Philanthropic and charitable donations can be valuable to both those who receive donations and those who make them.

However, there are challenges in measuring precisely how much is donated annually due to the fact that philanthropy and giving occurs in many ways, and there are numerous mechanisms through which money and/or time can be given.

This report focuses on financial giving, presenting information from a range of sources that reflect the many complex philanthropic structures in place. The reported measures of monetary donations relate primarily to the amounts given by Australians and Australian businesses to Australian charities.