philanthropyOz Blog

Adelaide Grantseeker Workshop - places still available

Places are still available for next week’s Grantseeker Workshop in Adelaide.

Are you fundraising? Looking for grants? Not having much success applying for philanthropic funding?

This workshop makes a fantastic introduction on how to find and apply for funding from philanthropic sources, as well as a great chance to brush up on best practice for those with more experience.

Learn how to:

• research potential funding sources,
• what to include in a submission, what to leave out,
• how to make your application easy to understand, and
• what makes foundations different to other funders.

There are plenty of personal tips and hints included to help you make the most out of your application and ensure the best possible chance of success.

Date:  Friday, 5 August 2011, 10am - 1pm

Cost: $220 per attendee

REGISTER ONLINE NOW

Associate Members are entitled to 1 free attendance per annum. Please contact us to register: workshops@philanthropy.org.au

» Click here for more information on Philanthropy Australia’s Grantseeker Workshops

Grantseeker Workshops are also being held in:

• Sydney - Friday, 16 September 2011
• Melbourne - Tuesday, 11 October 2011

Events Calendar & Positions Vacant Updates

EVENTS CALENDAR UPDATE

New additions to our Events Calendar this week:

• Fire and Rain: Social Innovation and Community Leadership in Natural Disaster Management and Emergency Services (1-2 August, Melbourne)
• National Digital Inclusion Summit (17 August, Canberra / webcast)

Members Only*
^{* Full Members of Philanthropy Australia only, unless otherwise specified.}

• Members Dinner with Sir Gustav Nossal - Philanthropy and Health: Here and Abroad (21 September, Melbourne)
• Philanthropy Australia Seminar 2011: Contemporary & Emerging Issues in Philanthropy (22 September, Melbourne)

» Further details on these events are available on the Events Calendar.

NEW POSITION VACANT

Sydney Symphony Orchestra are seeking an experienced Philanthropy Executive, Patrons Program. Delivering annual giving programs to engage new and current private donors, the successful candidate will have excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and be a confident networker. Previous experience with successfully acquiring grants and bequest marketing required.

Applications close 1 August 2011.
» Click here for further information on this Position Vacant

Research on Workplace Giving - Employers Invited to Participate

Employers operating a workplace giving program are encouraged to participate in research about workplace giving.  A joint initiative of The Australian Charities Fund (ACF) and The Centre for Social Impact (CSI), this research builds on the highly regarded ‘Cutting to the heart of workplace giving’ research led by ACF in 2009.

Participating employers will receive a customized report comparing responses from their organization with responses from all participating employers. There is no charge for participating in the research.

CSI and ACF are keen to have both donor and non-donor workplace giving employees complete the survey and are hopeful CEOs or appropriate members of the senior leadership team will promote the survey and encourage all staff to complete it. Suggested communications to staff promoting the survey will be provided to those agreeing to participate. An optional feature of the research is surveys specifically designed for program managers and CEOs.

The employee survey will be live for one month from early August. The program manager and CEO research will be conducted through August and September.

Those interested in participating should contact either Mei Ling Ho at CSI meiling.ho@unsw.edu.au or Lauren Davidson at ACF lauren.davidson@australiancharitiesfund.org.au.

Click here to download the survey outline

Events Calendar Update

New additions to our Events Calendar this week:

• Philanthropy in Australia with Vanessa Meachen (26 July, Perth)
• Inspiring Lunch Series: Eroticising Inequality (27 July, Melbourne / 29 July, Sydney)
• Grantseeker Workshop (5 August, Adelaide)
• Foundation Boroondara Annual Breakfast, with guest speaker Simon McKean (9 August, VIC)
• Sidney Myer Health Scholarships Presentation (12 August, Melbourne)
• Smart Women, Smart Philanthropy (12 August, Melbourne / 18 August, Sydney)
• UPDATED: Australian Community Foundations Forum 2011 (16-18 August, NSW)
• Philanthropy 101 Seminar (30 August, Melbourne)
• Gala Dinner with Abigail Disney: Behind the famous surname lies a woman helping women fight for peace (29 November, Melbourne / 1 December, Sydney)

Members Only*

^{*Full Members of Philanthropy Australia only, unless otherwise specified.}

• UPDATED: Corporate Network (28 July, Melbourne)
• UPDATED: All Members Mid-Year Update (3 August, Sydney; Full and Associate Members)

» Further details on these events are available on the Events Calendar.

Public Ancillary Funds Exposure Draft and Draft Guidelines Released

The Assistant Treasurer, Bill Shorten, has released an exposure draft of legislation relating to the reform of Public Ancillary Funds (PuAFs) and also a set of draft Guidelines for PuAFs. There will now be a further period of consultation.

