What Channel 7 Telethon Trust does

Channel 7 Telethon Trust is a Western Australian charitable trust founded in 1968 that raises funds for sick, vulnerable and disadvantaged children through an annual televised broadcast, supplementary events, and year-round giving programmes. Its flagship "product" is the 26-hour Telethon Weekend, broadcast live from RAC Arena in Perth on Channel 7, 7flix and 7plus, combining celebrity entertainment, beneficiary storytelling and live donation drives. Supporting programmes include the Leeuwin Lunch on Swan, Mega Bingo, Telethon Home prize giveaway, the Premier's Telethon Challenge (79 schools in 2026), Workplace Giving, Legacy Bequests, and a Grassrootz-powered self-serve fundraising platform. Total funds raised since inception exceed $778 million, with 2025 setting an all-time record of $90.16 million.

The Trust operates with a small staff of 1-10 employees and disburses funds through approximately 297 grants to 161 beneficiaries in 2025 (147 in 2026), drawn from WA's children's health, disability and welfare sectors. Income is entirely donation-based, sourced from individual community donors (including phone pledges during broadcast, online donations, Commonwealth Bank branch contributions and in-person events), around 147 corporate partners — including BHP, Wesfarmers, Woodside, Rio Tinto, Chevron, Crown Perth, Hancock, Mineral Resources, Alcoa, Hawaiian, Northern Star, Minderoo, McCusker Foundation, ACE Construction, Stan Perron and Warburton Giving — and government partners (Australian Federal Government and WA Government). Distribution relies on broadcast reach, an event calendar, and digital donation infrastructure rather than a proprietary technology platform.

The Trust is chaired by Richard Goyder AO with trustees including Kerry Stokes AC (Chairman of Seven West Media), Christine Simpson-Stokes, Tim Roberts and the Hon. Malcolm McCusker QC. Seven West Media is the founding broadcast partner and provides carriage on Channel 7, 7flix and 7plus at no cost. The Trust is headquartered in Osborne Park, Western Australia, and operates as a DGR-registered charitable trust rather than a commercial enterprise; there is no underlying proprietary technology stack — Telethon is fundamentally an event-driven fundraising operation that leverages broadcast media and community mobilisation.

Name

Channel 7 Telethon Trust

Legal name

Channel 7 Telethon Trust

Website

https://telethon7.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Channel 7 Telethon Trust is a Western Australian charitable trust founded in 1968 that raises funds through an annual televised broadcast and events to support sick, vulnerable and disadvantaged children via grants to 147-161 beneficiary charities each year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Fundraising for Children's Healthcare

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bingo Charitable/Nonprofit Operations (MPAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Charitable fundraising events
• Children's healthcare grants
• Televised telethon broadcast
• Community donation programs
• Corporate charity partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Osborne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Community Donations: Individual donations from the Western Australian community during Telethon Weekend and year-round giving programs, including online donations, phone pledges, and in-person contributions at bank branches.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Sponsorship and donations from corporate partners including major donors like BHP, Wesfarmers, Woodside, Crown Perth, and approximately 147 other corporate supporters. Partners receive recognition and engagement opportunities.
3. Premium Events: High-value fundraising events including the annual Leeuwin Lunch on Swan (raised $8.2 million in 2026), Telethon Ball (raised $21 million in 2025), Mega Bingo (with prize pools up to $140,000), and Telethon Golf Day.
4. Workplace Giving: Employee workplace giving programs where individuals contribute regular donations through payroll deduction, with some employers matching contributions.
5. Legacy Bequests: Planned giving through bequests in wills, allowing donors to leave lasting legacies for WA children.
6. Telethon Home Sale: Annual home construction and sale project where a house is built by Blueprint Homes on land donated by Satterley, with proceeds going to Telethon.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Channel 7 Telethon Trust is a charitable trust that raises funds for sick, vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Western Australia through an annual televised Telethon Weekend broadcast on Channel 7, supplemented by premium fundraising events (Leeuwin Lunch on Swan, Mega Bingo, Telethon Ball, Telethon Family Festival), an annual Telethon Home giveaway built by Blueprint Homes, school engagement programs, workplace giving, legacy bequests, and an online community fundraising platform. 100% of donations are distributed as grants to beneficiary children's charities.

