How to donate and help towards the Australian Fires from America

The fires in Australia are devastating. There's really no other way to put it and there's no way that I can really encompass all of the loss and grief that they have caused in a sentence on a website. What we can do though is help, and here are the best ways you can from afar.

Unless you're a boots-on-the-ground supporter or firefighter, there's really very little we can do to make a difference, but the cost of the fires is already astronomical and as the scale of its impact rises, that cost is going to rise.

Communities have been destroyed, and people's lives have been forever affected, so getting them back on their feet is the only way that we can move forward.

I've tried to bring together all of the information I've found online into one location so that those who ask you from the U.S. “what can I do?” has an answer.

An important note to those of you who may want to start fundraisers: Raffles in many states around the U.S., if not run by a registered not for profit charity can be illegal. Be sure to look into local laws.

Online Donations to Australian Bushfires

If you want to make a cash donation, these are the best and most effective routes. I have decided not to link to GoFundMes because I can't guarantee their sincerity about what they're doing and where the money goes. There are also fees related to GoFundMes that I would prefer to avoid if we can.

American Australian Associations' Australian Bushfire Relief Fund

The American Australian Association has established the Australian Bushfire Relief Fund that will enable tax-deductible donations from the United States to be directed to the Australian Red Cross’ Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund. As a registered charity in the U.S., this will allow U.S. based people and businesses to make a tax-deductible donation. Donate here!

Alternatively, Google offers donations. If you go to Google and search for: “Donate to Australia bushfire” you will see an entry at the top that says “Donate” and according to their terms, this is a tax-deductible donation with 100% going to charities on the ground via the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.

Australian Charities & Organizations

Donations directly to those fighting the fire and supporting those impacted are fantastic. Please note though that these donations are going to be taken in Australian Dollars.

To donate to the South Australian Country Fire Service, click here
Help the Country Fire Association of Victoria by clicking here
To help the NSW Rural Fire Service, you can donate by clicking here
To support disaster relief and recovery through the Red Cross, click here.
Donate to the Food Bank to help provide food to those in need by clicking here.
The Salvos assist with medium and long-term disaster relief for families and communities, support the Salvos clicking here.
To help WIRES (Australian Wildlife Rescue Organization) with evacuating wildlife, donate to WIRES here.
If you want to give items that are in need of those in affected areas you can use GIVIT and actually select individual items (or make donations towards those items).
Help support the Adelaide Koala & Wildlife Hospital
Send a donation to Fauna Rescue of South Australia
Rescue a koala by donating to Adelaide Koala Rescue
Extend the network by donating to Native Animal Network of South Australia
Help with the campaign at Zoos Victoria
Dig deep and help Wildlife Victoria

Physical Events in New York supporting Australian Bushfires

Community is important and therefore getting out and supporting the local community events is a great way to raise some money to send back to Australia. Many businesses across the U.S. (especially Australian owned or influenced ones) are doing great things to help.

Two Hands Cafe (Friday, January 10 from 5pm til Late)
- A fundraiser at their Tribeca location
- $20 donation to enter includes food and drink
- There'll be raffles and prizes from all over NYC
- More information can be found here
Cummins&Partners (January 10 from the Crack of Dawn)
- The whole agency will be scattering around NYC and positioning stuffed koalas plush toys in locations all over New York City. Attached to the koalas will be a QR code that directs folks to a Gofundme page to spread awareness and raise money for WIRES (Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service) – the largest wildlife rescue & rehabilitation charity in Australia.
- They started an Instagram page @koalasofnyc and will be posting pics of the stuffed koalas they put up. It's pretty bare right now, but we will be posting a lot of updates once the koalas are up around the city.
New York Magpies Football Club (January 11 from 4pm)
- The team is running an event at 5th & Mad New York on Saturday, January 11 from 4pm.
- Happy hour specials and donation tins will be handed around
- All details can be found here
Bourke Street Bakery (January 11 at 7pm)
- The famous Austarlian bakery are having an evening of food, friendship, and community.
- There'll be pizza, salads, and snacks and entry is a donation ($35+ recommended)
- There will be a raffle on the night as well
- More information and links to donate are here
Wellness Rebellion (January 25 at 5:30pm)
- An Aussie owned business and our Aussie yoga teacher Kirra @wellness_rebellion is leading a Bushfire Relief Charity class the day before Australia Day
- 100% of proceeds will be donated
- Tickets are $40 and there'll be a silent auction as well.
- Book online here
Bluestone Lane
- From Wednesday 8th January to Friday 10th January all 48 locations will be donating profits from orders to the Australian Bushfire Relief – go buy a coffee!
- They are hosting Australia Day events on January 26 across the United States
- They are accepting donations in person and online through their app
For Our Firefighters (January 30 at 7pm)
- A private event raising money at Bluestone Lane
- A night of good banter and a couple of bevvys and raise some money for our firefighters who are battling a relentless disaster.
- Tickets can be found here and include “drinks and snacks”
A Fun-draiser for Australia (January 31 from 8pm)
- Party for a good cause & contribute to the rehabilitation of Australian wildlife
- DJs, cocktails, raffles, dancing, and more!
- Tickets and more information here
Australian Bushfire Fundraiser Event (February 4 at 6:30pm)
- Join the NYC and Aussie communities for a night of great cocktails and great company for a great cause, as Paradise Hospitality, Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur, and friends join forces to raise money to aid relief for the devastating Australian bushfires.
- $20 donation at the door for a complimentary cocktail!
- More information can be found here

Online Events supporting the Australian Fires

There are a number of other online events supporting the firefighters and communities affected:

Authors for Fireys – Authors For Fireys is an auction of signed books, illustrations, unique experiences, one-off opportunities and writers' services. It is taking place on Twitter from 6th Jan 2020 under the hashtags #AuthorsForFireys and #AuthorsForFiries.