Podcasts about australian charities

The Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) Australia's charity wing, The NRNA Foundation, has recently registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), the national regulator for charities. With this, the Foundation is recognised in Australia as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR). SBS Nepali spoke to NRNA Australia President Anil Pokhrel on the latest development and what it means for the organisation and the community. - गैर आवासीय नेपाली सङ्घ (एनआरएनए) अस्ट्रेलियाको एनआरएनए अस्ट्रेलिया फाउन्डेसन, परोपकारी तथा गैर-नाफा मूलक संस्थाहरूको राष्ट्रिय नियामक, अस्ट्रेलियन च्यारिटीज एन्ड नट-फर-प्रफिट्स कमिसनमा दर्ता भएको छ। योसँगै फाउन्डेसनले ‘डिडक्टिबल गिफ्ट रेसिपियन्टस' (डीजीआर) को मान्यता पाएको छ। यो बारे एनआरएनए अस्ट्रेलियाका अध्यक्ष अनिल पोख्रेलसँग एसबीएस नेपालीले गरेको कुराकानी सुन्नुहोस्।

Welcoming Fiona Luth to Purposely, where she shares her founder story and charitable mission to transform literacy in Fiji. We discuss her motivations for starting and scaling the charity as well as plans for the future. Fiona Luth founded Fiji Book Drive in 2012, following the loss of her second parent. While in Kadavu, Fiji, she experienced a moment of clarity, realising her desire to create as much positivity in the world as possible. Inspired by Peter and Margaret Long, who run the charity 'Children of Fiji', and conversations with her friend Lavenia Tamani about the lack of books in schools, Fiona became acutely aware of the challenges faced by Fijian students. With English being the compulsory language of instruction in Fiji, Fiona saw an opportunity to make a significant impact. Upon returning to Australia, Fiona shared her vision of a book drive with her friend Laura Hahn. Laura embraced the idea, offering crucial support through her family's freight forwarding business for the first five years of the initiative. Since its inception in 2012, Fiji Book Drive has made a remarkable impact, donating over 300,000 books to 194 schools and kindergartens across Fiji. The charity's mission is rooted in the belief that education empowers students and communities, with access to proper resources being key to a quality education. Recognising the abundance of educational materials in Australia, Fiji Book Drive aims to redirect these resources to under-resourced schools in Fiji. The organisation's primary goal is to improve educational outcomes and life opportunities for Fijian students by increasing access to educational resources, with a focus on literacy. They strive to repurpose books, computers, and other educational materials, transferring them from those who no longer need them to those who do. Additionally, Fiji Book Drive is committed to operating sustainably, keeping resources out of landfills and prioritizing the distribution of durable goods. Fiji Book Drive is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mark-longbottom2/message

Today on the Take on Board podcast I'm speaking with Michelle Cutler about conflicts of interest.Michelle is on the board of Shaun Parker & Company - small modern dance company known for its diversity and social commentary works.She has previously been on the boards of Address Housing (community housing provider for women and children fleeing domestic violence) and Give a Smile - providing free orthodontic treatment to kids on public dental lists.Michelle started her working life as a lawyer in Asia before moving to London to work in business advisory across Europe and the US. She has been back in Australia for the past 10 years working as a CEO in the NFP and membership association sector. Her last role was as CEO of Community Legal Centres Australia. At the moment she is working with a small number of clients focussing on strategic planning and governance.Links and ResourcesMichelle on LinkedInManaging Conflicts of Interest Guide by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Conflicts of Interest article by AICDBoard Conflict of Interest Policy from the Institute of Community Directors Upcoming TOB EventsAll eventsYou might want to:Join the Take on Board Facebook communityJoin the Take on Board LinkedIn communityFollow along on TwitterWork with meJoin the Take on Board: Kickstarter group programJoin the Take on Board: Accelerator group programFind out more about meContact me Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Charity Chat, ACNC Commissioner Sue Woodward AM joined us to discuss all things advocacy. The discussion specifically covers the upcoming Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum and what charities should be aware of before advocating for or against the referendum. 

Avustralya Yardım Kurumları ve Kâr Amacı Gütmeyen Kuruluşlar Komisyonu Başkanı Sue Woodward, yardım toplayan kuruluşları, The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission'a (ACNC) kaydolmaya çağırıyor.

In this episode the new ACNC Commissioner Sue Woodward AM tells us about her remarkable career and contribution to the charity and not-for-profit sector. She outlines the instrumental role she played in the formation of the ACNC and her vision going forward.

Christmas is the time of giving and receiving gifts It's also the time of year when lots of us like to donate to charity and give back to less fortunate people.  However, admit data leaks and scams that have been circulating this year, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission are warning the public to be careful when giving to charity this Christmas.  It's disappointing to hear that data breaches and fake charities are rising, and unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of people's goodwill.  Acting ACNC Commissioner Deborah Jenkins joins Warren Moore to discuss what we can do to ensure that our money actually goes to the charity of our choice and not to a scam. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This weeks guest Agnes Nsofwa is a registered nurse, data analyst, author, Global Health Advocate, Managing Director of Unique Living Options, Advocacy Consultant at AMN Advocacy Consulting Services specialising in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and Mental Health, founder of Amplify Sickle Cell Voices International Inc (ASVI) and Zambian Network For Sickle Cell Disease, as well as being the Founder and CEO of Australian Sickle Cell Advocacy Inc (ASCA) - Australia's first charity exclusively dedicated to serving the sickle cell community.Agnes' journey could not be experienced through one episode, so this is part 2 of this 3 part feature! In this part 2 Agnes goes into great detail of her families sickle cell story, the origins of sickle cell, the treatments offered, sickle cell pregnancy and why she started Australia's first sickle cell charity.Connect with Agneshttps://aussicklecelladvocacy.orghttps://linktr.ee/agnesnsofwaPlease subscribe if you feel the vibe and connect with Danieal via www.danieal.co.ukDisclaimer : Reggae Uprising Podcast does not own any of the rights to any of the music or extracts featured. It is used only as a tool of education, upliftment and empowerment for and of people of the diaspora.

