Each year, 3 in 5 Australians make charitable contributions and at CARE Australia, we strive to be one of the most transparent non-profit organisations in Australia, making sure your donation has the biggest impact. Did you know – 89% of our total expenditure goes to our humanitarian and development programs and education?
Last year alone, we supported over 1.4 million people across 14 countries.
With over $12 million donated by our incredible community last year – together – we have the opportunity to transform lives and create a better world for all.
Here are 4 reasons why our donors trust us.
1. Our sustainable impact
CARE Australia supports women around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice. Our programs focus on women because we know that when one woman breaks free from poverty, she brings another four people with her – that’s a powerful multiplier.
We work in partnership with local communities to provide opportunities for women that they have long been denied; the ability to earn an income, gain access to their fair share of resources, to lead and participate in decisions that affect their lives, and to be able to withstand the increasing impacts of climate disasters and crises.
This way of working is smarter, more sustainable, and it puts resources into the hands of locals. It’s the very essence of what we work towards — a world where everyone can determine their own future.
2. 78 years of history
78 years ago, CARE distributed its first lifesaving package in a Viennese train station.
It was 1945 – the end of World War II – and 22 organisations came together as CARE to distribute food and essential items to people whose homes, jobs, and way of life had been destroyed by war. As these countries began recovering, CARE’s work shifted from Europe to lower income countries and over two decades had distributed around 100 million packages.
Today, our community development work spans countries across regions including the Pacific, Asia, Africa and Middle East.
CARE Australia is committed to moving away from traditional aid models that reinforce paternalistic and neo-colonialist structures. Instead, we aim to empower local and women-led organisations to determine where funds can be best spent for long-term, systemic change. Our proximity to the south Pacific islands and South-East Asia makes building relationships possible, productive and powerful.
3. An accredited not-for-profit
As a registered charity, CARE is fully accredited by Australia’s aid program – Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australian Aid) and adheres to its stringent standards of accountability.
CARE is a signatory to the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) Code of Conduct which sets out standards on how organisations should be managed, how they communicate and how they spend the funds they raise. CARE is also a signatory to several international codes of conduct (full details on our Codes of conduct page).
CARE Australia is externally audited every year by Ernst & Young. CARE is also a member of Accountable Now, a global platform that supports charities to be transparent, responsive to stakeholders and focused on delivering impact.
We have endorsement by the Australian Taxation Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient, as an income tax exempt charity and a proud member of the Fundraising Institute of Australia. We are also proud to be an accredited member of the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association, having demonstrated our commitment to high standards in areas of public fundraising.
4. Malcolm Fraser’s legacy
Malcolm Fraser was one of Australia’s longest-serving prime ministers, having held the position for seven and a half years, between 1975 to 1983.
Following his retirement from parliament after 28 years, Malcolm Fraser played an important role in supporting international humanitarian aid, caring deeply for people living in poverty and crisis around the world. As a leading supporter for the welcoming of refugees from Indochina and Vietnam, Malcolm Fraser became closely involved in the challenges international aid presented, an avenue many of his predecessors ignored.
In 1987, Malcolm Fraser wanted to create the ‘Australian face of international aid’ when he became the founding chairperson of CARE Australia and President of CARE International from 1991. Malcolm placed himself in the midst of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, visiting CARE emergency operations, to witness the ordeal people were experiencing first hand, and to support staff in their relief efforts.
Malcolm’s work in humanitarian aid was fondly regarded by many, including former PM Bob Hawke, who commended Malcolm for becoming “an outstanding figure in the advancement of human rights issues in all respects,” and he praised him for being “extraordinarily generous and welcoming to refugees.”
If we had a world where CARE was no longer needed, we would all be happy but the reality is that where poverty exists, CARE will exist.
Malcolm Fraser, 2002.
CARE is a leader within the global movement dedicated to ending poverty, and you can be part of the change today. Empower lives with a tax deductible donation – here. Donations over $2 are tax deductible and will go where it is needed most.
