Over the past two years, I’ve had the privilege of listening to women from around Australia share why they give. Hundreds of women – from prominent businesswomen and philanthropists to community-based advocates and volunteers – spoke with heartfelt honesty about the experiences that have shaped their lives and their desire to give back, with many common threads of courage, grief and strength.
As Australia approaches a $5.4 trillion intergenerational wealth transfer — the largest in our history — the question is no longer whether women will redefine philanthropy. The question is whether our systems are ready to recognise and support the leadership women are already showing.
Through She Gives, I’ve come to better understand the undeniable evidence: women are shaping the philanthropic landscape already, yet their potential has been massively overlooked. Our report – resulting from the largest mixed-methods study of women’s giving ever conducted nationally and the second-largest Australian study of giving overall – confirms that women make most of the household decisions on giving. They give because they care deeply about the world around them, because they want to make a difference, because they trust the organisations they support. They volunteer for causes and communities they believe in at extraordinary rates. These motivations are consistent, values‑driven, and backed by data.
Yet although women express a strong desire to give and to give more, the pathways for them to do so remain outdated. While nearly half of women in philanthropic networks engage in structured giving — through foundations, trusts, or collective models — only 6% of women nationally do so. This gap is not a reflection of women’s willingness. It is a reflection of the sector’s failure to meet women where they are.
If Australia is serious about doubling giving by 2030, as the government has set out to do, then our systems must evolve accordingly. That means building an ecosystem around women’s ambitions: equipping financial advisers with the capability to understand women’s motivations, creating clearer and more accessible pathways into structured giving, and strengthening collective and community‑based models that reflect how women prefer to give — collaboratively, relationally, and with purpose. The report identifies these as core priorities for unlocking women’s giving at scale.
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It also means finally recognising women’s contributions in our public narrative. Women remain under‑represented in national honours, media coverage, and philanthropic storytelling. Visibility is not symbolic — it is catalytic. You can only be what you see. When women see other women giving, they are more likely to engage, contribute, and lead.
This is especially true for women whose stories have historically been excluded. Inclusive models and culturally grounded storytelling can increase confidence and participation for First Nations women, culturally and linguistically diverse women, and women in rural and regional communities. The data shows that women’s contributions extend far beyond financial donations: 90% of women in philanthropic networks and 39% of women nationally volunteered in the past year. Their leadership is already shaping communities — it’s time our systems caught up.
To unlock the full potential of women’s giving, we need investment in the infrastructure that supports it: sustained funding for organisations that champion women’s philanthropy, increased capacity within charities and intermediaries to engage women effectively, and dedicated roles within institutions to lead this work. Strengthening collaborative networks, platforms, and community foundations can have a profound impact. Women repeatedly told me that giving together makes them feel more confident, informed, and connected.
The opportunity ahead is enormous and the work has already begun. What the sector needs now is a framework and structural change at scale. Women are ready. The question is whether our systems are ready for them.
Melissa Smith
Melissa Smith is CEO and founder of Noble Ambition and She Gives, driven by a mission to see exponential increase in philanthropic investment to accelerate positive social change in Australia and globally. Melissa was Board Director of Stella (2021-2024) and has achieved multiple awards including Australian Fundraiser of the Year (FIA) and Global Fundraiser of the Year (IFC). Melissa has a BA Hons (First Class, USyd), Masters of Management (UTS) and is a Churchill Fellow.
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