Who would have thought Australians could rustle up enough five cent coins to raise $2 million for a cancer charity?
Connie Johnson and her gold Logie award winning brother Samuel Johnson certainly did not. Their idea to rid people of their "pesky" currency and help fight cancer turned into a multi-million-dollar coin collection in Canberra.
But what does The Big Heart Project say about the way Australians donate to charity? Does it take more than a coin tin, knock on the door or shopping centre stall to lure in our charitable dollars?
Fundraising Institute chief executive Rob Edwards said that was the challenge facing charities, despite a generous Australian population donating more than $11 billion each year.
Mr Edwards said the problem arose because over the past few years that dollar figure had not changed while more charities had entered the market.
"It is a huge business ... so charities are having to be more innovative about how they go about fundraising," he said.
Donating in a cashless and digital society
The Salvation Army is well aware of the pressure on organisations to adapt.
Community Fundraising director Andrew Hill said they had to rethink their approach ahead of the Red Shield Appeal this month.
"We have to stay relevant, we have to stay up with where the world is going, and those people are online," he said.
And with most people no longer carrying cash, the organisation will for the first time use tap and go technology throughout the appeal.
"We know we have had to innovate in that area because of more and more people not carrying cash," Mr Hill said.
As the pool of charities grows, so too are internet campaigns. Crowdfunding in particular has taken off.
GoFundMe chief executive Rob Solomon said his site had allowed people to enter the charity domain on a more personal level.
Mr Solomon said it was a method enjoying great success.
"It took five years to get to $1 billion, nine months after that we got $2 billion, and then seven and a half months after that we got to $3 billion," he said.
"It's really starting to take off ... when something happens in the world people start a GoFundMe."
Traditional methods still the most lucrative
Perhaps surprisingly, while Australians now have more options in how they can give, the Fundraising Institute said the bulk of donations still came from traditional means.
Mr Edwards said while the days of doorknocking were pretty much over, face to face fundraising was the most effective way to get regular funds, while admitting it was a method many people loved to hate.
"While it can be quite confronting at times the reality is that's probably the most effective form of getting regular donors in," he said.
Mr Edwards said charities need to find inventive ways to attract and communicate with a new demographic.
"The issue is then how does a charity take that information and transform that into some form of dialogue with that person ... to turn those people into regular donors," he said.
