SHARE:
Christmas is the season of giving. Across Australia and New Zealand, it's a time for summer celebrations, family gatherings and finding the perfect gift for someone special. But while many of us are busy ticking off our Christmas shopping lists, for some families, the festive season can bring added financial pressure and uncertainty. The good news? A little generosity can go a long way. From helping children experiencing hardship to supporting families with loved ones in hospital, there are some incredible charities making a difference across Australia and New Zealand. We've rounded up five charities worth supporting this Christmas, along with some simple ways your Shopify store can get involved and make generosity part of the shopping experience.
Why Give Back at Christmas?
Christmas is one of the busiest shopping periods of the year, but it's also an opportunity to do something meaningful. For many families, the festive season can be challenging. Everyday expenses, Christmas presents and putting food on the table can quickly add up. For businesses, giving back is an opportunity to do more than drive sales. It's a chance to support local communities, connect with customers through shared values and turn everyday purchases into positive impact. And the best part? Giving back doesn't need to be complicated. Whether it's partnering with a charity, contributing products or inviting customers to pay it forward, even small acts of generosity can make a meaningful difference.
5 Christmas Charities Making a Difference in Australia & New Zealand
Looking for a meaningful cause to support this festive season? Here are five incredible charities helping children, families and communities across Australia and New Zealand.
1. KidsCan: Helping Kiwi Kids Thrive
Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow and enjoy being a kid, regardless of their circumstances. KidsCan is a New Zealand charity working to reduce the barriers that poverty creates for children. Through practical support and access to everyday essentials, KidsCan helps tamariki participate in education and have the opportunity for a brighter future.
Why support KidsCan this Christmas?
Supporting KidsCan is a meaningful way to help Kiwi kids and invest in brighter futures that extend well beyond the festive season.
Discover KidsCan in the GoGenerosity Charity Directory
2. Starlight Children's Foundation: Bringing Joy to Sick Kids
For children facing serious illness, Christmas can look a little different.
Starlight Children's Foundation Australia works alongside healthcare professionals to bring fun, joy and laughter to children experiencing the challenges of serious illness.
Through programmes designed to create moments of happiness, Starlight helps children feel like kids, even during difficult times.
Why support Starlight this Christmas?
Christmas is about creating special moments, and supporting Starlight is a lovely way to help bring joy to children and families when they need it most.
Discover Starlight Foundation in the GoGenerosity Directory
3. Good360 Australia: Turning Everyday Products Into Positive Impact
Sometimes, making a difference starts with something as simple as providing the essentials. Good360 Australia connects businesses with surplus brand-new products to charities, disadvantaged schools and communities that need them most. By helping redistribute useful products, Good360 supports people experiencing hardship while reducing unnecessary waste. It's a great example of how everyday products can create meaningful impact.
Why support Good360 this Christmas?
With Christmas bringing increased demand for everyday essentials, Good360 helps connect generosity with practical needs, making it a meaningful cause for businesses wanting to give back.
Discover Good360 Australia in the GoGenerosity Charity Directory
4. Bellyful: Delivering Meals and Kindness to Kiwi Families
Sometimes, a home-cooked meal can make all the difference.
Bellyful is a New Zealand charity that prepares and delivers free meals to whānau with babies or young children who need a little extra support.
Through a dedicated network of volunteers, Bellyful helps take the pressure off families during challenging times, providing nourishing meals and a reminder that their community cares.
Why support Bellyful this Christmas?
Christmas can be an especially busy time for young families. Supporting Bellyful is a thoughtful way to help provide practical care, connection and a little breathing room when it's needed most.
Discover Bellyful in the GoGenerosity Charity Directory
5. Ronald McDonald House Charities: Keeping Families Together
When a child is seriously ill, being close to family matters more than ever. Ronald McDonald House Charities Australia helps families stay together and close to the medical care their children need. Through accommodation and family support programmes connected to hospitals, the charity helps ease some of the practical challenges families face while caring for a sick child.
Why support Ronald McDonald House Charities this Christmas?
For families spending the festive season navigating a child's illness, supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities is a meaningful way to help them stay close to one another during difficult times.
Discover Ronald McDonald House Charities in the GoGenerosity Charity Directory
How Can Your Shopify Store Give Back This Christmas?
You don't need a huge budget or an elaborate Christmas campaign to make a difference. Whether you're a small online retailer or an established ecommerce brand, there are plenty of simple ways to bring generosity into your business this festive season.
