Juliette Wright

An inspired and passionate social justice campaigner, Juliette Wright is on a mission to help alleviate the effects of poverty nation-wide. Founding an online platform in 2009 to connect those who have with those who need and championing it to become one of Australia’s leading not-for-profits, Juliette is changing the face of how society helps its most vulnerable and marginalised people.

Founder and CEO of GIVIT, Juliette created the portal to ensure quality goods get to where they are needed most by safely connecting and inspiring an online network of givers. Since establishment, more than 100,000 urgent requests for goods and services across Australia have been matched with the resources of community and corporate donors. Currently more than 900 of Australia’s most trusted charities are supported by GIVIT, as quality urgently needed items are sourced direct from the public. Its simple, online list enables everyday Australians to see exactly what is required by vulnerable members of their local community.

Juliette started with a goal of making giving easy. She wanted to alleviate the effects of poverty in Australia by ensuring every charity has what it needs through the simple act of giving.

The online platform continued to grow and was inundated in 2011 when Queensland was hit by devastating floods and an overwhelming number of people desperately needed essential items to help rebuild their lives. This led to the establishment of a dedicated GIVIT Disaster Recovery service activated during the 2013 Bundaberg floods and most recently during Cyclone Ita. In 2013 the Queensland Government entered into an official two-year partnership with GIVIT for the management of all donated goods and services including corporate offers of assistance during the recovery phase of natural disasters.

Driven, inspired, connected and relentlessly ambitious, Juliette is about to launch her “new baby” GIVIT Kids, an online portal providing a fun and safe way for children to give new or pre-loved belongings to meet the urgent material needs of Australian families and children. GIVIT Kids aims to engage youths in giving and help develop a philanthropic culture in young Australians. The unique, fun and interactive website www.givitkids.org.au will empower children to support others by safely and anonymously giving to impoverished, isolated and marginalised members of their local community. GIVIT Kids is also working with the Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE) to integrate GIVIT Kids into the Years 3, 5 and 6 Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum.

As a prominent social justice campaigner, Juliette was awarded Citizen of the Year in Dickson 2012, Finalist in the Telstra Queensland Business Women’s Award for Innovation, recipient of the Vodafone Foundation’s World of Difference program and has been nominated for a Pride of Australia medal in 2014.

Juliette has just been given the honour of being awarded Australia's Local Hero in 2015.