From Just Giving Facebook updates to wearing H&M’s Conscious Collection, public displays of philanthropy have become a symbol of status. But does it really matter that these new do-gooders are motivated only by people seeing them do good if the outcome is still positive?

There's one rule that explains how trends catch on; visibility. And more than half of us are now willing to pay more for products that are visibly socially responsible. Professor Lynn Kahle, who studies brand values, explains to Canvas8 why a brand’s values matter and how they influence people.

Over the past few decades, a small group of entrepreneurs have disrupted countless industries – from media to transportation – and have become immensely rich along the way. These billionaires are now turning their hacker mentality to a new area of concern; philanthropy.

Will crowdfunding sites merge into charitable aid? How will people react to social and environmental crises? And will they continue to favour local? As part of our Expert Outlook 2016 series, we speak to three citizenship experts about the relationships people and brands have with broader society.

Volunteering is on the up. Socially conscious Millennials, greater connectivity and mutually beneficial initiatives mean more people are giving their time for free. Good For Nothing presents a savvy solution to the bureaucracy traditionally associated with the sector.

When tragedies happen on the other side of the world, it's easy for people to switch off from the reality of the situation, since it's not happening to them. And this was evident in the initial response to the Syrian refugee crisis. But an ad by Amnesty International is bringing it to life.

Everyone knows giving feels good, but new evidence suggests it also leads to a healthier life. According to a new study in the Journal of Economic Psychology, giving to charity is correlated with boosting the giver's ‘physical and emotional well being’.

Over a third of the Australian tax-paying population give money to charity every year, but a more popular way of giving has now emerged. Schools, households and community groups are selling more than 1.5 million items at hugely popular charity garage sales.