1. Partner With a Charity That Shares Your Values
Choosing the right charity partner is a great place to start.
Think about the causes that matter to your business, your team and your customers. Whether it's supporting children, helping families or giving back to your local community, finding a cause that aligns with your values can make your generosity more meaningful.
With GoGenerosity, businesses can connect with charity partners and make giving back part of their everyday operations.
Explore GoGenerosity's Charity Partners
2. Turn Everyday Purchases Into Positive Impact
What if your Christmas sales could help make a difference in your community? With GoGenerosity's Shopify app, you can invite customers to add a contribution at checkout, helping turn everyday purchases into meaningful support for your charity partner.
Here's how it works:
- A customer shops at your online store.
- At checkout, they're invited to add a contribution.
- Their contribution becomes a gift card that your charity partner can redeem in your store.
- Your charity partner uses that generosity to access products that support the people and communities they serve.
It's a simple way to give back, build customer loyalty and create stronger connections with shoppers. And because the generosity is redeemed through your store, your business can play a direct role in helping provide products to those who need them.
3. Create a Christmas Giving Campaign
Christmas is the perfect opportunity to bring your customers together around a meaningful cause. Whether you're launching a festive collection, promoting Christmas gifts or encouraging customers to shop with purpose, there are plenty of ways to make generosity part of your campaign.
A few Christmas giving ideas for Shopify stores:
- Highlight your charity partner: Share their story across your website, emails and social media.
- Encourage customers to pay it forward: Invite shoppers to add a contribution at checkout.
- Create a festive giving campaign: Make generosity part of your Christmas marketing and customer experience.
- Share your impact: Celebrate the contributions your business and customers have helped make.
The best Christmas giving campaigns aren't just about donations. They're about bringing people together and showing how small acts of generosity can make a difference.
4. Share the Impact of Your Generosity
Giving back is meaningful, and sharing the results can inspire even more generosity. Whether it's celebrating contributions made through your store or highlighting the work of your charity partner, showing the impact helps customers see the difference they're part of. It's also a great way to build trust, strengthen customer relationships and keep the spirit of generosity going long after Christmas.
Make Generosity Part of Your Christmas Story
Christmas is about more than what's under the tree. It's about connection, kindness and looking out for one another. For Shopify businesses across Australia and New Zealand, it's also an opportunity to turn everyday transactions into something more meaningful. With GoGenerosity, giving back can become a natural part of your business, helping you support causes you care about while building stronger connections with your customers. Whether you're helping children, supporting families or making everyday essentials more accessible, every act of generosity counts.
Christmas Charity Giving FAQs
What are the best charities to support at Christmas in Australia and New Zealand?
There are many worthwhile charities to support across Australia and New Zealand. Five to consider are KidsCan, Starlight Children's Foundation Australia, Good360 Australia, Bellyful and Ronald McDonald House Charities Australia. Each supports children, families or communities in different ways.
How can my Shopify store give back at Christmas?
Shopify businesses can support charities through product donations, charity partnerships, festive giving campaigns and customer contributions at checkout. Apps like GoGenerosity help businesses make giving back part of the shopping experience.
Can customers contribute to charity when shopping online?
Yes. With GoGenerosity, customers can add a contribution during checkout. That contribution becomes a gift card that a participating charity partner can redeem with the business.
How does GoGenerosity work for Shopify stores?
GoGenerosity is a Shopify app that helps businesses turn everyday purchases into generosity. Customers can contribute at checkout, with their contributions converted into gift cards that charity partners can redeem for products from participating stores.
Why should ecommerce businesses support charities at Christmas?
Supporting charities at Christmas gives businesses an opportunity to make a positive difference, connect with customers through shared values and support causes that matter to their communities.
How do I choose the right charity partner for my business?
Start by considering the causes that align with your brand, products and customers. Look for a charity whose work you understand and can communicate clearly, and explore how your business can provide meaningful support.
Discover more stories from GoGenerosity 💚
Customer Stories
- Harris Farm Markets: Fresh Food, Safe Nights
- Shopify Donations Helping Women in Need
- Restoring Dignity Through Shopify Donations
- Feeding Families in Need
For eCommerce Brands
- 7 B Corp Brands giving back with GoGenerosity
- Black Friday Alternatives for Shopify Brands
- Why Every Shopify Store Needs a Donation App
Giving Back in Action
Read more posts
Here’s how generous people just like you have made a difference to local people in need.
Join the GoGen Community
Get exclusive content about our latest events and initiatives....
