People with Purpose: Feminist philanthropist is changing lives

Posted on 15 Jul 2025

By Matthew Schulz, journalist, Institute of Community Directors Australia

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Julie Reilly of Australians Investing in Women

Julie Reilly OAM, the CEO of Australians Investing in Women (AIIW), has a belief in philanthropy forged by personal experience: she witnessed her Mum emerge from a violent relationship, supported by the generosity of others, and begin again. It’s that personal history that powers her desire to support other women.

People often assume philanthropists come from wealthy backgrounds, but not you.

No, absolutely not. I don’t come from a wealthy or privileged background. In fact, in many ways, my upbringing was the opposite.

When I think about philanthropy, I don’t think about grand gestures. I think about the spirit of giving, of sharing whatever you can.

I see myself as philanthropic in spirit rather than as a traditional philanthropist engaged in structured giving. My contribution beyond my own family’s household giving is as a “philanthrocrat”, providing private capital for public good.

Many philanthropists I know weren’t born into wealth either; they built success and made a conscious choice to give back.

It’s about the decision to invest in something bigger than yourself.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that people think philanthropy is just for the wealthy, or that it’s all glamorous lunches and fancy events.

Actually, it’s serious, strategic work. It’s about building relationships, changing mindsets, and ensuring that resources are directed in the most impactful ways. For us that means for women and girls.

People are also often surprised to hear that people working in philanthropy get paid. But of course, social sector employees need to make a living like the rest of society. You need people with professional skills driving the work if you want real results.

"Philanthropy, for me, is something lived every day – not something distant or elite, but a way of life grounded in everyday acts of giving and kindness."
Julie Reilly, Australians Investing in Women

Did your early life shape your world view?

Julie Reilly
Julie Reilly

I grew up in a very happy home, the youngest of four girls, but it certainly wasn’t an easy one.

My mother left a violent marriage when she had four girls under the age of five, and we grew up with her as a single parent. At the time there were very few, if any, women’s refuges and no real government support for people in our situation.

Our family had very little, with no real support other than the housing provided through the Catholic Church.

That meant we had to be incredibly resourceful. From early on, I learned that nothing is handed to you. You must work hard, adapt, and make the best of whatever situation you find yourself in.

I also became very aware of the power of other philanthropists who helped our family. Something as simple as being invited to a Lions Club or Rotary event when they gave out Christmas gifts to kids who didn’t have much was an extraordinary experience.

As a result, I have some lived experience about what it means to not have what many others take for granted, but also witnessed the power of a mum who was super-smart, super-determined, incredibly resilient and adaptable, and able to take advantage of education.

My Catholic education also had a big impact on me. It instilled values of service, community and generosity that still guide me and my two daughters today.

Philanthropy, for me, is something lived every day – not something distant or elite, but a way of life grounded in everyday acts of giving and kindness.

AIIW CEO julie Reilly
Australians Investing In Women CEO Julie Reilly talks through the findings of the State of Gender-wise Giving Survey at its Melbourne launch.

Your mum died recently, but she obviously had a big influence on your life.

My mother was an extraordinary influence in my life. She was incredibly strong, resilient and intelligent, with a deep love of learning, literature and music. Despite her humble beginnings, she embraced culture and education and approached life with optimism and determination.

One of her sayings that has stayed with me always is "Nobody is born entitled to a trouble-free life."

It’s a reminder I carry with me: that resilience, adaptability, and finding joy – even in the midst of hardship – are critical in shaping how we live.

I always think of my mother. Her strength, her refusal to give up in the face of adversity. Those lessons stay with me every single day.

We all talk about the power of education as a driver for improving social and economic wellbeing. Well, Mum and our family are an absolute case study for that.

She was given a life-changing opportunity when, in the 1970s, the Whitlam government provided free university education that saw many women enter tertiary education as mature age students. That opportunity changed not just her life – enabling her to learn a profession as a teacher – but ours too.

We are the living embodiment of what happens when housing is provided, you have access to education and employment. It just completely changed the course of our lives.

That might explain why I do what I do and why I care so passionately about gender equality.

When you see so many people who are homeless … it’s very real for me. Sometimes, when the job gets tough, and it’s difficult to see the change that I think in my heart we’re driving towards, I draw on that experience, and that very real commitment to others – like my Mum. It definitely makes you knuckle down … and just get on with it.

