How your money is used

As an organisation that is 100 per cent donor funded, we sincerely thank our generous supporters for their powerful commitment to our work for children around the world. 

We are honoured to receive ongoing support from those who donated either as a monthly Global Parent, as a subscriber to Paddington’s Postcards, or as a responder to an emergency appeal. We also received support from those who donated after reading our stories and from individuals who left a gift in their Will. 

No matter how you chose to have an impact for children, thank you from all of us at UNICEF Australia. 

Financial Statements

In the face of new and ongoing conflicts and natural disasters, throughout 2023, we continued to provide critical humanitarian assistance and support for long-term development projects in Australia and around the world while expanding our programs to reach more children in need.  

As a registered charity under the Australian Charities & Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), UNICEF Australia is committed to transparency and accountability. Our charity details, programs and financial reporting is publicly available on the ACNC Charity Register here: Australian Committee For UNICEF Limited | ACNC

How we spend your money

UNICEF is 100 per cent donor funded and has helped save more lives than any other children’s charity. Thanks to our supporters, we’ve been able to contribute funds to international and Australian-based programs, as well as local program support costs and community education which informs and educates Australians on children’s rights. 

Here are some of the key highlights

• In 2023 our contribution to children was $41.6 million.  
• We distributed $6.4 million in critical aid to Syria and Türkiye following the devastating earthquakes to provide children with access to safe water, hygiene kits, vaccines and psychosocial support.  
• The increased hostilities in the Gaza Strip since October 2023 have had a profound impact on children and their families. We contributed $6.4 million in 2023, providing children and families in Gaza with emergency humanitarian support. 
• We provided $5 million to support communities impacted by floods in Madagascar and Libya and to children and families affected by ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan. 
• With the support of the Australian community and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), UNICEF Australia contributed $8.7 million to Priority Programs across the East Asia and Pacific region.  

Specifically, for Australia

Consistent with our aim that all Australian children and young people have a fair chance to achieve their potential, UNICEF Australia invested $1.2 million in domestic programs and advocacy.  

UNICEF Australia is also supporting the development of the Family Friendly Workplace recognition framework, which guides employers on best practices to help employees meet their work, family, and wellbeing needs.  

Fundraising and Administration Costs

Accountability and administration expenditure is required to efficiently run UNICEF Australia. It includes items such as staff costs for finance, human resources, and administration, as well as audit fees and insurances. Accountability and administration costs as a proportion of overall expenditure, excluding non-monetary amounts funded by UNICEF grants, rose to 7 per cent following additional investments in staffing and infrastructure to support the long-term growth of the organisation.   

How do we use each dollar donated?

• 80¢
  on average, 80 cents to every dollar spent for the past three years went directly to helping children in need, including long-term programs, emergency response and community education.
• 14¢
  on average, 14 cents to every dollar spent for the past three years went to essential fundraising costs that helped us generate more impact for children.
• 6¢
  on average, 6 cents to every dollar spent for the past three years went towards our admin costs, such as keeping your personal data safe.

UNICEF

UNICEF Australia works in cooperation with UNICEF, supporting humanitarian and development programs around the world. UNICEF is a signatory to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) and publicly discloses information on programmes and operations on its Transparency Portal. The portal also has links to a growing number of corporate documents such as organisational policies, operational guides, supply and logistics, country programme documents, evaluations, audit reports, and annual programme results reports.

UNICEF Transparency Portal