Mental Health in Australia: Top Charities To Donate To
Mental health is a pertinent issue in Australia (and around the world). People across the country are facing their own unique challenges every day.
Mental health charities on the frontline, establishing the key pillars of support in our communities, are busier than ever. But you can help mental health charities in Australia by starting a GoFundMe for their cause.
If you want to start your own fundraiser but are unsure which organisation to back, or where to donate your hard earned dollars to, here’s a list of the top five mental health charities in Australia.
Mental health charities Australia
1. Beyond Blue
Beyond Blue helps everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health, with a focus on anxiety and depression.
Beyond Blue coordinates a passionate team of people to help influence and support the development of mental health services and policies. The all-important partners, Blue Voices, are those who have been either personally affected by anxiety, depression or suicide, or know someone who has.
2. R U OK?
The R U OK? organisation aims to inspire everyone to meaningfully connect with those around them to kick off a conversation for anyone who might be struggling. By equipping all Australians with the tools to be able to have a conversation about mental health, R U OK? Aims to tackle mental health support in the long-term.
Every year thousands of Australians participate in R U OK? Day on the second Thursday of September every year, which encourages Australians to connect with people and address social isolation.
3. Black Dog Institute
The Black Dog Institute is the only medical research institute in the country that is dedicated to researching and deeply investigating mental health across our entire lifespan.
With the new challenges brought by COVID-19 and other societal crises, Black Dog Institute’s scope of work is constantly evolving, but largely focuses on suicide prevention, digital innovation, youth and workplace mental health.
4. ReachOut.org
Focused on youth mental health, ReachOut.org specifically helps under 25s ride the waves of mental health they might experience in their youth.
From career anxiety, handling online bullying and the unique issues that younger generations face in today’s society, ReachOut.org helps future proof young Australians and give them the tools to navigate their mental health journey.
5. Headspace
By helping Australians create healthy habits that will make a difference to positive mental health, headspace aims to address the unique barriers that young Aussies face when it comes to getting support.
Fundraising ideas for mental health relief
So you have decided that you’d like to try and support a charity that is helping deliver tangible mental health support in Australia. But now you need to decide how to do it.
The good news is, Australians are a generous bunch, ranking one of the most generous countries year in, year out in the CAF’s World Giving Index. So why not have a browse at these charity challenge ideas, set yourself a goal, and get going.
There are plenty of unique, fun and easy ways to raise money offline for your mental health charity of choice, too. We’ve put together some ideas on what you could do to really get the ball rolling on those donations.
- Host a sports day: If you’re looking at hosting a fundraising event, a sports day is a brilliant and versatile way to bring a community together. It might be a group of friends, family, colleagues or neighbours – see who wants to get involved and pay a small donation to get their sporting spirit going. It’s easy to be inclusive of all ages and abilities with fun games like egg and spoon races, too.
- Hold a coffee morning: Coffee mornings are easy offline fundraising events and a brilliant excuse to catch up with friends and have a chat. Raise money by asking for a small donation to come to the morning and provide hot drinks and tasty treats – homemade or otherwise! You could do this on a regular basis or just as a one-off to raise money for your mental health cause.
- Community BBQ: If the weather is nice get your neighbours involved in a street party or community bbq. Ask them to pay a small donation to be involved and get going.
- Do a fitness challenge: There are so many different options when it comes to fitness or sporting challenges to raise money. It doesn’t have to be running an ultramarathon – you can choose something that you find fun. Start running 5ks each week, commit to doing yoga every day for a month, get your friends on board to start playing basketball or hockey.
- Host a craft night: Maybe you’re already creative or maybe you want to get inspired. Why not host a craft night and encourage people to bring along an activity they’ve always wanted to try. Knitting? Why not!
Make a difference
It is estimated that almost half (45%) of Australians will experience a mental health issue in their lifetime. Help today and make sure that vital funds and support services are there for them, or you, when they need it.
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