philanthropyOz Blog

IT in the Nonprofit Sector

This year at Philanthropy Australia we’re making a concerted effort to step up to the plate of effective use of IT in the Australian nonprofit sector. As we say on our IT in the Nonprofit Sector resources page, we’re very conscious of the need for the Australian nonprofit sector to forge forward into making best use of the technology at hand to aid distribution to and communication with both the general public and the rest of the sector.

Already on a global scale the Australian nonprofit sector being left behind, as far as utilising IT goes, in comparison to the UK and USA. Wired.org was holding virtual Nonprofit Technology Conferences back in 2003, and the US Nonprofit Technology Network is already taking bookings for this year’s Conference.

Fortunately, the very benefit of this ‘new’ web technology being developed and utilised is that discussion and documentation of it is occuring online, that is to say - published to a global audience, including us!

So to help Australian readers in the nonprofit sector get into the headspace of our global peers, here are some links that you might like to check out. Though the nonprofit ‘blogosphere’ is frequently concerned with fundraising, and thus nonprofit website discussion focussed on securing donations and engaging donors, we’ve found that a lot of the guides and suggested rules posted by various bloggers are nonetheless relevant to those Philanthropy Australia Members who are reading - that is to say, philanthropic funders who are looking to build their own presence online, but aren’t sure where or how to proceed.

Continue reading IT in the Nonprofit Sector…

Recommended Reading

Here in the Philanthropy Australia office we’ve started putting our feelers out into the more informal online publishing done by nonprofits around the globe. The UK and the USA both have a number of philanthropy blogs - both professional and personal (and sometimes both!) - sharing opinions, information, and links to news and research that bloggers think their readers will be interested in.

Looking around, as far as we can tell we’re the first philanthropy blog on the Australian blogging scene. Instead of just sharing the interesting tidbits on philanathropy that we come up with with each other here in the office, we’re going to be posting links to them in this philanthropyOz Blog, and letting you know why we think you should read them.

If you find anything we’ve missed, please feel free to leave a comment here or drop us an email. If you’d like to subscribe to updates, check out our info page on how to do so.

This week we’ve come across the following:

Wealthy charity donor driven away
This article reports that charitable tax considerations may have influenced the decision of New Zealand’s richest woman, Jan Cameron, to move to Tasmania. The article discusses the limitations of the tax law on donations in New Zealand, and Philanthropy New Zealand’s push to reform the system and remove disincentives to donating large amounts of money.

Philanthropy detected in brain scans!
“ALTRUISM, one of the most difficult human behaviours to define, can be detected in brain scans, US researchers claim. They found that activity in a specific area of the brain could predict altruistic behaviour — and people’s own reports of how selfish or giving they are.”

The 59 Smartest NP Organisations Online (USA)
“These charities were chosen for their excellence in online storytelling and collaboration with their donors. We didn’t play favorites to one cause over another, nor did we look at their fundraising goals or number of members. Instead, these organizations are winners because of their web 2.0 smarts and a willingness to engage their constituents far beyond asking them to dig into their pockets.”

Blogs, Discussion and Charity
A response to The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s article in their December edition on philanthropy blogs, posted on TheIncubator, a USA nonprofit blog. (If you’re a Member of Philanthropy Australia and would like a copy of that article, please contact Emily at the Resource Centre.)

Also check out our News page, and if you’re a Member, PRESSing Matters, our weekly Australian media alert service.

Celebrating 30 Years: Issue 2

This edition includes the features: Philanthropy Australia’s History: Spotlight on 1988 and Foundation Focus: Wyatt Benevolent Institution.

Continue reading Celebrating 30 Years: Issue 2…

Celebrating 30 Years: Issue 1

2007 marks the 30 year anniversary of Philanthropy Australia. Throughout 2007, we’ll be marking the occasion by sharing snapshots of philanthropy in Australia that encompass both its present state and its history.

This page will be updated regularly, with a new issue each fortnight including the sections:

• Important Moments in Philanthropy Australia’s History
  Including our achievements and growth over the years.
  
