Giving Compass' Take:

· This Giving Thought podcast from Charities Aid Foundation focuses on the philanthropic response to the Australian bushfires and what it tells us about trends in philanthropy.

· What does the general response to this disaster tell us about trends in philanthropy? What can be learned from this response? 

· Here's a guide on how to aid disaster relief in Australia.


We explore the philanthropic response to Australia's bushfires, what it highlights about philanthropy issues and trends and look at philanthropy news.

In episode 64, we explore the philanthropic response to the ongoing bushfires in Australia and what it highlights about philanthropy issues and trends. We also take a look at some of the other top philanthropy stories in the news.

  • How does the philanthropic response to the Aussie bushfires compare to the Notre Dame Cathedral fire last year?
  • Does it tell us anything about the differences between our response to man-made vs natural disasters, or disasters affecting man-made heritage vs natural heritage?
  • Does the fact that the Aussie bushfires are highly dispersed make a difference?
  • Are environmental issues less likely to be perceived as “elite”, and thus philanthropy focused on them less likely to be criticised as “self-interested”?
  • Is the response to the bushfires partly about people feeling a sense of agency over the issue of climate change, which often seems so huge that it can cause donation paralysis?
  • Does the fact that animals as well as humans have been affected make a difference?
  • Has the ongoing nature of the fires helped to make the relief effort itself a focus of philanthropy?
  • What questions does the voluntary nature of the firefighting services some raise about state responsibility vs that of philanthropy?
  • Has the response of elite philanthropists been slower than in the Notre Dame case? If so, why?
  • Could the fact that many Aussie philanthropists have made their money in extractive industries play a part in making them reticent to engage with a problem that is clearly being linked to climate change?
  • Celeste Barber’s Facebook fundraiser: what does her runaway success tell us about the distributed nature of fundraising in the future? What challenges does it highlight?
  • Other fundraising efforts: “The Nude Philanthropist” and altruistic drug dealers

Read the full article about the Australian bushfires at Charities Aid Foundation.