Receipts sent, gifts chased, spreadsheets refreshed, donors thanked and reminder emails sent close to the deadline. 

End of financial year fundraising asks a lot of small teams, stretched systems and people who care deeply about the artists, communities and organisations they support. It asks even more in a cost-of-living crisis, when supporters are careful about what they can give.  

After the rush of EOFY, take a moment to recognise the effort it took to get there. Then look ahead to the giving conversations that need to begin, the story that needs sharpening and the relationships that need time and care. 

Australia is having more conversations about giving. Arts fundraisers should be ready to join them. 

The great wealth transfer is already shaping giving 

The phrase ‘great wealth transfer’ can sound distant, but wealth is already moving between generations. Families are talking about legacy and purpose, and advisers are helping clients think about giving as part of financial, estate and life planning. 

The Minderoo Foundation’s Unlocking Generosity report argues that $7 billion to $12 billion in additional donations could be unlocked by 2030 if Australians had better access to giving advice. Many are open to giving more, but do not know where to start, who to trust or how to structure it well. 

Generosity is not unlocked by goodwill alone. It often depends on someone skilled enough to start the conversation, build trust, explain the options and make giving feel possible. 

For arts and cultural organisations, this changes the conversation. Morgan Stanley’s The Future of Giving report suggests the next generation of givers wants philanthropy that is personal, values-led and clear about impact. Women will also be highly represented in the great wealth transfer, increasing their influence over how wealth is given, invested and passed on. The organisations best placed to benefit will explain what they do, why it matters and how people can help. 

Giving is becoming more public and relational 

One sign of this shift is the rise of giving weeks. These public moments bring generosity into the open and give communities permission to talk about giving. The inaugural SA Giving Week joined the first Greater Sydney Giving Week and the longstanding Queensland Philanthropy Week in a movement to make giving more visible, local and participatory. 

At their best, giving weeks make visible what arts fundraisers work towards all year. They turn private goodwill into a public invitation, bringing donors, advisers, businesses, community organisations and everyday givers into the same conversation. 

This is where women’s philanthropy research adds useful context. As more women shape decisions about family wealth, giving and legacy, fundraisers will need to pay close attention to trust, values and relationships. People need to see where they fit, how their support will help and why their involvement is valued. 

Arts organisations are already good at this. We gather people, create meaning and connect stories to place. The challenge is to turn that into clear giving pathways. A supporter may love your work, attend regularly, share your posts and bring friends, but never be invited into a deeper relationship. 

The next financial year is a chance to change that. Instead of treating fundraising as a series of campaigns, think of it as a year-round conversation about what your organisation makes possible and who can help. 

Five things to put on the list 

1. Start more giving conversations. Do not wait for a campaign to talk to supporters about giving. Ask what they value, why they attend, what change they want to see and what legacy they want to help build. For some organisations, those conversations might start with the board. 

2. Make your case for support easier to say out loud. If someone had 60 seconds to understand why your organisation needs support, what would they hear? Make sure your case connects the work you make with the public value it creates and the future it makes possible. 

3. Use email to build relationships, not just send updates. Social media is useful for visibility, but email remains one of the few channels an organisation can own. Five Creative’s NFP Email Playbook notes that many not-for-profits already have engaged audiences in their databases, but are not consistently turning that attention into stronger relationships or giving pathways. Use email to build trust, share impact and make the next step easy. 

4. Build a simple annual rhythm. Map the moments when supporters are most likely to listen, give or deepen their involvement, including EOFY, AusArt Day, program milestones, thank-you moments and board-led introductions. Then plan the stories and asks around them. 

5. Let everyday conversations build towards bigger ones. The giving conversations you start now build the confidence, language and trust needed for more significant discussions later. You do not need every answer now, but you do need to know what you would say if a donor asked about a bequest, major gift, giving circle or multi-year commitment. 

The question to carry into the year ahead 

As one financial year closes and another begins, the most useful fundraising question may not be ‘what campaign should we run next?’ It may be, ‘are we making it easy for people to give to the future they want to see?’ 

The great wealth transfer is often described in numbers, but it will play out through relationships between families, advisers, communities and organisations. For fundraisers, the opportunity is to create trusted, practical pathways for people to act on their values. 

Arts organisations have a strong story to tell. They help people understand who we are, where we live, what we value and what we might become. The task for the year ahead is to make that story easier to support. 

Hannah Kothe, State Manager Development and Partnerships, SA/NT.