Some of Australia’s top philanthropic leaders have participated in a new series of short videos featuring meaningful conversations and practical advice with a focus on gender-lens philanthropy.
The series, titled Empowered Giving for a Fairer Future, is launched by Australians Investing In Women (AIIW) with the support of the Besen Family Foundation, and includes insights and case studies from leaders such as Carol Schwartz AO, Eve Mahlab AO, Jill Reichstein OAM and Maree Sidey.
As the leading national NFP advocate for gender-wise philanthropy, AIIW is launching the video series to explore how gender-informed strategies can be applied to tackle complex social issues.
For its CEO, Julie Reilly OAM, the series underscores the ways a gender-focused approach to philanthropy can lead to deeper impact and lasting change.
“We are proud that this new series supports a growing showcase of Australian women donors who prioritise women and girls and gender equality in their giving, alongside philanthropic men and advocates who share this value,” she said.
“Through Empowered Giving for a Fairer Future, we’re providing a valuable resource to help philanthropists and organisations consider, explore and implement gender-lens strategies that uplift communities and create fairer opportunities for everyone.”
For more than a decade, AIIW has been working to encourage philanthropic, corporate, and community leaders to apply a gender lens to their giving and increase investment in women to help create a fairer, more inclusive society.
The first three episodes in the series are now available to view on the AIIW website and social media platforms.
The inaugural episode features Eve Mahlab AO, Co-Founder of AIIW, speaking about the ethos and mission of her organisation.
“I see Australians Investing In Women as a vehicle for enabling the contribution, the brains and abilities of 50 per cent of the population,” she said. “We need to put a gender lens on our giving to make sure that the project or the finance that you are offering is laid in such a way that it reaches women.”
“We live in an incredibly wealthy society, but there’s so much injustice around us, and that injustice fuels my passion for giving,” Jill Reichstein OAM said in the second episode.
The Chair of the Reichstein Foundation said that the community of giving is a wonderful example of bringing people together. “I know from the donors that we’ve worked with over the years particularly in and around getting women to fund women was such a critical way of enabling the funding to grow,” she said.
For Carol Schwartz AO, Chair, Trawalla Foundation and Women’s Leadership Institute, the outcome that she wanted to enable and see is for women to play an equal role with men in power, leadership and decision making in Australia.
“All the numbers and all the data and research showed that if we had women more empowered than they are now, we would achieve so much more, economically and socially,” she said on her episode.
The series of talks aims to shift the philanthropic sector towards gender-inclusive approaches that encourage resilience through addressing disadvantage and fostering equality.
Other leaders featured on the series include Executive Director of Mecca M-Power, Lisa Keenan; media entrepreneur and television executive, Deanne Weir; marketing executive, Mim Bartlett and chair of Birth for Humankind, Joanne Kirk.
They share a range of insights learned from their philanthropic journeys, offering examples of adaptive strategies, demonstrating responsive and resilient approaches, revealing how gender-informed philanthropy strengthens resilience and guidance on laying the groundwork for informed, equitable giving.
Forthcoming episodes will be released weekly, with additional videos in the pipeline.