How is my donation used?

Donations fund licensed advocacy hours. AUD 19.25 per week (one hour of licensed advocacy at case-officer rate) supports one household for a year.

Who provides the debt-hardship negotiation?

LWD funds a separately-licensed advocate (Australian Credit Licence 387398). LWD itself does not provide credit advice, the structural boundary is required under ASIC Regulatory Guide 96.

Before we can accept a gift

We are not taking donations yet. We would like to tell you the day we can.

Q: Is my donation tax-deductible?

LWD is applying for Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) endorsement. Tax-deductibility is not yet in place. We will update this page and email donors once endorsement lands.

Life Without Debt is a charity being established. Until the company is registered with ASIC, registered as a charity with the ACNC, endorsed by the ATO as a Deductible Gift Recipient, and licensed to fundraise in your state, we cannot lawfully ask you for money and we will not.

What we can do is take your name. When every registration is issued, you will be the first to hear, with the registration numbers in the email so you can check them yourself on the ACNC register.

[ACNC registration pending] [DGR endorsement pending] [ASIC registration pending]

Tell me when I can give

One email when the registrations are issued. Nothing else, and no amount is asked for now.

First name

Email *

Email me once when Life Without Debt can lawfully accept gifts. You can unsubscribe with one click.

No payment is taken on this page. No card details are requested. Your email is held by Life Without Debt's founders for this one purpose.

Where Your Money Goes

What a gift will fund, once we can take one.

These are the budgeted costs of the service, from the Year 1 operating model. They are plans, not results. No case has yet been funded by Life Without Debt.

$19.25/wk

The $19.25 Promise

$19.25 a week (about $1,001 a year) is budgeted to fund one hour of licensed advocacy each week for a household in crisis.

$100

A Full Mediation Session

Funds a complete initial session: case review, creditor correspondence drafted, hardship application commenced on behalf of a household in crisis.

A Year

$19.25 a Week for 12 Months

One year of weekly giving is budgeted to fund 52 hours of licensed expert negotiation for a family living with serious illness.

$5K

One Week of Case Operations

Covers one week of our full intake and coordination function: every referral assessed, every household responded to, every hardship application progressed during that week.

A Story of What's Possible

She spent the time she had left free. Because of donors like you.

One of our founder's cases, a woman in her early fifties with a terminal diagnosis (composite, name changed), came to us with an $84,000 ATO debt that had been hanging over her family for years. She was living with a very short prognosis and was spending that precious time in fear.

"I can't stop thinking about what happens to my kids when I'm gone. The tax debt, the creditors, I can't leave them with all that."
Composite beneficiary, South Australia (name withheld)

Our licensed practitioners at Credit Mediation Services Pty Ltd (ACL 387398) worked on her behalf and reached a resolution. No charge to her. No charge to her family. The work was funded by people who had donated to make exactly this kind of outcome possible. Outcomes depend on individual circumstance and are not guaranteed.

She spent the time she had left with her children. Not on the phone to creditors. Not lying awake afraid. Present.

Know someone who needs this?

Ways to Give

Choose the giving style that works for you.

Whether you give once, give regularly, or give as a business; every path leads to the same place: a vulnerable Australian who gets help they couldn't otherwise access.

Once-Off Gift

A single donation, any amount, any time. Every dollar funds direct household services. Great if you want to give in response to a specific need or event, or in memory of someone.

Donate Now

$19.25/Week Regular Giving

Our anchor giving level, once giving opens: $19.25 per week is budgeted to fund one hour of licensed expert negotiation. Cancel any time, no questions asked.

Start $19.25/Week

Corporate Partnership

Your customers, staff, and stakeholders are touched by terminal illness too. A corporate partnership with Life Without Debt includes named recognition, quarterly case impact reports, co-branded campaign opportunities, and a direct line to the work your support funds. This is not a logo on a website. It is a genuine partnership with measurable outcomes.

Talk to Us About Partnering

The Transparency Pledge

What we promise every donor, in writing.

Written into the constitution and the Board policies that will be adopted at the first Directors' meeting. Reported against publicly every year from the first audited year.

Target

Direct service ratio, published yearly

The Board will set a direct-service ratio target before the first appeal and report the audited figure every year. No ratio is claimed until the first audited year is complete.

Cap

Salary Cap

Remuneration of any Director or executive must be reasonable and market-benchmarked, approved by the non-conflicted Directors under the Related-Party Transactions Policy, and reported to the ACNC (Constitution clauses 7, 8 and 23).

Zero

Vanity Policy

No conferences, awards nights, branded merchandise, or promotional spend is charged against charitable funds. Your money is for cases. Period.

Annual

Audited Impact Report

Published every year from the first full financial year. Cases resolved, debt figures, stress outcomes, direct service ratio, independently reviewed. If we miss a target, we explain exactly why and what changes.

Life Without Debt is built to outlive its founders, constitutionally governed as a Company Limited by Guarantee, with a Board succession plan and a service model documented to operate independently of any individual practitioner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you should know before you give.

Is my donation tax-deductible?

Life Without Debt is applying for Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) endorsement with the ATO. DGR is not yet in place. Until endorsement lands, donations are not tax-deductible. You will still receive a receipt for your records; a compliant tax receipt will be issued once DGR is granted. This page will be updated the day endorsement takes effect.

How much of my donation reaches households?

87 cents of every donated dollar goes directly to household services: licensed advocates, case coordinators, and hardship representation. This ratio is structurally enforced (not just aspirational) because Credit Mediation Services Pty Ltd absorbs all infrastructure overhead. We publicly report this ratio in our Annual Impact Report, independently verified. If it ever falls below 85%, the Board must report the cause and remediation plan publicly.

Can I cancel a monthly donation?

Absolutely. Monthly giving can be paused or cancelled at any time with no fees, no lock-in, and no questions asked. Simply email us at [email protected] and we will process your request immediately.

Will I receive updates on how my donation is used?

Yes; if you opt in during the donation process, we send quarterly updates sharing impact stories (anonymised), financial transparency reports, and information about our work. We never spam and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Can I donate in memory or in honour of someone?

Yes, and we find these gifts particularly meaningful. If you are making a tribute donation, please note it in the donation process or email us after donating at [email protected]. We will acknowledge the tribute in our communications (with your permission).

I want to give more than the options listed. What do I do?

Wonderful. Use the "Other amount" field in the donation form to enter any amount, or contact us directly at [email protected] to discuss major gifts, foundation grants, or bequests. We would love to speak with you.