FAQs

Giving Tree is The Smith Family's Christmas fundraising campaign, where every donation helps create better futures for children and young people experiencing disadvantage through the power of education. 

By creating and sharing your own online Giving Tree, you can raise vital funds that support educational programs that help young Australians stay engaged in their learning and reach their full potential. 

You can participate as an individual fundraiser, create a team with friends, family or colleagues, or join an existing team to work together towards a shared fundraising goal. As your fundraising grows, your Giving Tree becomes decorated with special baubles, celebrating the impact you and your supporters are making throughout the festive season. 

Giving Tree is designed to be simple, meaningful and easy to fit into the busy Christmas period. Whether you're aiming to raise a little or a lot, every donation helps make a lasting difference in the lives of children and young people who need it most. 

Giving Tree is live and runs through the Christmas giving season! 

The campaign gives fundraisers plenty of time to create their Giving Tree, share it with their networks, and work towards their fundraising goals before Christmas. 

Setting up your Giving Tree takes just a few minutes: 

• Sign up as an individual, or 

• Join or create a team 

• Adding a profile photo 

• Updating the pre-populated fundraising story with your own message 

Once created, you can return at any time to edit your page, update your story, and track your fundraising progress.  

If you need additional support, refer to our Giving Tree Setup Guide or contact us at community.fundraising@thesmithfamily.com.au. 

When setting up your Giving Tree, select Join or Create a Team. 

After entering your personal details and setting up your personal fundraising page: 

1. Select Create a Team. 
2. Enter a team name. 
3. Set a team fundraising target. 
4. Choose whether you would like the team to be open for others to join. 
5. Customise your team page with a team message. 

Once your team has been created, you'll receive a unique team page that you can share with others and invite them to join.  

If a team has already been created. 

1. Select Join or Create a Team. 
2. Complete your personal fundraising page setup. 
3. Choose Join a Team. 
4. Select the team from the dropdown menu. 

Your personal fundraising page will then contribute towards both your individual target and your team's overall fundraising goal.  

After creating or joining a team, you can connect it to an organisation. 

1. During setup, select either:  
2. Create a new organisation, or 
3. Select an existing organisation from the dropdown menu. 
4. Add your organisation details. 
5. Upload your organisation's logo to help supporters easily recognise your group. 

Linking teams to organisations is a great way for workplaces, community groups and schools to unite multiple teams under a single fundraising banner and track collective impact.  

Yes. You can return to your Giving Tree page at any time to update your profile photo, edit your fundraising story or change your fundraising goal. 

We recommend personalising your page as much as possible to help encourage donations and engagement from supporters.  

Yes. You can update your fundraising target at any time by logging into your Giving Tree fundraising dashboard and editing your page settings.   

Absolutely. Giving Tree allows organisations to bring together multiple fundraising teams under a single organisational banner. 

For example, different departments, offices or employee groups can each create their own team while remaining linked to the same organisation. This allows organisations to encourage friendly competition between teams while also tracking their collective fundraising impact and working towards a shared organisation-wide goal. 

If your organisation is registering multiple teams, make sure each team has a unique name! 

Fundraising through Giving Tree is simple, after setting up your page in a few simple steps (see our easy set up guides for more information), you can:  

Personalise your page - Tell supporters why you're fundraising and why the cause matters to you. 

Set a realistic goal - A clear fundraising target helps motivate both you and your supporters. 

Make the first donation - Many fundraisers find that making a personal donation helps build momentum and demonstrates commitment to the cause. 

Share regularly - Share your page through: 

• Social media 

• Email 

• Workplace communications 

• Group chats 

• Community networks 

Celebrate milestones - As your Giving Tree grows and new baubles appear, share your progress with supporters and thank them for helping make a difference. 

Remember, you're not just asking for donations. You're helping provide opportunities for children and young people to access the support they need to succeed at school and beyond. 

