How to Find Local Charities Near You
While it feels great to support a charity in any way, there is something special about making a difference through local charities near you in your own community. Helping a local charity can mean going beyond a one-time donation and getting to know your community on a deeper level. You might also gain a better understanding of the organisation and its mission.
Finding charities near you
There are a number of easy and quick ways to find charities supporting a wealth of different things, from homelessness to animal help. And, if you want to start raising money for a charity near you, we’ve got a blog with tips on how to do so here.
Search the charity register
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) is an easy way to find charities registered near you. You can search by charity name, size, state, and many other ways. Whether there’s a specific cause you want to support, or you want to find a charity to donate to, it’s easy to search on the ACNC website.
Use GoFundMe’s charity finder
Using GoFundMe’s charity finder can also help to inspire you on local charities in your area. If you know of a charity in your area, you can search for it on the site to see what fundraisers are running. But also, if you search by location, you can find any charities that have that location in their name.
Contact charities directly
If you’re inspired by the work of a larger charity, it’s also an option to contact them and ask how they operate in that area. Most larger charities will have an email address on site – or a contact form – so why not drop them a message to ask if they have any location-specific operations in your area?
Our local charities list makes helping easy
If you’d like to get involved with local charities, this charity directory will help you find some of the most prominent nonprofits operating in different areas of Australia. These organisations raise money to support individuals in many different ways – find out more about each of them below.
1. The Heart Foundation
The Heart Foundation is recognised as one of the top organisations working to improve heart disease prevention, detection and support. For over 60 years they have been improving heart disease survival rates, and working towards their goal of eradicating the disease from the country. Whilst based in Victoria, they operate across the whole of Australia.
2. The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is an international Christian charity, offering support to people in need. Their services range from support programs for Aboriginal peoples, homelessness, victims of domestic violence, unemployment, and many more. The Australian branch of the charity is based in Victoria and offers aid to Australians across the country.
3. Story Dogs
Story Dogs is a literacy charity, aimed at helping children above the age of seven to learn to read. The charity, based in New South Wales but with teams across Australia, uses dogs to help children learn to read. The handler will talk through the dog, asking the child to read sections to build their confidence.
4. Arthritis & Osteoporosis Western Australia
Arthritis & Osteoporosis Western Australia offers care and support for those suffering from arthritis, osteoporosis and related conditions in the region. The charity operates out of The Wyllie Arthritis Centre, which houses a hydrotherapy pool, gym, cafe and bookshop, in addition to the charity’s offices.
5. Breast Cancer Care Western Australia
Breast Cancer Care Western Australia offers treatment, care and support for those suffering from the condition in the region. The charity employs five specialist nurses and four counsellors to help support those living with breast cancer. They also host support groups and therapy workshops to help people on their journey.
6. Lifeline
Based in New South Wales, Lifeline offers 24 hour support to Australians across the country experiencing emotional distress or having suicidal thoughts. The charity offers life saving immediate support and counselling for those having dark thoughts, as well as face to face counselling and support for family members effected by suicide or worried about someone.
7. Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne
The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne has been providing healthcare to children for over 150 years. Whilst primarily caring for patients in Victoria, the hospital also helps children across Australia and the world. It is the major specialist paediatric centre in Victoria, as well as being a leading provider of training and research in the field.
8. Refugee Migrant Children Centre
RMCC helps to support school age children who are refugees and migrants as they settle in Australia. They help them to overcome the barriers they face moving to a new country, including language, adjusting to the culture and dealing with trauma and racism. The charity is based in Victoria but supports children across Australia.
9. Deaf Connect
Deaf Connect provides whole of life care to Australians who are hard of hearing, deaf or deafblind. It’s the largest provider of its type in the country, with offices across Queensland, New South Wales, and other cities in the country. They focus on support and empowerment, helping deaf people and their families to thrive in life.
10. Life Without Barriers
Life Without Barriers aims to help people overcome obstacles in their lives, whether through foster care of young people, disability support, and care of the elderly. The charity is based in New South Wales and offers support to Australians across the country.
Do more to help a charity
Besides donating to a nonprofit’s website or volunteering locally, why not spearhead your own fundraising efforts and make a difference in a unique way? Here are just a few people who took action and helped charities in their own communities:
Promoting equality for Indigenous football players
John Moriarty Football (JMF) is raising money to help provide an equal footing for Indigenous soccer players and give more Indigenous children the opportunity to play the game. The program, run by The Moriarty Foundation, is targeting remote and regional communities and aims to improve the health and wellbeing of Indigenous children by giving them all the help they need to play, including access to soccer gear, training sessions, scholarships, and assisted travel to games. Based in New South Wales, JMF has already raised $30,000 through its crowdfunding campaign.
Raising funds to find a cure for childhood cancer
Set up in June 2023, Edie Kalman’s fundraiser quadrupled its original $1,500 target and raised over $7,000 for RUN DIPG, a non-profit organisation that provides support to children with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a deadly disease for which there is currently no cure. Edie filmed the sponsored head shave and shared it on social media to raise awareness for a cause they’d had personal experience with through their work, and to fight a disease that has a survival rate of less than 10 percent.
Perth football team raises money for mental health charity
Perth-based football team Osborne Park Football Club organised this crowdfunder to raise money for Beyond Blue, a charity that aims to help people look after their mental health and access mental health support when they need it. The annual fundraiser has been running for over 10 years and raises thousands of dollars each year for the charity – over $9,000 dollars was raised in 2023, exceeding the club’s goal.
Make a difference in your community right now
There’s a reason why GoFundMe is one of the top charity fundraising sites around. We offer a fundraising model that allows you to keep more of your funds, and plenty of charity fundraising tips on our blog, not to mention seven-day customer support from real people. When you’re ready, sign up to create your charity fundraiser on GoFundMe and begin making an even bigger difference in your community.