Product overview

Channel 7 Telethon Trust operates as a charitable organization running annual fundraising programs and events for sick, vulnerable, and disadvantaged children in Western Australia. The portfolio includes the flagship Telethon Weekend (26-hour broadcast), Mega Bingo events, Leeuwin Lunch on Swan, and the Telethon Home giveaway. Supporting programs include school initiatives (Student Ambassador Program, Premier's Telethon Challenge, Curriculum Resources), giving programs (Workplace Giving, Legacy Giving), and community events (Telethon Family Festival). The organization also maintains a digital fundraising platform for community fundraisers and has partnered with Grassrootz for fundraising page management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Little Telethon Stars: Annual program selecting children who represent WA children helped by Telethon funding
• Telethon Home
• Telethon in Schools
• Leeuwin Lunch on Swan

Products and services

• Telethon Weekend Annual 26-hour televised fundraising broadcast on Channel 7, 7flix and 7plus from RAC Arena in Perth, featuring live entertainment, celebrity appearances, beneficiary stories and donation drives that raise funds for sick, vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Western Australia.
• Leeuwin Lunch on Swan High-profile annual fundraising luncheon bringing together WA business leaders and philanthropists for live auctions and pledge-based giving, generating record multi-million dollar contributions.
• Mega Bingo Large-scale live bingo event featuring substantial cash prizes, car giveaways and raffles that raise funds for Telethon beneficiaries.
• Telethon Home Annual home construction and sale/raffle project built by Blueprint Homes on land donated by Satterley, with sale proceeds donated to Telethon.
• Telethon Family Festival Free community festival held alongside Telethon Weekend at RAC Arena featuring entertainment, family-friendly activities and the Community Stage presented by Crown.
• Premier's Telethon Challenge Inter-school fundraising competition inviting Western Australian schools to collectively raise funds for Telethon, fostering student engagement and community spirit.
• Student Ambassador Program Leadership program empowering students to organise fundraising activities, promote kindness, and lead community initiatives within their schools.
• Telethon Curriculum Resources Free curriculum-aligned teaching materials for Western Australian schools covering kindness, empathy, teamwork and community contribution, aligned to Australian Curriculum Version 9.0.
• Workplace Giving Program Employer-employee workplace giving program enabling regular pre-tax salary donations to Telethon, with optional employer matching contributions.
• Legacy Giving Program Bequest and planned giving program allowing donors to leave gifts to Telethon in their wills to support future generations of WA children.
• Telethon Fundraising Platform Online fundraising portal that enables community members to create personal fundraiser pages, register events and submit collected funds to support WA children.
• Little Telethon Stars Annual ambassador program selecting children who have been helped by Telethon to serve as representatives of all WA children benefiting from Telethon support.
• Telethon Partnerships Program Corporate partnership program offering sponsorship, event support, workplace giving, matched giving, volunteering and pro-bono professional support opportunities for businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• $90.1 million raised in 2025 - a new record for Telethon
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Seven West MediacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 October 2025Seven West Media is the founding media partner of Telethon, providing broadcast coverage across Channel 7, 7flix, and 7plus streaming platform. The partnership includes coverage across 7NEWS Perth, The West Australian, PerthNow, The Nightly, and 30 regional/suburban newspapers. Seven West Media Chair Kerry Stokes AC serves as Telethon Trustee.
• Blueprint HomescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlueprint Homes is the builder partner for the annual Telethon Home project, constructing homes on land donated by Satterley for sale to raise funds for Telethon.
• SatterleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSatterley donates land for the Telethon Home project at Clementine Estate in Upper Swan. Nigel Satterley AM and Denise Satterley are Major Donors.
• ColescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColes is a Major Corporate Partner and Event Partner, sponsoring the Telethon Family Festival presented by Coles.
• WoolworthscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoolworths is a Major Corporate Partner supporting Telethon.
• RAC ArenacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAC Arena is the venue for Telethon Weekend events and the Telethon Family Festival. RAC is also a Major Corporate Partner.
