philanthropyOz Blog

New Events & Position Vacant

Our calendar has two new interesting events today, both with an environmental focus:

•  Working With Climate Change: An Adaptation Symposium (3 & 4 June, Melbourne)
• Environmental Grantmakers Association 2009 Fall Retreat (29 September - 2 October, Alaska USA)

And just a note that the Indigenous Affinity Group visit to Gippsland, VIC that was to take place this week is currently being rescheduled. Members will be notified of the new date - we apologise for any incovenience this may have caused.

We also have a new Position Vacant posted today:

•  Manager, Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Foundation (NSW)

For more information please see the Events Calendar and Positions Vacant page.

New Event

The Nature Conservation Council of NSW have an event coming up for our Associate Members:

• Social media - A practical guide for community organisers and communicators  (Sydney, 18 June)

For more information please see the Events Calendar.

New Events

We have quite a few new events posted this week, including two new Affinity Group dates:

• Social Entrepreneurship and Enterprise (NSW, 26-27 May)
• World Environment Day (Worldwide, 5 June)
• Demonstrating Value and Impact in the Social Economy (Sydney, 15 June)
• Managing the Media and Maximising Opportunities (NSW, 17 June)
• Launch of the new Homelessness Affinity Group (Members Only, Melbourne, 18 June)
• Arts Affinity Group - Presenting Ben Cameron, Program Director of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (Members Only, Sydney, 29 June)
• ARACY 2009 National Conference, Transforming Australia for our childrens future: Making prevention work (Melbourne, 2-4 September)
• Western Australian Community Foundation’s 2009 Summit (WA, 18 September)

For more information please see the Events Calendar.

‘Background Briefing’ on the Third Sector

For those of you who might have missed the recent Background Briefing program on the not-for-profit sector on ABC Radio National, you can read the transcript, listen online or download the audio file from the RN website.

The program, titled ‘Inventing the Third Sector’, features many voices familiar to Philanthropy Australia Members and makes fascinating listening.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/

New Homelessness Affinity Group announced

In response to Member feedback, Philanthropy Australia is establishing an affinity group for Members with an interest in funding around the issue of homelessness. Shane Austin, Community Programs Manager at the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, will serve as inaugural Chair.

Members are invited to an initial meeting in Melbourne on 18 June.

As with other Affinity Groups this will be open to full Members only, meeting initially in Melbourne. It is intended to meet 3 - 4 times per year and to operate an email listserv for sharing information and events relating to homelessness.

Meeting Date: Thursday 18th June 2009 in central Melbourne
Guest Speaker: Associate Professor David MacKenzie, Senior Research Fellow, Swinburne University of Technology
RSVP Essential: Joanna Fulton, j.fulton@philanthropy.org.au or (03) 9620 0200 by 15 June 2009.

If you are not able to attend but wish to be involved and/or to have input into this proposal please contact Bruce Argyle - b.argyle@philanthropy.org.au or Louise Burton - l.burton@philanthopy.org.au.

Cheryl Kernot’s quiet revolution

In a far-ranging article from Griffith Review titled ‘A Quiet Revolution’, Cheryl Kernot, director of teaching and learning at the Centre for Social Impact at the University of New South Wales, presents a compelling exploration of social change efforts in the UK and Australia.

Giving numerous examples of successful (and unsuccessful) grassroots-led social change initiatives, Kernot interweaves the story of her developing interest in the field of social inclusion. She argues that in Australia we have some way to go in improving our structures, language and understanding of the third sector and its true value, and that social entrepreneurship has great potential in improving the health and vitality of communities and ultimately people’s quality of life.

Griffith Review is a subscription-based journal. This article can be downloaded via the PhilanthropyWiki.

AbaF releases Arts Sponsorship Outlook Survey 2009

The Australia Business Arts Foundation (AbaF) has released the results of its Arts Sponsorship Outlook Survey 2009. The survey was conducted in April 2009 of major Australian businesses actively involved in supporting the arts, and was aimed at discovering how the global financial crisis (GFC) has affected arts sponsorships, businesses’ level of satisfaction with existing arts sponsorships, and major factors that drive their arts relationships.

The survey found that more than two-thirds of businesses are committed to sustaining their arts partnerships over the long term, although over half of them expect to decrease their arts sponsorship over the next 12 months. The majority of businesses are satisfied with their arts partnerships, particularly with their delivery of social goals, brand affinity and communication.

Download the full report from AbaF’s website in PDF format.

PPF Exposure Draft Released

An exposure draft of legislation on Prescribed Private Funds (PPFs) was released last night with comments due to Treasury by Friday 29 May 2009.

The exposure draft proposes that the Treasurer have the ability to make legally enforceable guidelines for PPFs, increases the Australian Taxation Office’s regulatory power over PPFs, and gives the Commissioner of Taxation full power over the administration (including the endorsement) of PPFs.

As PPFs will no longer be prescribed in the relevant legal sense, the name of PPFs will change to ‘private ancillary funds’. The new streamlined approval arrangements of private ancillary funds are consistent with other kinds of organisations that collect tax deductible donations.

For reasons of Constitutional authority, all new private ancillary funds must be controlled by a single corporate trustee. Approximately 80 per cent of existing funds already meet this requirement, and the remainder will have until 1 July 2011 to comply.

An exposure draft of new guidelines will be released later this month. The changes are planned to have effect from 1 October 2009.

More information: Press Release at http://assistant.treasurer.gov.au/DisplayDocs.aspx?doc=pressreleases/2009/051.htm&pageID=003&min=ceb&Year=&DocType=

Information on submissions: http://www.treasury.gov.au/contentitem.asp?NavId=037&ContentID=1541

New Position Vacant

The newly established Peter Cullen Water & Environment Trust are seeking a well-developed Executive Officer to begin operations:

• Executive Officer, The Peter Cullen Water & Environment Trust (Canberra)

For more information please see the Positions Vacant page.

Westpac Foundation report published

The Westpac Foundation has released its first report to mark 130 years since its original establishment and its 10th anniversary as the Foundation.

In 1879 one man’s generosity created a legacy that has grown and changed into a broad reaching charitable trust. The Buckland Fund was established with £1000 by former director of Westpac Bank, Thomas Buckland. The fund aimed to help families of deceased bank officers who found themselves in difficult financial circumstance. Then in 1999 the Fund expanded into a modern charitable trust that became The Westpac Foundation, beginning a new chapter in the life of one of Australia’s oldest corporate foundations.

The report, entitled ‘the catalyst’ can be downloaded via the PhilanthropyWiki.