Funds raised through Giving Tree help support The Smith Family's work with children and young people experiencing disadvantage. 

Your fundraising contributes to programs that help students participate fully in their education, build confidence, stay engaged in learning, and create better opportunities for their future. 

To learn more about The Smith Family's work and programs, visit The Smith Family website.

Yes! One of the unique features of Giving Tree is that every donation helps decorate your online tree with festive baubles, creating a visual representation of your fundraising impact. 

You'll also unlock fundraising achievements and digital badges as you reach key milestones throughout your Giving Tree journey. These celebrations help recognise your contribution and provide exciting moments to share with supporters. 

Your Giving Tree dashboard allows you to: 

• Track donations in real time 

• Monitor progress against your personal goal 

• View team fundraising totals 

• See the tangible impact your fundraising is having 

• Unlock fundraising achievements and badges 

Your supporters can also see your progress and celebrate milestones with you along the way.  

Organisations can track their collective fundraising progress through their organisation page, which combines fundraising totals from all linked teams and participants. 

This provides a snapshot of: 

• Total funds raised across the organisation 

• Team rankings and performance 

• Number of participants involved 

• Progress towards the organisation's fundraising goal 

Organisation leaders can use this information to celebrate milestones, recognise high-performing teams and keep participants motivated throughout the campaign. It's a great way to showcase the impact your workplace or community group is making together during the Christmas season. 

Yes. Donations of $2 or more made directly through the Giving Tree platform are tax-deductible in Australia, and donors will automatically receive a receipt via email. 

Once your page is live, you can easily share it using the built-in social sharing tools. 

Share your Giving Tree through: 

• Facebook 

• LinkedIn 

• Instagram 

• Email 

• Workplace newsletters 

• Team communications 

The more people who see your Giving Tree, the greater your opportunity to make an impact.  

Yes. Supporters can leave a message of encouragement when making a donation to your Giving Tree. 

These messages appear on your fundraising page and are a wonderful way to celebrate donations, thank supporters and share in the spirit of giving throughout the campaign. We encourage fundraisers to regularly check their page and acknowledge the generosity of those who have supported them. 

Absolutely. Giving Tree is designed for both individual and team fundraising. 

Whether you're fundraising with family, friends, colleagues, sporting clubs, community groups or workplaces, creating or joining a team is a great way to combine efforts and work towards a shared goal.  

The most effective fundraising stories are personal, authentic and explain why the cause matters to you. 

Consider including: 

• Why you've chosen to support The Smith Family this Christmas. 

• Why education is important to you. 

• The impact donations can have on children and young people experiencing disadvantage. 

• Your personal fundraising goal and what you're hoping to achieve. 

• A heartfelt thank you to anyone considering making a donation. 

That's okay! Your fundraising goal is there to motivate and guide your efforts, but every donation received still makes a meaningful difference. 

No matter how much you raise, your support helps create opportunities for children and young people experiencing disadvantage. 

If you have questions or need assistance with your Giving Tree, our team is here to help. 

Contact us on: givingtree@thesmithfamily.com.au 

We can assist with: 

• Account setup 

• Team creation 

• Organisation setup 

• Fundraising tips 

• Technical support 

• Donation enquiries 

Yes! Once you create your Giving Tree fundraising page, you'll receive a welcome pack filled with resources to help set you up for success. 

Your welcome pack includes: 

• A campaign communications timeline, so you know when to expect updates and helpful tips from The Smith Family. 

• Ready-to-use social media assets to make sharing your fundraising page quick and easy. 

• Impact stories and case studies showcasing how The Smith Family supports children and young people experiencing disadvantage. 

• Information about The Smith Family's programs and how the funds you raise will help create brighter futures through education. 

• Fundraising tips, inspiration and resources to help you engage your networks and reach your goal. 

Most importantly, you'll have the support of The Smith Family team throughout the campaign. From fundraising advice to campaign updates, we'll be with you every step of the way, so you don't have to do it alone.