Let’s start with a quick question – how many of your friends donate regularly to charity? As a matter of fact, how many of them know you do?

According to Susan Pascoe, commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission, people in Australia are reluctant to discuss when and how much they give to charity, a symptom of the so-called ‘tall poppy’ syndrome.

It appears, however, that an open discussion on charity and donating can really make a difference in the sector and inspire even more people to help. Therefore, this post will present some of the facts and will try to show how you can help – by showing off.

The Facts

The good news about charity giving in Australia is that it’s massive. According to the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits commission, 9 out of 10 Australians give to charity and 78% of them donate regularly, which amounts to over $4 billion a year – an amazing achievement. In addition to that, high-profile philanthropist join the ranks of givers with massive sums and extra publicity. All this is great news for the charities in Australia, but there are some worrying trends going on – and one of them is people not speaking about their involvement with charity.

The Trends

According to Susan Pascoe, people in Australia who regularly give to charity are reluctant to discuss it. While reports and surveys around the country show that our tradition of giving and generosity is not affected by the era of ‘clicktivism’ – showing support for charities online without actually donating your time or funds to them, they also show that there changes in the ways Australians donate. According to Chris Wootton, CEO of Philanthropy Australia, donating in the country grows more and more similar to the US way of doing it. The main characteristics are larger sums and gifts, but also more emphasis on ‘grass roots’ giving. According to Wootton, the number of private ancillary funds and giving circles is growing, meaning that giving becomes more structured and organised and less driven by impulse and emotion.

How to Make Even More Difference

There are many benefits to ‘showing off’, starting with the fact that you will set an example. For example, your friends, relatives, acquaintances who are already donating might remember it’s been a while since their last giving. The ones who are not in the practice of supporting charities might consider the idea, seeing that some of their friends do so and that they get satisfaction from making a difference.

Apart from that, you speaking about your donations will contribute to the general level of awareness and will lead to healthy discussion on charity and giving. A lot needs to be done in this direction – from speaking about who needs money and why, through who gets money and how they use it, to finding better ways for helping.

In other words, while many of us think that we shouldn’t brag about helping, it appears that this might increase our impact. Just think about it – maybe it’s worth making that little sacrifice and talking about what we do charity-wise in order to help our chosen causes even further.