10 ways to give meaningful gifts

Following in the footsteps of Professor Fred Hollows, The Foundation has restored sight to millions of people in some of the most vulnerable communities in over 25 countries around the world, including Australia. We’re able to do this because of the meaningful gifts everyday Australians give us, allowing us to carry on Fred’s vision of a world where no one is needlessly blind.

While our key goal is to end avoidable blindness and make high quality and affordable eye health easily available to everyone, the impact of our sight-restoring work goes far beyond this. Our work aims to address inequities among developed and developing countries, reduce gender inequities for women and girls, ensure inclusive learning opportunities for impoverished communities, and end poverty – as outlined in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

If you want to join the cause and help vulnerable people through The Fred Hollows Foundation, consider giving the gift of sight for upcoming special occasions, including birthdays, Christmas, Mother’s Day, or Father’s Day.

COVER PHOTO: Michael Amendolia

In a hurry?

Click on the link below to go directly to the idea you're most interested in:

Give a one-off gift
Give friendship gifts
Ask for a meaningful gift
Take part in fundraising
Become a monthly gift giver
Take part in workplace giving
Give a gift in your will
Join us on social media
Take action on behalf of The Foundation
Share your time and skills

Photographer: Michael Amendolia

1. Give a one-off gift

You can give a one-off gift by making a donation on our website. You can pre-select a dollar amount or choose to donate any amount you like. As little as $25 can restore sight to one person in some countries. Larger donation amounts may be used to hold eye care intensives, camps and clinics in remote communities that don’t have access to regular eye care.

You can give your gift using a credit card or a Visa debit card, and PayPal is an option too. You can also give us a call on 1800 352 352 to make a donation by phone.

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2. Give friendship gifts

Have you been invited to a birthday party, wedding or an anniversary? Instead of getting a gift voucher that will probably get misplaced in a drawer or a physical gift that may end up in a goodwill bin, why not give the gift of sight?

You can pick a gift card in any amount you like and have it delivered either by email or post. By making a donation on your loved one’s behalf, you’ll be introducing them to our sight-restoring work, while creating genuine change in the world.

Your gift can also help Close the Gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples through our Indigenous Australia Program.

Photo credit: The Fred Hollows Foundation

3. Ask for a meaningful gift

On your birthday this year, why not ask your family and friends to make a donation in your name to The Foundation? You’ll be helping to save someone from losing their sight to preventable causes like cataract and trachoma.

Christmas is also a great time of the year to request a gift of sight rather than a present for yourself, as are other major milestones like marriage or the birth of your baby.

You can set up a fundraising page on our website or ask your loved ones to buy you a Gift of Sight gift card. You can also set up a Facebook fundraiser.

Donations made in your name will be directed to where the funds are most needed, which may include equipping the eye care unit of an underfunded hospital or towards training an eye health worker in an under-resourced community.

4. Take part in fundraising

As well as setting up a fundraising page, you can also take part in upcoming fundraising events held by The Foundation. If you want to get your whole community involved, consider hosting your own fundraising event, including trivia night, movie night, or an event with your sports club. Discover unique fundraising ideas that are fun for everyone.

Not only will your fundraising make high quality eye care accessible to marginalised groups by training community eye health workers, doctors, and nurses in some of the poorest places on the planet, you will also be creating goodwill within your own community.

Actively participating in our communities is proven to have long-term benefits to both physical and emotional health. And there is scientific proof that helping others is a sure way to boost our spirit, as helping others releases neurochemicals in our brain that make us feel good.

FIND MORE FUNDRAISING RESOURCES

5. Become a monthly giver

You can become an ongoing supporter of The Fred Hollows Foundation by joining Fred’s team and becoming a regular giver. This means that you’ll be donating a fixed amount of your choosing every month through automatic payments that will be direct-debited from your account.

Automating your payment is safe, secure and hassle-free. Regular giving is the best way to help The Foundation carry on sight-restoring work. It ensures a guaranteed source of income, and helps reduce our admin costs, and allows us to concentrate on eliminating avoidable blindness. Find out more on why regular giving is better for everyone.

Photographer: Daniel Jesus Vignolli

6. Take part in workplace giving

Workplace giving is becoming more and more popular in companies all over Australia. The Australian workforce is becoming more aware of social issues affecting not just their families and communities, but also vulnerable communities all around the world.

Fred Hollows was right when he said that Australians like to help others. Australian workers are making more ethical choices in every aspect of their lives, whether it's what they consume, brands they buy from, and companies they work for.

“I think Australians have a strong sense of equity. I think every Australian believes that there is a right to basic health. And I’ve seen some extraordinary demonstrations of generosity by the Australians we’ve been meeting.”
- Fred Hollows

Your employer may have a matched workplace giving program, where they’ve pledged to match your donation, dollar for dollar. If your workplace doesn’t have a giving program already in place, you can ask them to contact Workplace Giving Australia to set it up.

If you want your workplace to support our sight-restoring work at The Fred Hollows Foundation, you can contact us directly.

7. Give a gift in your will

When you include a gift in your will, it is known as a bequest. There are several ways you can leave a gift in your will. For instance, you can bequeath your entire estate to one beneficiary or you can bequeath set portions of your estate to different beneficiaries.

In order to make a bequest, you can contact your solicitor or public trustee, who will help you write a will, which is a legal document that outlines your wishes regarding how your estate should be divided after you have passed away.

Your solicitor or public trustee will help ensure that your will is legally sound and your wishes are carried out. You can also assign an executor, who will manage the division of your estate after your passing. This includes ensuring that the will is carried out in accordance with your wishes. Find out more about what a bequest is and how it works.

8. Join us on social media

The best way you can stay connected with our sight-restoring work is by following us on our social channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linked In. You can also subscribe to our newsletter and receive email updates from us.

To help spread the message about the importance of ending avoidable blindness, share our work on your social platforms with your networks, and introduce people you know to The Fred Hollows Foundation. Encourage those in your social circles to get behind worthy causes.

You can also share this article with them, which outlines how The Foundation is recognised by The Life You Can Save as one of the most effective charities globally.

Photographer: Mary Tran

9. Take action on behalf of The Foundation

When Professor Fred Hollows was alive, he took part in activism in order to create social change. We honour Fred’s legacy through our on-going advocacy work. We advocate for change in a variety of ways, such as lobbying governments to commit budget to eye health, shifting public attitude through education, and working to amend policies and laws to help end avoidable blindness.

SEE WHY WE ARE TRYING TO GET FRED ON THE GOOGLE HOMEPAGE

Follow us on social media to keep updated on current advocacy campaigns. You can also sign our petition to Close the Gap or pledge to stand as an ally to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

10. Share your time and skills

Giving a gift doesn’t only refer to giving money, it also means sharing your time and skills as a volunteer. Volunteers play a big role in helping not-for-profits reach their goals and are invaluable to Australia’s charity sector.

DISCOVER WHY WE LOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS

Volunteering is a great way to support worthy causes close to your heart and making an impact in the life of someone who is at risk of avoidable blindness. Find out more about volunteering for The Fred Hollows Foundation.

Learn more

Read more about our sight-restoring work, Professor Fred Hollows’ legacy, and charitable giving:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Latika Mani - The Fred Hollows Foundation

Latika is a digital content writer for The Fred Hollows Foundation with over 15 years of professional writing and message amplification experience. Latika shares Fred’s view that “having a care and concern for others is the highest of human qualities” – and is committed to sharing ideas and information that connects readers with their social conscience.

10 ways to give meaningful gifts:Support The Fred Hollows Foundation