I’m also inspired by people like Jill Reichstein OAM, who has been tirelessly pushing for social change through philanthropy for decades, or people like Deanne Weir who have been giving to women’s empowerment from her first pay cheque, and now through strategic philanthropy.

And ultimately, it’s the families and communities who remind me why this work matters. When you see the ripple effect of supporting women, you see how much better society can be for everyone.

What are you most proud of in terms of your involvement with Australians Investing in Women (AIIW)?

I’m incredibly proud of the sustainability and impact we’ve achieved at AIIW.

It’s not about short-term wins, it’s about embedding systemic change.

One of the recent highlights for me was our partnership with Deloitte Access Economics to develop the economic case for investing in women and girls through the Breaking the Norms research report. That piece of work really cut through and shifted the conversation – it shows that investing in women isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. It also looked at root causes of entrenched inequality.

I’m also proud of the breadth of our agenda – research, education, advocacy, project portals, measurement and evaluation. We’re creating a lasting system-wide shift in the practice of giving. But there is much more we could do with more resources.

What did your time as a TV producer teach you about how change happens?

Producing television crystallised for me that real change happens through emotional connection.

Facts and figures are important, but they don’t necessarily move hearts.

It’s storytelling – real, human, emotional storytelling – that drives change.

When people can see themselves in a story, when they feel connected, that’s when you get real momentum. It’s a lesson I carry into everything I do now.

Spirit of Christmas

How did you come to be involved in creating a Christmas charity CD?

I got involved in producing the Myer Spirit of Christmas CD that raised more $8.5 million for charity – mostly for the Salvation Army for their work with youth at risk – through my husband who was the executive producer.

It was an incredible experience, combining creativity, purpose and community in a really powerful way.

But it also showed me that unless you apply a gender lens from the beginning, you can unintentionally miss opportunities to benefit women and girls. For example, “youth” often ends up meaning boys or young men, and I was keen to see girls and young women benefit too.

Now, I always advocate for bringing that gender perspective into every project, right from the start.

Example AIIW State of Gender wise Giving Survey Benchmarking Report 2024
Some of the findings from the Australians Investing In Women State of Gender-wise Giving Survey.

Some people believed that feminism had won the battle decades ago. Where do you think things went wrong?

It’s tempting to think feminism has achieved its goals, especially when you look at the legal rights and improved political representation by women we now have.

But when you look closer, you see we’re still dealing with serious structural and cultural barriers across society.

Australia has one of the most highly segregated workforces in the OECD, and the number of female CEOs in the ASX 300 remains frustratingly low.

Gender-based violence remains shockingly high, gender pay gaps persist, and stereotypes continue to influence behaviour, often without people even realizing it.

One of the biggest gaps is that we haven’t done enough to bring young men along on this journey. We need men to see that gender equality is not a women’s issue – it’s a social issue that affects everyone and has the potential to improve all lives.

How do you think Australia is performing on the global stage when it comes to gender equality?

In the latest World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index, Australia’s ranking rose 11 places to 13th out of 148 countries, our highest ranking since the index began in 2006.

While this is good news and demonstrates real progress – we did get as low as 50 in 2021 –a country like ours, should be leading, not lagging.

We have some really strong legislative frameworks and some wonderful advocates, but cultural attitudes are deeply embedded and take longer to shift.

Our geographic isolation sometimes allows more traditional views to persist longer than they should. We’ve made great strides, but there’s a lot of unfinished work.

What are the greatest frustrations you face working in this space?

There are three big frustrations I come up against all the time in this work.

First is the constant need for fundraising to sustain the organisation. Even with a strong case, securing resources remains a relentless part of the work, and I want to acknowledge and thank those in our circle who fund our work.

Second is the lack of consistent engagement from men. If we want real change, men need to be actively involved, not just supporting from the sidelines.

And third is the shortage of strong, gender-specific data in the not-for-profit sector, particularly data that reflects the experience of First Nations women.
Data makes the case unarguable, but collecting and promoting it is still much harder than it should be.

All of these challenges reinforce just how much more work there is to do.

With so much on the AIIW agenda, how do you manage to stay focused?

It’s a constant juggle – there’s no easy answer. But my belief in the mission keeps me going.

I try to be very intentional about where I put my time and energy, always asking, “Where can I have the most impact right now?”

And I draw enormous strength from the community of incredible people I get to work with – our staff and board, funders and the people leading the work on the ground. Their passion, their perseverance, it lifts me up and reminds me why this work matters. My Mum’s story is a constant reinforcement too.

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