SUMMARY/ABSTRACTWhile many studies address corporate philanthropy and corporate community involvement, limited work has been conducted internationally in small to medium businesses and even less has been elucidated about the Australian small business landscape. This article reports findings from qualitative research investigating giving to community causes by 52 small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) across Australia. Three key questions addressed in this article are: (1) why SMEs engage with community (2) how they engage with community and (3) obstacles they perceive in giving. Our findings suggest that SMEs have a preference to avoid cash gifts, prefer to support local causes and would benefit from the development of best practice giving guidelines and templates.

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Much is known about motivations for giving to charities generally. However, much less has been identified about bequestors as a unique type of charitable donor. This paper explores the motives and barriers for charitable bequest giving. Hypotheses are drawn from the general philanthropic literature and tested using survey data from Australia, a nation distinguished by very high lifetime (inter vivos) giving but low estate (post mortem) giving. The results show that belief in the efficacy of charitable organizations is requisite for leaving a bequest, as the deceased donor has no control over the enactment of the gift. This effect is mediated by the perceived difficulty of making a charitable bequest, which forms an important barrier for leaving such a legacy. Having family whose financial needs are perceived as not taken care of and the perception of financial inability to make a difference also form barriers for bequest giving. The results confirm that bequests constitute a distinctive charitable behaviour, with unique motives and barriers compared to other types of inter vivos giving. While charitable behaviour in general is driven by altruistic attitudes and political and religious values, as well as social reputation, these factors do not affect charitable bequest making as expected. Surprisingly, we find a negative relationship between financial resources and the inclination to leave a charitable bequest. The article ends with suggestions for ways charities might connect more meaningfully with their bequestors or with donors who might consider bequeathing to them.

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Bequests have played an important role in the foundation and development of many educational organizations. It is possible that as mortality rates increase, bequest income will become even more vital. In order to maximize income from this source, practitioners need to understand both who leaves bequests, and what their motivations may be for doing so. This study analyzes literature from the fi elds of marketing, sociology, economics, and sociology to provide an insight into both who gives and why. The fi ndings show that individuals from across the donor base may be receptive to a bequest appeal, and that there appear to be both altruistic and egoistic motivations driving the bequest giving decision. The study concludes with suggestions as to how these fi ndings may be incorporated into practitioners ' bequest fundraising. Wendy Scaifeis a senior research fellow in the Centre of Philanthropy and Nonprofi t Studies at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, and researches and teaches in nonprofi t management and marketing, fundraising, and corporate community involvement. Wendy was part of the team on the Giving Australia research study and has completed best practice fundraising studies in arts, sport, and medical research. Current research projects include work in local government and philanthropy as well as reviewing fundraising training in Australia.