On this page you'll find frequently asked questions about BirdLife Australia including donations, membership and communication preferences.
If you’ve spotted an unfamiliar bird and would like some help identifying it, our bird finder tool can help.
Thank you for your interest! Volunteers are the lifeblood of BirdLife Australia’s conservation work, and our volunteers come from all backgrounds, ages and experiences. If you’d like to help us make a difference, we can guide you towards the right volunteering opportunity for you!
To become a volunteer, check out our volunteer listing page.
Yes, BirdLife Australia is a registered charity and is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) with the Australian Taxation Office. This means we are entitled to receive donations (gifts) which are deductible from the donor’s income tax.
Yes, all donations of $2 or more are tax deductible for Australian taxpayers.
In Australia, charities must be registered with the Australian Government’s Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC). You can check BirdLife Australia’s registration here: https://www.acnc.gov.au/charity.
BirdLife Australia is also a member of the Fundraising Institute of Australia https://fia.org.au/, the national peak body for professional fundraising in Australia. We adhere to the FIA’s Code around best practice fundraising, which you can read more about here: https://fia.org.au/fiacode/.
Please be assured that our team works ethically and adheres to Australian privacy legislation and the highest levels of security possible. Any donations made via phone or post are handled and stored securely, and any online donations are encrypted from the moment you enter your credit card information.
For more information, please see our privacy policy.
Thank you so much for your support to help save threatened birds! There are a number of ways you can make a donation:
Online: please visit birdlife.org.au/donate
Over the phone: please call us on (03) 9347 0757 and then press 4 for support to speak with a friendly team member or leave a message with your details. Please note that we have a small team and may not be able to answer your call immediately, but we will respond to your phone message as soon as possible.
Via the post: We accept donations via credit/debit cards, cheques and money orders. Please contact us if you’d like a donation form and post it to:
Supporter Care BirdLife Australia Suite 2-05 60 Leicester Street Carlton VIC 3053
This is an option we’re hoping to offer our supporters in the very near future. Unfortunately, our current payment and receipting system can’t be integrated with PayPal. In the meantime, our online donation page is a secure alternative.
If you would prefer not to donate online, you are welcome to call us to donate over the phone, or you may prefer to send us a cheque or money order in the post.
We encourage you to use one of the other donation methods listed above (online, by phone or by post) where possible, but if none of those options suits you, we can accept donations by direct bank transfer. Please email us at donations@birdlife.org.au or phone us on (03) 9347 0757 then press 4 for support to request our bank account details and to receive instructions about how to make your donation by bank transfer. Please note that there may be delays in receipting your donation by direct bank transfer.
Yes, you will receive a receipt for your donation, and all donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible in Australia. If you donated online, your receipt will be automatically emailed to you immediately, to the email address you provided with your donation. If you have sent a donation to us via the post, we will send your receipt via post or email as soon as your donation has been processed, according to your indicated preference.
If you donate monthly or annually, your donation will be receipted after the end of each financial year. We will send your consolidated annual receipt by email or post as soon as possible after 30 June. If you haven’t received your receipt by the end of July and need a copy urgently to complete your tax return, please email us at donations@birdlife.org.au or phone us on (03) 9347 0757 then press 4 for support.
If you have lost your donation receipt or require another copy, please contact the team at support@birdlife.org.au and we will send you a copy as soon as possible (please check the ‘spam’ or ‘junk’ folder of your email first, especially if your donation was made online, in case your e-receipt has been moved there automatically by mistake!).
Thank you for your interest in supporting our work to save threatened birds with a generous regular donation!
For as little as $10 a month or $80 a year (if you prefer to give annually), you can join a special community of passionate people who want to support bird conservation, research and advocacy work to save threatened Australian birds by becoming a Wildbird Protector.
As a Wildbird Protector, you will be kept up to date about the difference you’re making – you’ll receive a complimentary online subscription to our quarterly magazine, Australian Birdlife, filled with news and features.
Your tax-deductible donation will be processed on the 20th of each month (or annually in the month of your choosing), and you will receive an annual receipt at the end of each financial year. You can alter your contribution at any time by contacting us.
To become a Wildbird Protector, simply donate online with your preferred payment details or phone us on (03) 9347 0757 then press 4 for support.
Becoming a Wildbird Protector is a great way to get involved with our organisation, learn more about our birds and the issues they face, and participate in the activities and events we run.
Our members are vitally important in shaping the future of BirdLife Australia and contribute to bird and habitat conservation.
For $79 a year, you can: stay up to date about our breaking news, special features and opportunities; receive Australian Birdlife, our quarterly magazine (see below); access online scientific journals for free; enter our annual Student Awards; and have your say by voting at our AGM, standing for election as a BirdLife Director or a committee member of your local BirdLife branch.
Membership to BirdLife Australia includes print subscription to our quarterly, award-winning, supporter magazine, Australian Birdlife. To become a member, simply join online here, or call our membership team on (03) 9347 0757 then press 4 for support.
