed to go punished.
- Ross Tyson, deputy editor
