As we celebrate International Day of Charity today, CEO of The Warrior Woman Foundation Jessica Brown reflects on the challenges charities face today.
International Day of Charity is a reminder of the transformative power of giving and the profound impact that charity can have. For me, it also marks a moment to reflect on why I founded the Warrior Woman Foundation. My journey began as a high school teacher in Western Sydney, where I saw firsthand the struggles faced by young women in out-of-home care. This cause became deeply personal to me after the loss of my brother, whose death was linked to the challenges faced by someone who grew up in care.
Our mission at the Warrior Woman Foundation is to provide critical support to these young women as they transition out of care. Through our Young Warrior Woman Program, we equip them with essential skills like financial literacy, mental health support, and much more. We know that without the right support, these young women face incredibly difficult paths.
However, a recent Pay What It Takes report reveals a troubling disconnect in the way charities are funded. The report found that 94% of fundraisers believe there is a fundamental problem with how Not-For-Profits represent or are funded for their overhead costs. Moreover, 98% of first-time donors do not know how much of their donation is spent on administration, and 80% do not even look into these costs when supporting a new charity. This lack of awareness creates a significant gap in understanding the true cost of delivering impactful charitable work.
This is why, at the end of August, we hosted a special screening of the documentary Uncharitable for our friends and board members. The film presents a compelling argument for rethinking how we view charity funding. It sheds light on how the pressure to minimise overhead costs often forces charities to operate with inadequate resources, ultimately hindering their ability to address the social issues they aim to solve effectively.
At the Warrior Woman Foundation, we are committed to transparency in how we use our resources and to ensuring we have what we need to truly support our young women. Stories like Kaylah’s, a young woman who transformed her life through our program, are powerful reminders of why we need to support charities in a way that allows them to make a real difference.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who supports our mission. If you’re inspired to get involved, there are many ways to contribute, whether as a mentor, donor, sponsor or simply by sharing our message. Every bit helps us provide the comprehensive support these young women need to thrive.
As we honour this International Day of Charity, let’s think about how we can all contribute to making charitable work more effective. It’s about more than just giving; it’s about fostering meaningful, lasting change. Let’s support charities in ways that allow them to truly thrive and make a powerful impact.
To learn more about how you can help, visit our website at www.warriorwoman.org.au Together, we can create a brighter future for all.
More about Jessica Brown
Jessica Brown is the Founder of The Warrior Woman Foundation, winner of the 2022 Snow Entrepreneurs Fellowship and former NSW Woman of the Year Winner. As a former high school teacher working in Southwestern Sydney for over a decade, Jessica’s passion has always been assisting the students at risk of falling through the cracks of the education and welfare systems.Â
The Warrior Woman Foundation is Jessica’s second social empire after founding the Life-Changing Experiences Foundation in 2003 and its multi-award winning SISTER2sister program, which she led as CEO for 17 years. The Warrior Woman Foundation is a national holistic support model assisting under-represented, vulnerable young Australian women to become resilient, independent, and capable of taking their place in the world.
