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Esther Abram, giving Green Manager from the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (AEGN), shares her experience of partnering with the Department of the Environment and Energy to produce the report; ‘A Decade of Donations for the Environment’.

How did you learn about the department’s interest in partnering?

A few years ago, the AEGN and some of our members were invited to participate in the departments’ co-design process. We knew from this work that the department was open to discussing partnership ideas.

Why did you decided to approach the department?

We knew that the department had data on environmental giving and we could see the value in increasing understanding of where philanthropic funds go.

How did you find the departments process for submitting a partnering proposal?

It was pretty straight forward. We had some early documentation and preliminary discussions where we all agreed we could see benefits. We were not asking for money. Each organisation was contributing their own resources to achieve a joint outcome.

The formal process involved filling in a form, which the department turned around quickly. There was regular communication between us. We needed a formal agreement to be clear about ownership and confidentially concerns, and our previous discussions made this easy to negotiate.  While we started talking early, the proposal process started in February and by May, we were working together. 

Was there anything surprising or unexpected about the process?

It was an interesting exercise in understanding the use and value of data. The department had to put in a lot of work to get the data ready for analysis. This was because the data collected had evolved and changed over the preceding 10 years.

Big data is valuable in the world today. The department was very careful of managing data confidentiality. They were very aware of the sensitivities and of protecting the data providers. This made us feel confident and willing to navigate the bigger picture data. It was great to see that by working together we improved the process for all.

What have been the benefits of partnering?

We are frequently asked about the amount of giving to the environment.  To have the clarity to answer these questions is important to those wanting to make an investment.  Having an understanding of environmental giving trends sends a powerful message that more is needed.