For professional advisers, conversations about wealth and financial planning present an opportunity to look beyond the traditional measures of financial success and explore what clients want their wealth to achieve.
When clients think about their wealth, they don’t always think first about numbers. They might instead be thinking about what they’ve worked for, what they want for their family, the causes they care about and what they want to leave behind.
Philanthropic giving is increasingly relevant to these conversations, and while many clients may not know what options are available, how structured giving works or where to begin, many professional advisers may also not feel confident introducing the topic or understanding the depth of benefits and local pathways available.
What that amounts to is a potential gap, and an opportunity worth exploring for professional advisors - particularly lawyers, accountants, and financial planners - to have more values-based conversations that build stronger relationships with the client.
Understanding the role of structured giving
Philanthropy can take many forms. For some people, it might mean making a direct donation to an organisation or cause they care about. For others, it may involve a more considered approach to giving, with structures that allow them to plan, manage and direct their philanthropy over time.
Structured giving provides individuals and families with different ways to organise their giving, depending on their financial circumstances, intentions and the impact they hope to achieve. Structures such as Private Ancillary Funds (PAFs), Public Ancillary Funds (PuAFs) and Sub Funds each offer different approaches, allowing people to establish a framework for their giving and support charitable causes in a way that aligns with their broader financial and personal goals.
For clients with significant wealth, business interests or complex family arrangements, these structures can become an important consideration when looking at the bigger picture of their financial affairs. They can provide a way to incorporate philanthropy into longer-term wealth planning, rather than treating charitable giving as an occasional or separate activity.
For professional advisers, understanding structured giving adds another dimension to conversations about financial planning, accounting, estate planning and wealth transfer. It creates opportunities to explore questions that might otherwise sit outside traditional advice:
What causes, organisations or community priorities matter most to the client?
Do they want their giving to be an ongoing commitment or something connected to a particular stage of life?
Are there opportunities to involve family members or the next generation in decisions about giving?
How might philanthropy fit alongside business succession, retirement or estate planning?
What structures or specialist expertise might be relevant to help bring their intentions to life?
These conversations can be particularly relevant during significant life and financial transitions. Family succession, business sales, retirement, inheritance and estate planning can all prompt people to think differently about their wealth, their values and the legacy they want to leave.
For advisers, recognising these moments creates opportunities to understand clients more deeply, strengthen professional relationships and provide advice that is better aligned with what matters to them.
It also means knowing where the boundaries of your own expertise sit. Advisers don't need to become philanthropy specialists, but having a working understanding of the giving landscape, the structures available and the right pathways to further advice can make a real difference.
Ultimately, structured giving is not simply about how money is donated. It's about helping people think more intentionally about what they want their wealth to achieve, and how they can translate those intentions into meaningful, lasting contributions.
The broader impact of philanthropic giving
The value of these conversations extends well beyond the client relationship.
When individuals and families are supported to make informed decisions about their philanthropic giving, there is an opportunity to connect personal wealth and values with broader community priorities. Giving can provide resources for community organisations, support local initiatives and contribute to addressing needs that might otherwise go unmet.
Across Gippsland, local philanthropy plays an important role in strengthening communities, supporting locally identified priorities and creating opportunities for long-term impact. When resources are invested locally, they can also strengthen the regional economy, support local organisations and initiatives, build local capacity and contribute to more resilient communities. The benefits can extend well beyond the initial investment, creating opportunities for communities to grow, adapt and respond to future challenges.
Professional advisers have an important part to play in this landscape. By understanding the giving options available and recognising opportunities to introduce philanthropy into client conversations, they can support clients to consider how their financial decisions might contribute to outcomes beyond their own circumstances.
This creates value on both sides: more informed and considered conversations around wealth, purpose and legacy, alongside opportunities for philanthropic resources to strengthen the communities in which clients live, work and do business.
An opportunity to build your knowledge: Philanthropy & Structured Giving CPD
To help build understanding and confidence in this area, Gippsland Community Foundation is partnering with Generous You to bring Philanthropy & Structured Giving CPD to professional advisers in Gippsland.
These complimentary, face-to-face Dine and Learn sessions are designed specifically for financial advisers, accountants and lawyers who want to better understand structured giving and how it can form part of conversations with their clients.
The practical, introductory workshop will explore:
Australia’s giving and structured giving landscape.
Why giving is becoming increasingly relevant to professional advice.
Common client motivations, triggers and barriers to giving.
Key structured giving options, including Private Ancillary Funds, Public Ancillary Funds and Sub Funds.
How structured giving can sit alongside existing financial, accounting, legal and estate planning advice.
Recognising when a giving conversation may be relevant and practical ways to introduce it.
The role of professional advisers in helping clients move from intention to action.
The facilitated sessions combine structured learning, practical examples and discussion, giving participants the opportunity to consider how these conversations might arise within their own client relationships. The emphasis is on practical understanding, giving advisers the confidence to recognise opportunities and know where to turn when clients want to explore giving further.
Professional development recognition
The workshop is accredited by the Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) for 1.5 CPD hours.
For accountants, the workshop content and learning outcomes have been mapped against relevant CPD requirements of CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ), with supporting information provided to assist participants in assessing and recording their learning.
For lawyers, the workshop has also been mapped against relevant professional development competency areas, including substantive law, professional skills, and ethics and professional responsibility.
All participants receive a Certificate of Completion and supporting workshop information.
Join us in Sale or Bairnsdale
Gippsland Community Foundation and Generous You are hosting two complimentary sessions on Tuesday 1 December 2026.
Sale | Breakfast
8.00am – 9.30am
Criterion Hotel, Sale
Bairnsdale | Lunch
12 noon – 1.30pm
Bairnsdale International Hotel
The events are philanthropically funded by The Edward Alexander Foundation through Generous You and delivered in partnership with Gippsland Community Foundation.
Places are limited, and colleagues from your practice are very welcome.
Register for your preferred session via Humanitix.
For further information, contact Gippsland Community Foundation on 0499 241 917 or email info@gippslandcf.org.au.
Gippsland Community Foundation is proud to partner with Generous You to build understanding of philanthropy and structured giving among professional advisers, strengthening the connection between local giving and community impact.