Strong communities don't happen by accident
They're built by people who show up, take part and contribute. Do Good Club exists to make that easier for more people, and to help the ones who belong go on to shape the places they live.
What we believe
People benefit from being part of something bigger than themselves.
A society where everyone feels they belong to a community, and has the skills, confidence and opportunity to help shape it.
Make it easier for people to connect with, contribute to, and lead the communities that matter to them.
Belong, then contribute, then lead
Belonging is the foundation. People who feel at home in a group start to take responsibility for it. Some go further and help run it, join a board or start something new. We design every part of Do Good Club to help people take the next step when they're ready.
Find and join
Discover a group and feel welcome in it.
A surf, walking, arts, cultural or neighbourhood group that fits your life.
Take part
Show up, connect and build relationships.
Become a regular. Know people by name. Be missed when you're away.
Contribute
Take responsibility for something shared.
Welcome newcomers, coordinate an event, mentor, advocate or join the committee.
Lead and create
Shape existing institutions or establish something new.
Join a nonprofit board, lead a club, or start a community initiative.
The path is open, and every stage has value in its own right. Not everyone needs to volunteer, lead or start something new: an engaged member who turns up week after week is the backbone of any club.
Why now
The ways people connect with their communities are changing. Community ties haven't disappeared, and most Australians still take part in something. But traditional forms of affiliation are shifting, belonging has fallen, and younger adults report the weakest belonging of all.
In 2024, 49% of Australian adults said they felt isolated often or some of the time, and 41% felt left out (AIHW). Yet 81% reported a sense of belonging in their neighbourhood, so there is real strength to build on.
54% of people are involved in a social, religious, civic or political group. Participation is widespread but uneven, and the share who feel they belong to a great extent fell from 63% in 2020 to 46% in 2025 (Scanlon Institute).
Institutions that once brought people together are changing too. The share of Australians reporting no religion rose from 30.1% in 2016 to 38.9% in 2021 (ABS Census). People are finding identity and connection in new places: run clubs, supper clubs, craft nights, clean-up crews.
Sources: Scanlon Institute, Mapping Social Cohesion 2025; ABS General Social Survey 2025.
We treat these figures with care. They show a real need, but they don't prove that a directory or a course will change how people feel. That's why we measure our own results.
The words we use
- Community
- People connected by place, interest, identity, practice or shared purpose.
- Belonging
- Feeling at home in a group: known, welcome and part of what happens there.
- Contribution
- Meaningful action that strengthens a group or a shared place. It doesn't have to be unpaid labour.
- Active citizenship
- Taking part in the social, cultural and civic life of a community, well beyond voting or formal volunteering.
- Civic responsibility
- Recognising that shared places and institutions depend on people taking part. It sits underneath everything we do.
- Social capital
- The trust, relationships and reciprocity that grow from social connection, and that communities draw on in good times and hard ones.
What we do
Community discovery
A curated directory of clubs and groups, checked with their organisers, showing cost, commitment and how welcoming a first visit will be. Plus introductions, so nobody has to walk in cold.
Find a club
Ways to contribute
Where to find volunteering roles, groups that do good together, and how to join a not-for-profit board.
Contribute
Leadership pathways
A board observer pathway for emerging nonprofit directors, and practical training for people who run or want to start a group.
Lead
Stories
Profiles of local groups and everyday civic life, and plain explanations of how community organisations work.
What we hold ourselves to
- We connect people to groups that already exist and leave the running of them to their organisers.
- Every club we list has agreed to be listed, and partner groups must benefit from the people we send.
- Volunteering is one way to contribute among many. Everyday membership counts too.
- Leadership is open to anyone who wants it, and expected of no one.
- We celebrate taking part without moralising, and we don't make duty the headline.
- We design for people with limited money, time, transport or confidence, and for cultural safety.
- We work alongside specialist community organisations and refer people to them.
- We measure depth as well as reach. A click is a start; belonging takes months.
How we'll know it's working
If people can more easily discover welcoming groups and find practical ways to contribute and lead, and those groups have the capacity to receive them, then more people will take part, build relationships and help shape community life. Over time that adds up to stronger local networks, more resilient organisations and greater civic participation.
With permission, we check in with people at three and six months. We look at whether they found a group, whether they're still going, how strongly they feel they belong, and whether they've taken on a role or started something. We report reach and depth, and we ask the groups we work with how well our matches fit.
Find your people
Belonging starts with turning up. Find a club or group near you that meets regularly and welcomes new people.
- Choose your city and something you enjoy
- Turn up, then come back next time
- Know a group we should list? Tell us about it