Becoming a member is a great way to get involved with our organisation, learn more about our birds and the issues they face, and participate in the activities and events we run. Please see here for more information.
If you would like to update your payment details or make any changes to your regular donation or BirdLife membership, please give us a call on (03) 9347 0757 then press 4 for support to speak with a team member.
Unfortunately, you cannot currently update your payment details online
We understand you might have concerns about privacy and the mandatory fields on the online donation form. Please be assured that we do not share, swap or sell your personal details, or undertake telemarketing – we only ask for contact details so that we can process your donation, send you a receipt, and get in touch with you if it’s necessary to follow up with you about your donation (for example, if a receipt is returned to us).
Thanks to the generous support of people just like you, BirdLife Australia is a leader in science-based conservation and has been successfully protecting Australia’s native birds for over 110 years.
As a charity, we rely on the continued support of generous individuals to undertake vital conservation work to drive the recovery of Australia’s birds and restore their habitats.
Donations made to BirdLife Australia fund the conservation of threatened birds across Australia, supporting the birds which need it the most through:
There are many ways we work to save Australia’s threatened native birds. Your generous support will go to where it is needed most.
The majority of your donation will go directly to our on-ground conservation programs that are saving Australia’s birds. The rest is used carefully to support our science and advocacy work to understand the threats impacting our native birds and do what’s needed to protect them and their habitats. A small portion also goes towards the necessary administration costs needed to continue our vital work stopping extinctions. You can see the breakdown of funds below.
Conservation work to save birds requires significant financial resources. You may be interested to know that as a charity, our appeal letters are one of the most effective ways to raise funds to save threatened birds – even more so than emails. The reality is that if we did not raise funds, we would not be able to undertake nearly as much conservation work as we can achieve with the generous donations of our passionate supporters.
We receive a ‘charity mailing rate’ for our postage, which helps minimise costs. Every dollar we spend on our mailings results in several dollars coming back, and we achieve a stronger return than the benchmark for the charity sector. We watch this very closely, and we’ve been able to keep our expenses low in comparison to the generous donations we receive through our appeals. These appeals enable us to sustainably continue our vital conservation work to save threatened birds today and into the future. If the paper-based appeals were not an effective investment and didn’t help us raise much-needed funds, we would discontinue using this method of fundraising.
We also use 100% recycled paper in our letters, and each one includes an easy ‘opt-out’ tickbox on the accompanying coupon so that we can update our supporters’ communication preferences as requested. Otherwise, we encourage you to get in touch with us at any time via email, phone or post to update your communication preferences.
Your request will be actioned as soon as possible once we receive your request.
Please note that we are experiencing considerable delays with Australia Post, so if you sent your communication preferences update via mail, you may receive another letter before we can take you off our list, due to the unavoidable time overlap. For changes to your email preferences, please note that it may take up a few days for your updates to be processed and come into effect in our system. Thank you for your understanding.
If you are concerned that you are still receiving communications by mail or email long after your request has been made, please contact us by phone or email to support@birdlife.org.au so we can work with you to confirm that we received your request, understand what you may still be receiving and ensure we can update your preferences according to your wishes.
Please be assured that we do not share, swap or sell your personal details, nor do we currently undertake any form of telemarketing. We treat your information with the highest level of care and keep it private and secure.
Thank you for your wonderful support of our threatened birds, and your interest in our critical work to save them.
If your question isn’t covered here, please contact us via phone, email or post, and we will be happy to assist.
Phone: (03) 9347 0757 then press 4 for support.
If you are calling from outside Australia, please call 613 9347 0757
Email:
For general fundraising enquiries, donation payment or receipt enquiries (including regular donation enquiries), or to update your communication preferences: support@birdlife.org.au
For BirdLife Australia membership or renewal enquiries: support@birdlife.org.au
Mail:
BirdLife Australia Suite 2-05 60 Leicester Street Carlton VIC 3053 Australia
Please note following a review of BirdLife Australia’s membership categories, we are simplifying the number of Membership categories, Special Interest Group (SIG) subscription categories and publication subscriptions.
We are simplifying options for renewing and new members, to keep membership fees reasonably priced, while simplifying ‘back office’ membership administration and reducing our impact on the environment by introducing ‘digital first’ categories. Changes reviewed and agreed with BirdLife’s Board have ensured that we keep full membership fees at current levels for the 2022/23 financial year, taking into consideration affordability and our new database system capability.
And with recent upgrades to our database systems, renewing your membership, making donations, and keeping your contact details up to date will be much simpler.
As a general member, student member, concession member or SIG member, you will be able to renew your membership into a membership category that is the same or similar to the one you hold now. You will receive information that is specific to your situation when your next membership renewal is due.
If you have previously held a Family or Family Concession membership you will be able to renew as a full member plus concession member. This will enable both family members to continue to hold voting and office bearer rights.
