Tips

Here are some useful tips to help you make the right decisions when you are choosing the recipients of your generosity.

Be proactive and specific. Identify an organisation, cause or project that you think is important and how you think you can help it, or how you want it to change. Be specific both with your own goals and how you want the recipient to use your money.
Be selective. If you spread your money across multiple organisations, you will dilute its benefits. More of what you give them will go towards their administrative expenses.
Look at financial records. Before you give to an organisation or cause you should understand their financial health and what use they make of the money they receive. One of the most important factors is the percentage of their overall budget that they spend on programs and services rather than their own administration.
Talk to the proposed recipients. Before making a contribution to any organisation, ask specific questions, such as:
- How can they show that there is a demand for their services?
- What reporting do they provide on their activities?
- What is their process for monitoring their performance and improving their outcomes?

Give to a recognised charity. Choose one that has experience and credentials that relate to the particular crisis. For example, if the crisis is a natural disaster, choose an organisation that has worked successfully with similar events in the past.
Specify how you want them to use your money. This will help to ensure that your donation is spent as you intend.
Follow up. After a few weeks or months, follow up to ask how they used your donation and how else you can help them.

Source - Givewell

Check whether donations are tax deductible.
Make cash donations instead of buying raffle tickets, merchandise etc.
Don’t gift assets owned for more than a year. Sell first, then make a donation.
Bring forward future donations to reduce provisional tax or eliminate bracket creep.
Nominate tax exempt bodies as a beneficiary of the family trust.
Consider bringing forward a bequest to a tax deductible donation.
Consider substituting a bequest for a wish that an estate beneficiary make a tax deductible donation.
Where possible give before retirement when the tax rate is higher.
Australian taxpayers with frozen overseas assets can make an overseas donation and claim a tax deduction in Australia.