Executive Summary
Corporate giving could become a powerful lever for accelerating gender equality according to the recommendations in a new resource from Champions of Change Coalition and Australians Investing In Women.
Sharpening Our Focus on Corporate Giving: Keeping Gender Equality in the Frame sets out a framework to assess corporate giving and community partnership programs to better understand the beneficiaries of the money, time, product and in-kind investment given to the not-for-profit sector to assist and solve some of the most challenging social issues in our communities.
- Report: Sharpening Our Focus on Corporate Giving: Keeping Gender Equality in the Frame
- Media release: Time for a sharper focus on gender equality in corporate giving: Champions of Change and AIIW
Champions of Change Coalition Members and Australians Investing In Women in consultation with leaders in the not-for-profit sector, reviewed giving practices and processes to identify the potential opportunities for corporate giving programs to accelerate gender equality.
“We need to pull every lever to achieve gender equality. Philanthropic dollars are limited – being more intentional about bringing women and girls into focus brings the greatest opportunity for social change.”
Sam Mostyn AO, Chair, Australians Investing In Women
Working closely with not-for-profits including OzHarvest, STREAT, Foundation for Young Australians, Foundation for Regional & Rural Renewal, Stars Foundation, Community Council for Australia and large corporate foundations, Members of the Champions of Change Coalition and AIIW considered: how organisations address gender equality in their giving strategies; the importance of data to understand the impact and outcome of corporate giving across all programs; and the potential for giving processes to be adapted to build in an intentional focus on women and girls.
“Gender equality can’t be left to chance or be the responsibility of one individual – gender equality must be built into our systems and processes, including corporate giving.”
Tony Frencham, Senior Group Director, Worley
Sharpening Our Focus on Corporate Giving: Keeping Gender Equality in the Frame addresses the potential of considering women and girls in every social issue and demonstrates how intentional corporate giving with a gender lens:
- supports both priority issues and gender equality
- understands how issues specifically affect women and girls
- safeguards against women and girls being overlooked at critical times
- invests in solving the problems for the long term
“It’s not about only giving to women and girls, or giving more, it’s about being intentionally equitable in our giving to every cause.”
Elizabeth Broderick AO, Founder, Champions of Change Coalition
The framework also includes a staged approach and practical actions for organisations and not-for-profits to work together to ensure corporate giving becomes a powerful lever to accelerate gender equality in society.
“It’s more important than ever that business takes a leading role in helping to address the big issues in our society like gender inequality. Collaboration with not-for profit partners is fundamental. Working together we have more impact on complex social problems than when we are working alone.”
Tom Seymour, CEO, PwC Australia
[Duration: 05:04, closed captions available]