You will receive information that is specific to your situation when your next membership renewal is due.
Full membership Format: Print or Digital: $79 Concession membership (Digital magazine only. Must have valid concession or student card): $35 BirdLife Photography: $15 BirdLife Australasian Raptor Group: $35 Australasian Seabird Group: $22 Australasian Wader Studies Group: $40
Yes, these are the benefits you will still be able to access:
When your membership is due for renewal, you will be notified by email (or if we don’t have an email address for you, we will notify you by post). It will include instructions about what you need to do. If you would like some assistance, please contact our Supporter Care team on (03) 9347 0757 then press 4 for or email support@birdlife.org.au.
The main office bearer roles of Convenor, Treasurer and Secretary.
If you have previously held a family membership, then here are your options:
Take out a membership in your name only (one vote per membership package). If another member of your previous family membership package would like to continue to have a membership, receive a separate magazine, stand for office bearer or directors’ positions, and/or vote at AGMs, they will need to take out a membership in their own name (each membership = one vote).
If both people in the family wish to remain members but are content with receiving a single printed copy of each edition of the magazine, BirdLife Australia recommends that one family member purchases a full member – print, and the other purchases a concession member – digital (note that a concession membership is available to those previously on a family membership, even if they are not currently a concession card holder).
However, you are also welcome to purchase the one membership with the intention to share the printed magazine with your family, keeping in mind that only one person can be nominated to hold each membership.
Yes. Taylor and Francis will be directly managing Emu Austral Journal subscriptions for our current members. Taylor and Francis will be in contact with you to provide instructions on how to manage your current subscriptions. For new subscriptions please visit our website.
Yes. BirdLife International will be directly managing BirdLife International magazine subscriptions. Please contact BirdLife International directly at membership@birdlife.org. Or you can request a paper renewal form from our Supporter Care team at support@birdlife.org.au.
We can change and renew your membership into any of the new categories.
If you want to renew as a concession member and you haven’t had a concession membership previously, you will need to inform us of the concession card type you hold.
If you want to actively fund and support the work of saving threatened birds, it’s best to become a Wildbird Protector. If you want to retain voting rights, receive Australian Birdlife magazine (digital or print) and be eligible for office bearer positions on the Board or local committees, you need to be a member. If you want to do both, you can join as a Wildbird Protector AND renew your Membership.
Wildbird Protector is BirdLife Australia’s regular giving program, providing you the opportunity to set up a monthly gift to support BirdLife’s conservation work.
Please note, your Wildbird Protector donations are tax-deductible while Membership is not.
If you have questions about the options or need help making any changes, you can contact our Supporter Care team on (03) 9347 0757 then press 4 for or email support@birdlife.org.au.
Auto payments through BirdLife Australia’s secure website are safe and secure. However, if you wish, you can make one-off donations at times that suit you.
We will honour any communications instructions you have already registered with us. If you wish to change your communications preferences at any time, please contact the Supporter Care team on (03) 9347 0757 then press 4 for or email support@birdlife.org.au.
Your new supporter ID will help us identify you and your membership if/when you contact us.
Autorenewal memberships are set for a 12-month cycle. When you choose to set up your memberships ‘Annually’ using your credit card or bank details, we will automatically deduct your account once every year when your membership is due. We will notify you via email before we process your membership every year.
With an autorenewal membership you won’t need to remember to renew your membership each year – we will be able to automatically renew your Special Interest Group membership(s) and your BirdLife membership in separate transactions. And if at any time you wish to cease your annual membership or revert to manually renewing memberships all you need to do is contact Supporter Care on (03) 9347 0757 then press 4 for or email support@birdlife.org.au.
BirdLife Australia is committed to going ‘digital first’, to reduce our impact on the environment and to help keep administrative costs reasonable.
By including the digital version of Australian Birdlife magazine in the concession package we have been able to keep the membership fee much lower and therefore much more accessible for people who find it difficult to maintain a full membership. Note: we have effectively combined the student membership and concession membership – the student membership has for some years now included the digital version of Australian Birdlife magazine.
To receive Australian Birdlife magazine, you will need to renew as a full member – print.
To receive magazine hard copy you will need to sign up for a full membership.
We have simplified the types of membership categories available to help efficiently manage memberships and better serve you. As a result, concession membership categories that include a print copy of Australian Birdlife are no longer available.
If you previously held a concession membership and still wish to receive a print + post magazine, it’s only an additional $19 (previously the concession fees were $60).
We may request as evidence a photocopy or scan of your concession card (pensioner, healthcare or equivalent) or student card.
We apologise for the delay in dispatching the print version of our quarterly magazine, this was due to changes in our database system. We are currently working towards getting them out to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can access the digital version of the magazine through the August members e-news you have received.
Unfortunately, international mailing costs make it prohibitive to send print copies overseas.
If you have any questions that are not answered above, please contact the Supporter Care Team on (03) 9347 0757 then press 4 for or email support@birdlife.org.au.
