philanthropyOz Blog

Education Affinity Group - Expressions of Interest

The possible establishment of an Education Affinity Group (EAG) has been mooted by a couple of our Members, including the Myer Foundation. We are therefore seeking expressions of interest from other Members of Philanthropy Australia in establishing an Education Affinity Group.

The establishment of an EAG is totally dependant on whether this area is of interest to PA members. Are Philanthropy Australia Members interested in the possibility of a new group which would focus on education of 0-25 year olds? Are Members interested in the establishment of such a group and would you be keen to participate in it in the future?

If there is sufficient interest, we can convene the first meeting where chairing and resourcing can be discussed as well as terms of reference and meetings structure.

We would like our Full Members to indicate interest by the end of October to Bruce Argyle at b.argyle@philanthropy.org.au

Truby and Florence Williams Chair of Social Investment and Philanthropy

The establishment of Australia’s first Chair of Social Investment and Philanthropy was recently announced. The Truby and Florence Williams Chair of Social Investment and Philanthropy is a joint collaboration between Swinburne University’s Asia Pacific Centre for Social Investment and Philanthropy and ANZ Trustees.

The Chair was established through a generous grant provided by the Truby and Florence Williams Charitable Trust, managed by ANZ Trustees. The five year position is only the third funded Chair to have been secured by the university. The position is also supported by the Centre for Social Impact (CSI), a national initiative aimed at driving social innovation by building the capacity of Australia’s not-for-profit organisations and strengthening their relationship to the private and government sectors.

Trustee Workshop 15 May (Sydney)

Perhaps you’ve come across some of these questions in relation to your foundation. Can you answer them all?

• How can I be told that some organisations with both DGR and TCC are not eligible for grants from my PPF?
• What is wrong in having a grant condition stating that if money isn’t fully spent on this project the organisation must give the remainder back?
• Why cannot my foundation support good small TCC Charities that desperately need help?
• Why can this foundation only distribute in Victoria when others can fund deserving projects in the Northern Territory?

If you don’t know the answers, the Trustee Workshop will help.

Presented by David Ward, author of the Trustee Handbook, this workship explores issues and considerations for charitable trusts and foundations in Australia. Topics to be covered include the structure of charitable trusts, governance and the role trustees play; what trustees must do and what trustees should consider doing; and governance failure.

This workshop is an ideal base for new trustees and foundation staff; useful to those providing advice on setting up foundations and trusts; and an excellent reference document and aide-memoire to those already familiar with its subject. This workshop also provides an opportunity for those with significant interaction with foundations and trusts to understand the responsibilities and issues considered by Trustees.

Only $385.00 for Members of Philanthropy Australia, and $605.00 per attendee for non-members, this workshop is presented by David Ward, Treasurer of Philanthropy Australia and author of the Trustee Handbook. David is a Director of ANZ Trustees and ShareGift Australia and is Trustee Representative on several charitable trusts including the Hugh DT Williamson Foundation, the Alexander Miller Estate and the Alexander Wright Wales Trust.

See our Trustee Workshop page for details and to book your place!

Harvard Club of Victoria: Nonprofit Fellowship Program

Each year, the Harvard Club of Australia – Victoria’s Nonprofit Fellowship (NPF) Program, supported by donations from members of the HCAV community, makes it possible for the CEOs of two nonprofit disability sector organizations to attend the week-long course Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management (SPNM) at Harvard Business School. The managerial and strategic decision-making skills whose development is the focus of this highly regarded program (see following page) are in increasing demand within the nonprofit sector in Australia. In 2009, the SPNM program will run from 12 to 18 July.

To be eligible to apply for an HCAV Nonprofit Fellowship, you must be the CEO, or equivalent, of a nonprofit organization whose primary mission is the delivery of services to people with disabilities. An HCAV Nonprofit Fellowship covers the recipient’s SPNM course fees (tuition and case materials, accommodation, and meals), as well as travel to and from Boston, including a side-trip to allow for visits to appropriate nonprofit organizations in North America. Fellows and/or their organizations must meet any costs over and above the Fellowship award (A$12,000 in 2008), and any out-of-pocket expenses.

For more information see the information briefing (RTF), or download the application form (MS Word).

New School for Social Entrepreneurs (Sydney)

Australia’s new School for Social Entrepreneurs is seeking its first round of Sydney-based participants who are eager to turn their ideas for social change into reality. The School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) Australia is dedicated to identifying, developing and supporting social entrepreneurs to establish effective, sustainable community projects and initiatives that meet social and community needs.

The only prerequisite for SSE Australia’s Sydney program is that applicants demonstrate entrepreneurial drive and have a passion for social change. No formal qualifications are required and participants may range in age from 20-75 and be serving diverse communities and issues. SSE Australia will select 15-20 individuals to commence the 9-month tailored Sydney program in March 2009, which involves a combination of weekly group study sessions, one-to-one tutorials, mentoring sessions, project visits and a 3-day residential.

Applications close on February 6. All applicants are encouraged to contact the SSE Program Officer Courtney Collins at courtney@sse.org.au before submitting their application to discuss the program in more detail. Interviews will take place in early February 2009. For more information visit the website www.sse.org.au
Contact Sally McGeoch. Mob: 0438 153 655 Email: sally@sse.org.au

New edition of ‘Australian Philanthropy’ Journal - Education

Supporting Education: The Vital Ingredient is the theme of our latest issue of Australian Philanthropy, issue 70 Spring 2008.

“Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.” Nearly ninety years after HG Wells wrote these words, they remain lamentably relevant. Education is one of the most beneficial investments that individuals can make in themselves and that society can make in its people. Pre-schools, primary and secondary schools, alternative schools and community-based education centres, TAFE and adult education providers – all can be agents for individual transformation, increasing social cohesion and community capacity-building. Yet even in our prosperous country, education systems and standards are failing to live up to their potential.

This issue of Australian Philanthropy explores philanthropic support for education: how can philanthropy strengthen public education, when most donors can’t fund government schools? What initiatives are leading the way in supporting Indigenous or remote students? And what cross-sectoral benefits – economic, social, community - accrue from higher retention rates? This 70th issue of Australian Philanthropy is devoted to philanthropy and education.

• Read selected articles online or browse the full contents list on the PhilanthropyWiki; or
• Find out more about Australian Philanthropy on the Philanthropy Australia Website.

National Australia Bank launches $5 million annual education awards program

National Australia Bank Group (NAB) has announced an education awards program open to every primary and secondary school in Australia, with $5 million available in awards funding every year.

Schools First, the biggest corporate sponsored education initiative in Australia, has been developed by NAB in partnership with Australia Cares, The Foundation for Young Australians and the Australian Council for Educational Research. It aims to promote excellence in the area by providing significant incentives for schools to build and strengthen partnerships with their communities.

To support the awards program, Schools First will also facilitate a national series of workshops to help schools and communities learn about how to build and strengthen partnerships, as well as developing a central knowledge bank of resources for all schools and communities to draw on.

The initiative is based on research which shows that effective school-community partnerships can result in improved student outcomes, including greater student engagement, improved attendance and retention, better academic performance, increased skills and improved transitions into the workforce, further education or training.

For more information see the Schools First website, www.schoolsfirst.edu.au.

Centre for Philanthropy and Social Investment - 2009 Program

The graduate program at the Asia-Pacific Centre for Philanthropy and Social Investment (Swinburne University) in Philanthropy and Social Investment has been re-accredited, and will be offered in 2009 as a Master of Business (Philanthropy and Social Investment). As before it will be a three year, part-time course of study, with students progressing through Certificate and Diploma stages.

The Program’s main aim is to introduce students to a range of grant making and fundraising perspectives and to assist them in a critical analysis of the social enterprises within which these activities are practiced. In addition the Program aims to explore the ethical and political contexts within which social enterprises operate. The new program is a continuing response to the powerful forces which are leading to a global renaissance in philanthropy and social investment.

While substantially the same as the previous course, the new Masters will be broader in scope, taking in fundraising and social entrepreneurship, and will allow students more choice of units in accordance with their interests and career paths.

For more information, go to The Centre for Philanthropy & Social Investment’s website.

New reports on the PhilanthropyWiki

‘Our Children, Our Future - Achieving Improved Primary and Secondary Education Outcomes for Indigenous Students’

A new report was launched recently, published by the AMP Foundation, Effective Philanthropy and Social Ventures Australia, offering an overview of philanthropic investment opportunities and approaches to improving outcomes for Indigenous students.

The report ‘Our Children, Our Future - Achieving Improved Primary and Secondary Education Outcomes for Indigenous Students’ provides an overview of current Indigenous education challenges and outcomes, and the impact these have on Indigenous students’ opportunities to access post-secondary qualifications and employment. It identifies the key underlying factors that contribute to this state of affairs, including the social, community and home contexts in which students participate, and their own personal life experience.

The authors, Louise Doyle and Regina Hill, provide a framework for making philanthropic investments that will produce sustainable outcomes, identifying 8 interventions. Case studies for each intervention category are provided, along with key success factors to assist philanthropic investors to assess the effectiveness of individual intervention programs.

Acting wikily: how networks are changing social change

For those wanting to understand how new technologies are contributing to social change efforts, ‘Acting wikily: how networks are changing social change’ is a great place to start. This article explores how new technologies are changing the way we communicate and connect, with particular emphasis on the what this might mean for not-for-profit organisations and philanthropic foundations.

Such fundamental practices as how groups get formed and work gets done are changing, as social media (also called Web 2.0) technologies offer “new networked ways of behaving - ways of acting wikily - that are characterized by principles of openness, transparency, decentralized decision-making, and distributed action.”

The authors question what impact this might have on social change movements and philanthropy, now that organisations are no longer the only way to organise effort; effectiveness is no longer equated with longevity but with mobilization; and the power balance between experts and amateurs is shifting.

On a reassuring note, human elements still matter, with trust and authentic relationships being essential elements of successful online networking.

Executive education in philanthropy and social investment

Swinburne University’s Asia-Pacific Centre for Philanthropy and Social Investment has announced that its successful executive education workshops dealing with key elements of philanthropy and social investment are running as short courses in 2008. The workshops will draw on the Centre’s pioneering Masters Program and offer a comprehensive overview of the field and rich opportunities for collegial networking. Guest speakers will include outstanding and highly regarded presenters from the philanthropic, corporate and community sectors.

All workshops will take place in Melbourne (and may be held at a later date in Sydney). The Centre will also offer a separate program of workshops on fundraising, details and dates of which will be advised shortly.

Visit www.swinburne.edu.au/business/philanthropy for workshop themes & dates, or see the Events Calendar.