GIVIT's Donation Management Service - Disaster and Emergency Recovery
The smart way to give
GIVIT is the smart way to give to people and communities recovering from an emergency or disaster.
Donations made via GIVIT provide critical and immediate support. And we're also there for the long run supporting people as they re-establish homes and as communities recover.
We partner with state and local governments and work really hard to find out exactly what affected people and communities need. In fact, we ask them. Then we listen. And then those needs are listed here. You see, we trust that local councils, charities, recovery agencies and community groups know what their community needs. It might be clean bottled water, blankets and mattresses, or food and fuel vouchers for people who can’t return home.
GIVIT works directly with support organisations that have been through GIVIT’s registration process which ensures they are respected and genuinely helping the community recover. They ask for donations on behalf of the vulnerable people they’re assisting.
Our aim is to make sure people devastated by disaster get exactly what they need to recover, where and when they need it. We also want to make it really easy for our wonderful donors to have the greatest possible impact.
How GIVIT works
It’s important to us that donations do no harm. Time and time again we see communities overwhelmed by well-meaning donations that are not needed, or not needed right now. Imagine a truckload of clothes dropped off to a street still soaked by floodwaters. Don’t laugh – it happens! Unwanted donations cause chaos for recovery agencies working to save lives. It means an intense effort is required to sort, store and ultimately throw away donations.
And that breaks our heart.
We don’t want your beautiful donations thrown away. We want them to help change lives. GIVIT ensures giving is coordinated, and reaches the people who need it.
If you donate funds, we promise 100% of your public donation received by GIVIT will be used to purchase essential items for people in need. How good is that!
Wherever possible, we buy locally. We support the local retailers who employ local people, provide opportunity and lifeblood to a small town or disaster impacted region.
Need more info? We’ve got you covered. Below is a list of what you need to know.
Do you need help?
Are you an individual looking for an organisation that can help you? Find local support organisations to request items on your behalf.
Find an organisationOrganisations & charities
Are you an organisation in need of donations for people you support?
Register to use GIVITWhat you need to know..
Yes, cash donations are vital! We use donated money to purchase quality, brand new items and services for people in need. 100% of money received by GIVIT during a recovery is used to purchase essential items and services and, wherever possible, the items are purchased from businesses in the affected area to assist the local economy as it also recovers.
Hand on heart, we promise 100% of your donation received by GIVIT will be used to purchase essential items and services for people recovering. Your donation is incredibly powerful and makes a world of difference to local retailers who may also be experiencing hardship.
GIVIT’s staffing and operational costs are covered by government contracts and the great support provided by our donors and corporate supporters who choose to “Support GIVIT”. Thank you, we couldn’t keep smashing donation records without your support. That's also why we are able to guarantee that 100% of funds received by GIVIT for the recovery of a disaster or emergency is used to purchase essential items and services.
Nope.
Spending donated money in communities that are hurting is a big part of GIVIT’s philosophy. Your donated funds have an even bigger impact as you enable the purchase of exactly what is needed right now, but also support the local retailers who are employing local people, providing opportunity and lifeblood to a small town or impacted region.
Please don't buy bottles of water or nappies and put them on a truck when you could spend the same money buying a voucher from a local store. How you decide to give to support affected communities does have a big impact on their recovery. By purchasing items and services locally, we're helping the local economy recover.
You can be sure that when you donate through GIVIT, your offer is being seen only by support organisations that have been through GIVIT’s registration process and vetted by GIVIT as genuinely working with vulnerable people and communities in Australia. Your donation will support genuine need, and you will help change the life of someone doing it tough right now.
New items can be donated, thank you if you can help in this way. To know that someone genuinely cares about your recovery when your world has been turned upside down in a disaster or emergency is incredibly powerful.
If you are wanting to give a pre-loved item, the main thing to consider is the quality of the items and the person who is receiving it. "Oh it's good enough, I've slept on it for 15 years" is not actually good enough. Great quality items are needed to be truly helpful.
When you donate through GIVIT, we ask you to upload a photo of the item. This helps organisations check the item is quality, and exactly what they need.
We don’t! GIVIT doesn’t store any donations. How is that possible? It's quite simple really. The item stays at the donor’s house until the organisation is ready for it. Donors can drop the item at the organisation, post it, or the organisation might pick it up.
By not storing donations, we significantly reduce the administrative and financial burden on community organisations responding to a disaster, and help save valuable resources for critical recovery activities.
When we use donated funds to buy items, we buy straight from local retailers who often deliver. No storing!
Before you start your collection, check here to see if there is a need for what you want to gather.
If you are wanting to support a community devastated by an emergency or disaster, GIVIT is the smart way to give. GIVIT’s website is an easy, quick and efficient way of donating directly to people in need without overwhelming organisations on the ground. Through GIVIT, organisations can view a private list of what is available and reserve what is needed, without receiving a pile of unrequested donations.
Donating bags of clothes is often not helpful at these times - what size are the people who are needing the clothes? Are your clothes in good condition? Do they match the weather conditions? Amazing work is already being done to feed and clothe people. Excess donations that do not match what is needed right now are at risk of being thrown away. That's why giving needs to be smart and coordinated.
By offering your donation through GIVIT, you can ensure your donation does no harm to a community that is already under strain after an emergency or disaster. Only what is needed right now will be reserved by support organisations assisting affected residents.
Your donation offer will stay listed for the time period you choose, ensuring support organisations can keep going back to the list to find the exact items they need as people find somewhere new to live and have a safe location to put the bed, fridge or washing machine they need.
GIVIT is not able to assist with collecting or transporting your offering.
Please consider donating money. Being able to spend donated funds in an affected community means an impacted resident gets exactly what they need and local businesses are also supported. Please don't buy bottles of water or nappies and put them on a truck when you could spend the same money buying a voucher from a local store. How you decide to give to support affected communities does have a big impact on their recovery.
100% of funds received by GIVIT are spent purchasing essential items and services in affected areas, wherever possible. This supports the recovery of the whole community.
To access donated support through GIVIT, you must first connect with a community organisation, such as your local charity or support service, which is able to assess your needs. To find support organisations in your area that are already registered to use GIVIT, please search here.
If you are a support organisation - charity, social service, school, community group, government or non-government organisation - register here to use GIVIT.
We’re in it for the long haul. GIVIT’s role is to assist the recovery of a community and we take that very seriously. We will continue to work on the recovery for as long as the affected community needs us.
We work all year round to help get donations to where they’re needed most. In fact we’re also really passionate about helping children get back to school, providing hope and assistance to families battling drought and improving health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. You can read about the great work we do in here.
Can you help support GIVIT?
100% of cash donations received by GIVIT for appeals go directly to buying essential items for people in need - not towards GIVIT's operational costs.
If you are able to help GIVIT keep kicking goals by donating directly to support our work that would be awesome!