It's well known that when you donate money to charity your dollars don't necessarily end up on the the front line, despite the need there being the reason you gave in the first place.
In order to do their work effectively, many charities split their funding between front line operations and administration, with donations forming a pool from which funds are distributed where they're needed.
But times are changing and new models of charity funding are turning this kind of arrangement on its head.
"We adopted a model from an inspiring organisation in the States called Charity:Water where they re-invented charity by getting private philanthropists and corporations to cover their operating budget," says Duncan Ward, founder of the education charity Classroom of Hope.
"On a flight to Sydney we dreamed up the idea to flip the model into micro donations from everyday normal individuals at an entry of $9 a month that goes towards covering our operations."
Mr Ward and his wife Nicola Courtin run CoH with the financial help of people they call 'Wise Owls,' generous individuals who commit to funding the charity's overheads, allowing it to focus on its mission - building schools and creating education opportunities for children around the world.
"Once we reach 1000 Wise Owl members we will enact the 100% model where we will send 100% of all online public donations to fund education projects," Mr Ward said.
The couple recently relocated from Perth to Bali to cut their cost of living and allow themselves more focus on growing the charity.
To pursue its goals for many years to come, Mr Ward said CoH needs to secure a steady, reliable source of funding through its Wise Owls programme and use that as a platform to expand effectively.
"This model has been very popular in the USA but we have yet to see any like this in Australia. In the States, the model certainly has had mixed feedback but from our perspective you just need to look at the impact statistics, data and creativity the organisation is delivering. If people are inspired and shown proof of impact, then they will give."
And proof of CoH's impact is easy to find - it's built dozens of schools in Africa and Asia and helped thousands of children access education, whilst partnering with local organisations and community groups to give them ownership.
Wise Owls is not the only innovation CoH takes on board for its funding.
The not for profit sector is rising fast in Australia and many new models of funding are being created that veer far from the traditional way of doing things.
Ward and Courtin recently returned to Perth to attend an innovative fundraising event called The Funding Network or TFN, which puts on face to face 'crowdfunding' events that allow charities to pitch themselves to new supporters.
In one night charities can raise thousands of dollars in donations in a rapid fire bidding process that almost resembles an auction, but with good deeds up for grabs.
Mr Ward said Classroom of Hope came away from the TFN event with $11,500, which will help accelerate its work.
"The money will fund second year tertiary scholarships for ten young women from rural parts of Cambodia who are studying in the STEM disciplines.
"TFN has such a great model for democratising giving and creating an inspiring experience with a community of people."
Regardless of how their funding comes in, Ward and Courtin say they always
"It's the children that keep us motivated and moving forward no matter what world events and circumstances might bring. This can't distract us and we need to stay focussed on our mission, which is that every child has access to quality education by 2030 as per the global goals."