philanthropyOz Blog

Transcript of Kevin Murphy’s Keynote at 2013 AGM

Kevin Murphy’s Keynote Address, Philanthropy Australia AGM, 16 April 2013

Kevin Murphy is President of Berks County Community Foundation and chair of the Council on Foundations. He spoke at Philanthropy Australia’s AGM in Melbourne with the support of Australian Communities Foundation.

Thank you Louise.

It occurs to me that we are truly blessed in this field.

When we’re dealing with our donors, we’re working with people who have made incredibly selfless commitments to the common good.

When we’re working with our grantees, we are working with people who have foregone many other options to dedicate their lives to the service of others.

We work with the best of humanity and we work with them at their best.

Today, we received a stark reminder from Boston that there are dark forces as work as well.

Our thoughts and prayers are with our colleagues and friends in Boston as they begin to deal with the horrible tragedy there. But our work must go on, as we MUST overcome the evil that happened there.

Thank you for inviting me. I bring greetings from Vikki Spruill, the President and CEO of the Council on Foundations and our 1750 member foundations.

I arrived here fresh from presiding over the Council’s AGM in Chicago last week and attending the Philanthropy New Zealand AGM earlier this week. I may be setting some kind of world record for AGM attendance in a two-week period.

Fresh off those experiences and a week of thinking about philanthropy, Louise asked me to talk with you a little bit about two or three key trends in global philanthropy and what I think they mean.

Continue reading Transcript of Kevin Murphy’s Keynote at 2013 AGM…

Guest Post: Kids In Philanthropy launching in Melbourne

This post written by Amanda Miller, Kids in Philanthropy.

“No more pollution, peace in the world, no more homeless people, and of course, lots of lollies…” Those are some of the answers given by young children to describe the kind of world they would like to live in at the recent Kids in Philanthropy Melbourne family afternoon. Whilst lollies featured high on the priorities list, so did orphanages, indigenous children, the environment (’no more factories’) and children who do not have enough food to eat.

Photo: Kids in Philanthropy Melbourne family afternoon, November 2012

Kids in Philanthropy is a not-for-profit sub-fund of the Sydney Community Foundation. It focuses on building social awareness, social conscience and a practice of giving, in kids for kids. KIP aims to engage children between the ages of 5 and 18 years, and their families, in an annual program of active philanthropy where activity is focused on raising awareness of local areas of need, and providing opportunities for these young people to take a leadership role in addressing these areas of need.

With KIP Sydney having been successfully established earlier this year, and planning well underway for the first program it is funding, the natural next step was to set up KIP Melbourne. KIP Melbourne will have up to ten Advisory Board members (there are already six), who will each contribute seed funding to be invested in projects / programs involving disadvantaged youth in Melbourne. The children of the KIP families will also engage in fundraising activities, will learn about giving and the disadvantage that exists in our local communities, and will interact with children in those communities. KIP workshops will also be run for families with the aim of engaging kids in the benefits of giving.

Photo: Kids in Philanthropy Melbourne family afternoon, November 2012

KIP parents are motivated by a desire to pass onto their young children an awareness that whilst they lead a privileged life, not all other children are as fortunate as they are. KIP teaches children that just as sport and learning are part of their lives, so too is giving. The belief is that if we embed a culture of giving from a young age, children will grow up naturally taking on the responsibility of helping those in need. KIP kids will learn that there are children just like them, who live only half an hour away, but don’t have books to read, enough food to eat or a warm bed at night. They will interact with these children and contribute to raising funds to help them.

Last Sunday, KIP Melbourne held its first information session for those interested in being involved. 30 adults and more than 30 children, aged 2 - 11, enjoyed a wonderful discussion about what philanthropy means, through the eyes of children. Whilst some of the children were not sure what ‘that big word’ meant, many understood that it had something to do with ‘helping other people’ and ‘raising money and giving it to people who need help’.

Photo: Kids in Philanthropy Melbourne family afternoon, November 2012

It was fascinating to hear of some of the ideas the children had for helping other kids, such as inviting a homeless child to live in their house. Many of the children had already given away their birthday presents to other causes, such as the RSPCA and Victorian communities affected by the bushfires, but there were lots of other ideas for fundraising, including bake sales, lemonade stands, making things and selling them and sports days.

The enthusiasm and excitement generated by the day has led to a group of the KIP Melbourne kids planning a cake bake / lemonade stand / toy sale to take place in Malvern in early December. The KIP Melbourne parents are also going full steam ahead and have already started considering projects for their first allocation of funding.

For more information or if you are interested in being involved, please visit www.kip.org.au or contact KIP Advisory Board member Amanda Miller: amanda.miller@me.com.

Community Foundations Forum - registrations open

Registrations are open for the 2012 Australian Community Foundations Forum, Learning, Giving and Growing Our Community Foundations Movement, which will be held at the Dolphin Heads Resort in Mackay, Queensland, on 21-23 August.

This Forum is for:

• Community Foundation practitioners
• Board members
• Community Foundation staff
• Volunteers

It’s also the perfect venue for those people from communities seeking to learn about the Community Foundation movement and what it can achieve for their community. Any community or group seeking to investigate the idea of a Community Foundation should have representatives attend this Forum.

It is also an ideal Forum for those in Government and the public service to learn what Community Foundations can do, are achieving and hope to achieve for the Australian community in the years ahead.