The main provisions which will interest Members are:

• The guidelines will require PuAFs to distribute four percent of their net assets every year
• New PuAFs will be allowed a period of four years to build an appropriate level of funding before they are required to make a distribution
• The legislation defers the start date from the previously announced 1 July 2011 to 1 January 2012
• Trustees of existing funds will be given a choice whether apply the minimum distribution requirements in the new guidelines immediately or wait until 1 July 2012.

The exposure draft and draft guidelines are available for download from Treasury’s website at: http://www.treasury.gov.au/contentitem.asp?NavId=&ContentID=2048

Philanthropy Australia will be providing a response to the draft legislation and guidelines.

We are currently in the process of reviewing the new material and invite all affected Members and other affected organisations to do likewise.

For more information:

• Draft legislation and guidelines
• Assistant Treasurer’s Press Release

Scholarships available for Not-for-Profit Directors Course

The Australian Scholarships Foundation has announced that 325 scholarships, valued at over $1000 each, are available for board members of not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) to attend the Australian Institute of Company Directors Not-for-Profit Board Directors Course.

Funded by the Perpetual Foundation in partnership with the JS Love Trust, the scholarships will enable NFP board members to attend a one-day course, designed specifically for board directors of charitable organisations looking to develop a deeper knowledge of directorship, governance and performance issues relating to not-for-profit organisations.

Courses will be held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra in October and November 2011.

For more details see the Australian Scholarships Foundation page.

New Positions Vacant

Australia Business Arts Foundation (AbaF) are seeking someone with excellent all-round business skills as Coordinator AbaF South Australia & Northern Territory, with the position based in Adelaide. Delivering AbaF’s national services and programs in SA and NT, you will have excellent communication and networking skills, project management and business development experience, and knowledge of the business and cultural sectors in SA and NT.

Applications close 11 July 2011.

Click here for further details on this position

HammondCare, an independent non-profit, is seeking a Fundraising Manager for their Sydney office. This position provides strategy and leadership to the organisation’s donor programs, requiring proven experience in fundraising, a passionate and innovative approach, and collaborative leadership skills. Programs will focus on dementia care, palliative care, rehabilitation, and older person’s mental health, with a particular interest in research as well as care for the financially disadvantaged.

Applications close 18 July 2011

Click here for further details on this position

If you’d like to submit a job listing for the philanthropic sector or senior fundraising positions, please see our submissions page here.

Visit from Dr Kenneth Chern

Dr. Kenneth Chern, Professorial Research Fellow at Murdoch University, WA, is to visit the Faculty of Business and Enterprise at Swinburne University next Monday and Tuesday, July 11 and 12. Dr Chern will be conducting a workshop for Social Investment and Philanthropy students at 4.15 on Monday.

Dr. Chern took up his duties as Professorial Research Fellow at Murdoch University in Perth in January 2011, returning to academia following a distinguished career in the United States Foreign Service. An expert in Asian affairs, Dr. Chern is playing a key role in supporting Murdoch’s world-leading research in that field, and is working with Western Australian business and industry to boost relationships with the US and Asia.

Dr. Chern served as United States Consul General in Perth from 2007 to 2010 and has a long and distinguished career in diplomacy, having served in the White House during President Bill Clinton’s administration and completed assignments in Vietnam, the Philippines, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. He also worked at the Department of State’s China, Japan and Australia-New Zealand Desks. Dr. Chern speaks fluent French, Chinese and Vietnamese and has been awarded three individual Superior Honour Awards by the US government for his work in counterterrorism, human rights and public diplomacy.

Philanthropy Australia Members interested in attending the 4:15 session at Swinburne (Hawthorn) should contact Dr Michael Liffman directly on 03 9214 4405 or mliffman@groupwise.swin.edu.au

Final report on NFP Regulator released

Treasury has released the Final Report - Scoping Study for a National Not-for-Profit Regulator. This report details the results of the sector consultation into the scope of the national not-for-profit (NFP) regulator (previously mentioned here) and contains recommendations on the regulator’s form and scope. The report recommends that these findings form the blueprint to implement the national NFP regulator.

Some of the pertinent recommendations are:

• The definition of charity should be based on the 2001 Charities Definition Inquiry and take into account the recommendations of the 2010 Senate Inquiry and the findings of recent judicial decisions such as Aid/Watch Incorporated vs Commissioner of Taxation
• Further consultation with the sector is needed on the definition of charity
• The regulator should provide educational materials for the sector, including “how to” guidance materials, phone assistance, referral services for organisations needing external advice, and ongoing consultation with the sector
• The regulator should establish a public information portal on NFPs which could include information such as governing documents, income and expenditure, annual reports, sphere of operations, etc
• The regulator will initally focus on determining the status of charities including PBIs, with this focus gradually extending to include all other NFP entities
• As supervision of charitable trusts is currently undertaken at a state level by the State Attorneys-General, any reform of their regulation will need to be progressed through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agenda and further consultation may be necessary

Philanthropy Australia will continue to pursue an active role in the process of further consultation and will keep Members and blog readers informed.

The final report can be downloaded from the Treasury website.