ProBono Australia, a leading source of news for the social enterprise and charity sector, recently announced that Australia has seen the lowest percentage of people giving to charities in four decades.
Although these statistics are from the 2018/19 financial year, it’s unlikely to look any better after a summer of bushfires and a nearly two year long pandemic. It seems that, at a time when people are most in need of the services and support that charitable organisations provide, donors are least able to give the money that sustains them.
While this is both an indictment of the way governments see social services in this country, and representative of the extraordinary demand placed on these services after a catastrophic year, it is also one of the main reasons why we’re so passionate about unleashing the power of finance as a force for good.
We believe that finance has an immense capacity to be a force for good. But that also means we have to be prepared to do things differently.
So, every time you choose to work with Pure Finance, we proudly donate 5% of revenue (because it’s more tangible and reliable than profits) to social and environmental causes.
We split that contribution into three ‘buckets’ that mean a lot to us: the planet, its people, and paying the rent. That’s how we make your finance do good, not just for you but for our world as well. Here are the organisations we’ve chosen to support this quarter.
Paying the Rent - Dharriwaa Elders Group
Based on the land of the Yuwaalaraay/Euahlayi people in Western NSW, the Dharriwaa Elders Group (DEG) is an Aboriginal cultural organisation that works to support Elders’ wellbeing, protect Aboriginal cultural heritage and knowledge, and promote Aboriginal cultural values in the local community.
The region’s lakes, known as Dharriwaa by traditional custodians, is a significant meeting place for Aboriginal peoples and a source of food and medicine, with immense cultural significance.
DEG is made up of members over 60 who live in Walgett, who work tirelessly to promote relationships between Aboriginal Elders and other generations of the Walgett Aboriginal community.
In August 2021, Walgett reported its first case of COVID-19 - representing a very worrying time for the community, one third of whom are Aboriginal. People have been doing all they can to stop the transmission of COVID, staying home and looking out for others, but it’s not enough despite the incredible local efforts of the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service.
“We know that the way we beat transmission is to get vaccinated, stay home, limit our movements and look after each other. However, the housing crisis in Western NSW makes it hard for our communities to isolate. And isolating families need practical support. That looks like specialised health care, accessible vaccine clinics and mobile vaccine hubs, housing support and income support.”
Launching a campaign on crowdfunding site GiveNow to help keep Walgett and other communities safe and well from COVID-19, DEG needs our help to ensure vaccination hubs, accessible clinics and specialised healthcare can continue in the area, as well as rapid at-home testing to reduce community transmission.
Pure Community is proud to make a donation of 2% revenue, or $4,205 this quarter, to support the Dharriwaa Elders Group Relief Appeal, and we encourage you to give what you can or share the campaign at the link below.
DEG Covid-related Work and Relief Appeal ↗︎
For the Planet – Firesticks Alliance
The devastating bushfires along Australia’s East Coast at the end of 2019 and into 2020 might feel like a distant memory given how much has happened since. However, another hot Australian summer is almost on our doorstep, and we can’t afford to “wait years or months…we have to get in now and burn [these young invasive plants] straight away,” according to Adrian, a member of the Mudjingaalbaraga Firesticks team.
Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation is an Indigenous-led organisation that aims to re-invigorate the use of cultural burning by facilitating cultural learning pathways to fire and land management.
‘Cultural burning’ is described as burning practices developed by Aboriginal people to enhance the health of the land and its people. According to Firesticks Alliance, cultural burning can include the burning or prevention of burning of Country for the health of particular plants and animals and may involve patch burning to create different fire intervals across the landscape. Read more at: Firesticks – What is cultural burning?
Recently, members of the Mudjingaalbaraga Firesticks team revisited Bundanon to show the difference between Country that had Cultural Fire applied in 2018, with Country destroyed by wildfire in 2020. The difference was stark.
In the wake of the 2020 bushfires, Pure Community donated to Firesticks, so they could continue to provide Indigenous leadership, advocacy and action to protect Country through cultural fire and land management practices. In the past year, this incredible organisation has delivered mentoring and training programs in Tasmania, Victoria, NSW, and Queensland continuing to work with Indigenous communities in the National Indigenous Fire Network as well as wider Australian communities.
However, there is no better cure than prevention. And so, we are proud to again support Firesticks Alliance and heed their strong message for us to be united in taking responsibility for caring for this land by donating $2,103 this quarter, before it’s too late.
“Ensuring western fire science works together with Indigenous fire knowledge is crucial in order to create a knowledge system that understands not only what constitutes a healthy environment, but also the value that it provides to the wider communities.” - Uncle Nook (Noel Webster)
WATCH: Dharrawal-Yuin Ngurra, the Good Fire video showcase ↗︎
The remaining 2% of revenue ($4,205) this quarter has been dedicated to Yours, a new charity launching soon aimed at supporting people experiencing financial disadvantage.
On behalf of all of us at Pure Finance, we want to say a big thank you to all of the people working hard to make a more just and equitable world, and it is an honour to support your work in ways both big and small.
Pure Community is just part of how we’re making your money go further in creating a more equal and ethical world that we actually want to live in. If you want to know more about our ‘profit for purpose’ model, or want to find out more about Pure Community, visit: www.purecommunity.co or get in touch with us.
*Pure Community and Pure Finance have no direct affiliation with the organisations and causes listed above, we simply appreciate the work that they do, and choose to show our appreciation by donating to them.