A Sydney entrepreneur who is donating $1 million to community programs for disadvantaged women in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Cambodia has encouraged others to get involved with philanthropy.
Lawyer turned entrepreneur Deanne Weir, who today attended a Sydney luncheon celebrating influential women, said investing in women was worthwhile.
"Anyone can be a philanthropist. It’s a question of looking at your own means and seeing what you can afford to help contribute to other people."
"Investing in women has actually the best return overall of any philanthropic endeavours," she said.
"Women tend to reinvest about 90 per cent of their income into their family and community; when men will invest probably about 40 per cent."
But Deanne Weir says she wasn't always able to dig deep. She started off contributing just $10 a month as a university graduate.
She made her fortune in In 2012 when Foxtel bought rival Austar, where Deanne was a major shareholder.
She is keen to break the stereotype of philanthropists as billionaires.
"Philanthropy is not only about rich white old guys," she said.
"Anyone can be a philanthropist. It’s a question of looking at your own means and seeing what you can afford to help contribute to other people."
Philanthropy Australia’s Louise Walsh said despite the collective wealth of Australians, the population was not good at donating regularly.
"We are very good at responding to natural disasters so everyday Australians will give when they really need to," she said.
"But what we're not so good at is giving regularly."
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