Starlight Children’s Foundation Chief Executive Jill Weekes phoned in to say the foundation is looking at a decline of $2 million in donations this year as their income has traditionally centred on corporate donations and events, both of which have been hit hard by the recession.

She told Background Briefing that the foundation was now looking at new strategies to raise money including boosting online fundraising and individual appeals. However she said that those strategies would not make up for the short-fall and that some of the foundation’s services were regrettably being cut back.

Background Briefing guest Sean Triner, from Pareto Fundraising, said charities should aim to have a balanced portfolio as corporate giving only accounts for between 4 and 7 per cent of the overall donations made in Australia. He said that charities are better off focusing on smaller but more frequent gifts rather than relying on the big gift donations.

Listen to this Background Briefing on the ABC website: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/australiatalks/stories/2009/2574983.htm