Our experienced and inspiring speakers include:

• Clare Brooks, Australian Communities Foundation
• Catherine Brown, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation
• Alice Macdougall, Freehills
• Alexandra Gartmann, Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR)
• Robin Dick, Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
• Bill Holland, Recently retired Chairman, Acorn Foundation, New Zealand
• Vanessa Meachen, Philanthropy Australia
• Sally Klose, Stand Like Stone Community Foundation
• Sally Gamble, Tomorrow:Today Foundation

For more information including a draft program, or to register, see the Community Foundations Forum page.

New edition of Australian Philanthropy Journal: Philanthropy in the West: mining the richness of spirit

Philanthropy in the West: mining the richness of spirit is the theme of our latest issue of Australian Philanthropy, Issue 81, May 2012.

Philanthropy as a social phenomenon often has cultural or religious roots, and is imbued with historical references: think of the influence of the gold rush on the national economy and the creation of the first foundations from those profits. Australia is now reaping the profits of a resources boom, and some of the great energy and expertise that has driven the accumulation of this wealth is now being redirected to sharing the bounty.

Western Australia is a hotbed of creativity, and philanthropy is thriving - with Governor McCusker donating his salary to charities, Andrew and Nicola Forrest donating $80 million worth of shares and options, and new offices for philanthropy advisors being established in Perth. What mindsets and movements are behind these extraordinary stories? How widespread is the ‘generosity gene’ in WA, and how can the West foster greater philanthropy, both in terms of dollars and impact?

SELECTED ARTICLES

 Feature Interview: Malcolm and Tonya McCusker (PDF)

Tonya McCusker, wife of the Governor of Western Australia, and Administrator of The McCusker Charitable Foundation, spoke to Louise Arkles about her family’s experience in giving.

 Feature Interview: Andrew and Nicola Forrest (PDF)

Back in 2001 Andrew and Nicola Forrest established the Australian Children’s Trust, to assist underprivileged children and young people. The Trust has a mandate of ‘helping people to help themselves’ and focuses on early intervention, empowering women with children, and supporting education, personal development and training for employment. Australian Philanthropy’s editor Louise Arkles spoke with Andrew and Nicola in February 2012 about how their philanthropy has developed over the past decade, and their ideas for growing the philanthropic pie.

 Collective giving: launching Impact100 (PDF)

By James Boyd

How collective giving, a growing phenomenon in the US, can help inform philanthropy, potentially enriching the lives of all Australians – and how WA is set to make a big impact.

Browse the full contents list on the PhilanthropyWiki

» Click here for more information on the Australian Philanthropy Journal

Our previous issue, Indigenous philanthropy (Issue 80, December 2011) is now available for Members to download from the PhilanthropyWiki here.

Registrations Now Open - Australian Community Foundation Forum 2011

Registrations are now open for the Australian Community Foundation Forum 2011, co-hosted by Philanthropy Australia and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR), to be held in Kingscliff NSW from Tuesday 16 to Thursday 18 August.

» Click here for more information on the Forum

Download the registration form (PDF)

Download the Programme Outline (PDF)

The Forum, conducted each year in locations around Australia, is the annual event for Community Foundation practitioners, Board members, staff and volunteers to come together to discuss, learn and expand the capacity of Community Foundations in Australia. It’s also the perfect venue for those people from communities seeking to learn about the movement and what it can achieve for their community. We also invite those in Government and public service to attend to find out what Community Foundations can do, are achieving and hope to achieve for the Australian community in the years ahead.

All CF delegates are requested to bring along a poster to represent and provide a talking point on your projects, achievements and future plans.

Feedback is invited on major topics of interest to be included in the Programme - please email Andrew Lawson, Philanthropy Australia’s Community Foundation Development Officer, at ajlawson@bigpond.com with your suggestions.

Community Foundation Global Status Report 2010 launched

The 2010 Community Foundation Global Status Report is the sixth in a series of reports on the development of community foundations around the world, and the first web-based version of this signature report. It was commissioned and funded by Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS).

Found at http://www.wings-community-foundation-report.com/gsr_2010/gsr_home/home.cfm, the Report tracks the growth and development of community foundations worldwide and is an important guide to increasing philanthropic activity in countries across the globe.

Globally, the number of community foundations has almost doubled over the past ten years from 905 in 2000 to 1,680 in 2010, with spectacular growth in community philanthropy across Europe in particular.

Community Foundations in the Australian Philanthropic Landscape

This address to the 2010 Community Foundations Forum by Philanthropy Australia’s Chairman Bruce Bonyhady focuses on positioning community foundations within the broader philanthropic sector, on the vital role that community foundations play and on the opportunities open to them as part of our philanthropic community, given the unique niche they occupy in the overall sector.

Download Bruce Bonyhady’s speech here

» Further details are available on the Community Foundations Gateway

Community Foundations Forum fast approaching!

There’s now less than a fortnight to go before the 2010 Community Foundations Forum, jointly hosted by Philanthropy Australia and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, opens in Melbourne.

The Forum will highlight the unique role of community foundations as catalysts and leaders on a grass-roots level, and will be a wonderful opportunity for Community Foundation practitioners and board members. It’s also a great pleace for potential donors to Community Foundations, or for those in Government and the public service interesting in learning about what a Community Foundation can do, are currently achieving, and hope to achieve for the Australian community in the years ahead.

Sessions at the Forum will cover a wide range of topics including a review of legal topics, governance issues, specialised software, investment, accounting and more. There will also be ample networking time to mingle with the passionate and active Community Foundation sector!

For more information see the Community Foundations Gateway.