• Recognising Philanthropists
  Recognising the importance of individual donors and personal acknowledgement of their achievements in the philanthropic sector.
  
• Foundation Focus
  Profiling philanthropic foundations past and present.
  
• Great Grants
  Profiling groundbreaking or simply inspiring philanthropic grants that have been made throughout the years.

We look forward to working with our Members on producing this celebration throughout the year, and encourage Members to contact us if they have any particular items in mind that would fit well in the sections listed above.

Please email Emily on e.turner@philanthropy.org.au if you’d like to contribute!

Continue reading Celebrating 30 Years: Issue 1…

New Resources & News

New News Items:

• Commonwealth Bank Staff Community Fund celebrates 90 years: 1917-2007
  The Commonwealth Bank Staff Community Fund turns 90 in 2007, and to celebrate has launched a new Local Grants program.

  Twice yearly (January and July) the Fund will be calling for applications for grants up to a maximum of $10,000 for one-off projects that can be completed within a 12 month period. In 2007 over $500,000 will be available nationally through this program. Round one submissions close on 23 Febraury 2007.

  Arguably the oldest workplace giving program in Australia, the Commonwealth Bank Staff Community Fund has been actively helping local communities since 1917. Funds are raised through fortnightly contributions from current and retired Bank staff, to help support organisations that improve the health and welfare of Australian children.

  The Bank meets the Fund’s administration costs, leaving every dollar raised available for distribution to worthy organisations nominated by the Fund’s committee of staff members.

  Full details of the Local Grants program are available on www.commbank.com.au/localgrants

New Papers & Reports:

• Arm in Arm: Engaged Grantmaking in Local Communities
  A study commissioned by the US-based Cherokee Preservation Foundation. The report focuses on challenges and strategies for funders whose mission requires them to make grants over many years in communities that have a limited number of not-for-profit organisations appropriate for grant support and a limited number of individuals with the experience and skill required to lead those organisations. The findings summarised below are based on interviews with approximately 30 individuals working in a range of settings, including grantmaking to First Nations, Native American and Aboriginal Peoples; grantmaking in rural areas; and grantmaking in developing countries.
• Nonprofit e-business report
  “The NNIC survey was conducted by the CISA-led NNIC consultation consortium, in association with the Not-For-Profit Network, and John Sheridan of Digital Business Insights. John has now used the survey resource material to supplement a number of case studies about the successful use of software products in a number of nonprofit and small business contexts. He has set out to demonstrate that productivity benefits can be found in all organisations, regardless of industry type and size. He believes productivity improvements can be enjoyed by all organisations regardless of where they are, who they are and what they do and he sets out his model for the growth of ICT capacity in small and medium organisations.”

New Book in Philanthropy Australia’s Library:

• The John T Reid Charitable Trusts 1956-2006: a family celebrates one man’s generosity ‘Doing what needs to be done’ (2006)
  Written by Jane Sandilands, who founded our journal Australian Philanthropy, this personal history was commissioned by the John T Reid Charitable Trusts’ trustees to mark the first 50 years of the Trusts. Beautifully illustrated with family photographs, it documents the life of John T Reid and the early years of the Trusts.

Grantseeker Workshops, Positions Vacant and upcoming Events.

New Grantseeker Workshops Announced:

• Melbourne: February, May, August, November
• Sydney: April, July, October

Click here to find out more and register your interest in attending.

New Events listed:

• Nonprofit Finance Forum: No Mission Without Money
  New business approaches for sustainable financing of nonprofits. Philanthropy Australia CEO Gina Anderson will be speaking at these events.
  Adelaide: February 21, 2007
  Perth: February 22, 2007
  Brisbane: March 6, 2007

Go to our Events Page for more info.

New Positions Vacant Listed:

• National Manager - PricewaterhouseCoopers Foundation
• National Administrator - PricewaterhouseCoopers Foundation

Go to our Positions Vacant Page for more info.

Welcome to the philanthropyOz Blog

Welcome to the brand new Philanthropy Australia blog!

This blog will keep you up to date with Philanthropy Australia’s website updates, as well as link you to places all over the web we think you’d be interested in.