• Commonwealth BankcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommonwealth Bank allows donations at any of its branches across Western Australia as a distribution channel for Telethon.
• Leeuwin EstatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeeuwin Estate has been a longtime partner hosting the annual Leeuwin Lunch on Swan. The Horgan family donated wines for the 2026 event.
• Rottnest ExpressminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRottnest Express offers the Telethon Saver Fare with proceeds going to Telethon. Ran a promotion offering a family getaway as a prize.
• AFLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFL is an Event Partner supporting Telethon. Partners like West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Football Club participate in Telethon events.
• QantascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQantas is a Major Corporate Partner supporting Telethon.
• TelstracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTelstra is a Major Corporate Partner supporting Telethon.
• BankwestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBankwest is a Major Corporate Partner supporting Telethon.
• Telethon Partnerships ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partnership program offering sponsorship, event support, workplace giving, matched giving, volunteering, and pro-bono professional support opportunities.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Red Nose (formerly SIDS and Kids): Australian charity raising funds for sudden infant death syndrome research and family support through community fundraising and corporate partnerships. Comparable charitable-trust structure, Australian donor base, and community/corporate fundraising mechanics.
• Comic Relief: UK-based charitable trust running Red Nose Day and Sport Relief televised telethons, distributing grants to disadvantaged groups including children. Highly comparable operating model — broadcast-led fundraising, corporate Million-Dollar-style partnerships, and trust-based governance.
• Starlight Children's Foundation Australia: Australian children's charity running national fundraising programs (including live appeals and corporate partnerships) to support sick children in hospitals. Comparable beneficiary mission (sick, hospitalized children), community/corporate fundraising mix, and grantmaking to hospital programs.
• Royal Children's Hospital Foundation (Melbourne): Australian peer raising funds specifically for a major children's hospital through gala events, corporate partnerships and community appeals. Comparable beneficiary mission, premium-event-led revenue model, and corporate Million-Dollar-style giving tiers.
• Variety — the Children's Charity: International children's charity operating telethon and gala-style fundraising events (including Variety Bash and Variety Gold Coast) to fund medical equipment, programs and grants for sick/disadvantaged children. Highly comparable mission, event-driven revenue model, and grantmaking to children's hospitals and charities.
• BBC Children in Need: The UK's flagship annual televised children's charity appeal, broadcast on BBC One. Closest international analogue to Channel 7 Telethon in format (annual broadcast telethon), beneficiary focus (children), and scale, with comparable corporate-partnership and community-donation fundraising.
• Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation: Peak fundraising body for Sydney children's hospitals, running corporate partnerships, premium events and community appeals. Direct Australian peer in mission (funding children's hospital equipment, research and programs), corporate-donor ecosystem, and event-led revenue model.
• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: US/Canadian nonprofit raising funds for children's hospitals through televised campaigns and corporate partnerships. Directly comparable in beneficiary focus (sick children), hospital funding model, and broad corporate-partner ecosystem similar to Telethon's BHP/Wesfarmers/Rio Tinto tier.

Broad incumbents

• Salvation Army Australia: Large established Australian charitable trust operating national fundraising appeals, corporate partnerships, and grantmaking to vulnerable populations. Comparable trust governance, broad corporate-partnership ecosystem, and donations-charitable revenue model, though broader in mission than Telethon's children-only focus.

Regional players

• Cancer Council WA: Western Australian state chapter of Australia's peak cancer nonprofit. Operates in the same WA geographic market with overlapping corporate donor pool (mining/resources sector) and event-led community fundraising. Peer in regional donor ecosystem and trust governance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/telethon7
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Telethon1968
• Facebookfacebook.com/telethon7
• Instagraminstagram.com/telethon7
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/telethon7

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Channel 7 Telethon Trust