What the ACNC Charities Report 12th Edition Tells Us About the Sector
https://synergaid.com.au/blog/acnc-charities-report-12th-edition-2026-sector-insights
Published: 2026-06-30T13:20:43.666122+00:00

The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) has released the 12th edition of the Australian Charities Report , drawing on 53,641 Annual Information Statements submitted for the 2024 reporting period. It is the most comprehensive picture of the sector to date, and for humanitarian organisations planning the year ahead, it is essential reading. We have pulled out the numbers that matter most for NGOs, aid organisations and the small-to-medium charities that make up the majority of the sector. A $239 billion sector, growing faster than the economy Charities generated $239 billion in revenue, a 7.5% year-on-year increase that outpaced growth in the wider economy. Assets grew 5.7% to $517 billion. On any measure, the Australian charity sector is a major economic force. But growth in expenses was even steeper. Total sector expenses rose 8.6% to $231 billion. That gap — expenses rising faster than revenue — is the single most important trend line in this edition. Cost of living pressures on both charities and the communities they serve are showing up in the books. The workforce keeps growing, and so does the volunteer base Registered charities employed 1.6 million people, or roughly 11% of Australia's workforce, up from 10.7% in the previous report. That is a meaningful shift. Large service organisations — schools, health services, aged care providers — are now among the country's most significant employers. Volunteers rose to 3.9 million, the highest count ever reported to the ACNC and an increase of more than 172,000 since 2023. There are now 2.5 volunteers for every paid employee across the sector. Even more striking: 53% of registered charities operate with no paid staff at all. Donations held up, despite the noise Donations and bequests reached $14.8 billion. That is a decline from the $18.9 billion figure in the 2023 reporting period, but the drop is explained almost entirely by a single record $4.9 billion donation to one charity in that year. Strip that out and 2024 is one of the strongest donation years on record. Government funding remains the largest single revenue source at $118 billion (49.4%), followed by goods and services at $83 billion (34.6%). The sector is deeply unequal Extra large charities (annual revenue of $100 million or more) make up just 0.6% of the sector — but generate 57% of total sector revenue, receive 21% of donations and bequests, and hold roughly half of all sector assets. At the other end, 60% of all charities are small or extra small (under $500,000 in annual revenue). Together they generate just 1.4% of sector revenue and receive 8.6% of donations. For most Synergaid clients, this is the reality: a lean team, tight cash flow, and a disproportionate reliance on volunteer hours. Who charities serve is changing For the first time, adults aged 65 and over have entered the top three beneficiary groups, at 6.9% of programs. That aligns with ABS projections of a rapidly ageing population. Families have dropped out of the top three. This is a signal every strategic plan should factor in over the next five years. Synergaid takeaway If your organisation is small or medium-sized, the report confirms what you probably already feel: rising costs, growing demand, and a widening gap between the top of the sector and everyone else. The path forward is not necessarily more funding — it is reducing the admin burden that eats hours you do not have. Less admin. More impact. The full data is available in the Charity Data Explorer , and every past edition sits in the ACNC Charity Data Hub . Source: Australian Charities Report — 12th edition, ACNC .

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