This episode of Charity Chat in in two parts: a discussion with CEO of Volunteering Australia, Mark Pearce, about the important role that volunteers play in our communities and then a discussion with ACNC Commissioner Dr Gary Johns about how the Charity Register can help facilitate connections between volunteers and charities. Visit Volunteering AustraliaVisit the ACNC 

Mark Thomas is a current serving member of Victoria Police with 23 years experience. After attending a trauma scene in his career, Mark started to feel the effects of PTSI, which he ignored. The symptoms continue to worsen, a decade later he crashed and self hospitalised.After feeling intensely alone in hospital, with the assistance of some amazing friends, he founded the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission registered charity, The Code 9 Foundation.Website: markthomas.com.auFacebook.com/aftericemeltsInstagram.com/aftericemeltsTwitter.com/aftericemelts Follow the podcast Onemomentpleasepodcast.com IG:@onemomentpleasepodcast FB: OneMomentPlease

In this episode, ACNC Commissioner Dr Gary Johns, joined us to speak about the improvements to the Charity Register. We spoke about the benefits the enhanced Charity Register will bring to the charity sector and beyond.Explore the enhanced Charity Register now.

In Episode 86, “A Future for All,” Blenheim Partners' Gregory Robinson speaks to Tony Stuart, Chief Executive Officer of UNICEF Australia.In an eye-opening discussion, Tony shares with us the sobering reality children from the most disadvantaged and marginalised sectors in Australia and around the world face; the threats to their safety as they grow up in a society rife with conflict and disasters. He also sheds a light on UNICEF's efforts to keep children safe, provide education, nutrition and health care as well as to support their long-term development and wellbeing.While Australia remains one of the richest countries in the world, some 3 million people, including more than 731,000 children are living in poverty. To find out more about UNICEF Australia and to support this most worthwhile of causes, please visit www.unicef.org.au.Tony also currently serves as Chair of the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission Advisory Board and is a member of the Prime Minister's Community Business Partnership. Previously, Tony was the CEO of the National Roads and Motorists' Association and Sydney Airports Corporation. He also recently chaired the Not-for-Profit Advisory Board to the National COVID-19 Commission, was a founding Director of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals, and a former Director of the Heart Research Institute of Australia and the Starlight Children's Foundation National Board.

Today's episode features two timely conversations. First, we are joined by Fiona York, Executive Officer of Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) and a broadcaster on 3CR with HAAG's program Raise the Roof. Fiona raises concerns about the government's crackdown on the charity sector via amendments to the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission (ACNC) regulations.NOTE: Since this episode was produced, the proposed amendment to the ACNC regulations that Fiona and I discussed was disallowed by the Senate, with Labor, Greens and the crossbench uniting to back a disallowance motion moved by Rex Patrick (Independent).  After this, we hear from Associate Professor Chelsea Watego, a Munanjahli and South Sea Islander woman, founding board member of Inala Wangarra, and Director of the Institute for Collaborative Race Research. Chelsea speaks with us about her new book Another Day in the Colony (UQP). This conversation was initially broadcast on 3CR's Thursday Breakfast program on Thursday the 18th of November 2021.

In this episode of Charity Chat, Amanda Robinson, Head of Social Innovation at Red Cross Australia, joined us to talk about innovation in the charity sector. We spoke about the work of the Red Cross's Humanitech project, how trying to solve problems can lead to innovation, and the importance of collaborating to innovate and solve problems. Make sure you visit the Red Cross' Humanitech website for more information on the projects available and how you can get involved.Visit the ACNC website for more episodes of Charity Chat. 

It is testament to experienced company director Gina Anderson's adaptability and genial nature that she has been able to turn her hand to every opportunity afforded to her. Born in country NSW and sent off to boarding school at 12, Gina Anderson attributes her boardroom success to maintaining those strong friendships forged at an early age and regularly checking in on old mates - as well as a touch of serendipity. Keeping in touch with her large network, as well as simply ‘being in the right place at the right time', has seen Gina secure many board roles - as well as “the job of a lifetime” as personal assistant to the Crown Prince El Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan in the early 90s.  As Gina tells Claire in this podcast, she was even involved in the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel before another chance meeting at a friend's wedding back in Australia drew her back into the corporate world and a seven-year stint in HR and senior management at Westpac. It was a banking contact who sang Gina's praises when she applied for a position on the board of Philanthropy Australia. “After I got the job, I was told I had been at the bottom of the list,' she tells Claire. She went on to be Executive Director and CEO for five years.  Now Gina is Chair of GDI Property Group and NED of GDI Funds Management as well as NED with The George Institute for Global Health. She has also been an advisory board member of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, was co-founder and Chair of Women's Community Shelters and is Philanthropy Fellow at University of NSW's Centre for Social Impact. In this podcast, Gina talks about the importance of networking and maintaining those contacts, describes what it was like going from struggling to find work during the recession in Australia to working for Jordanian royalty, and the reality of learning on the job. LinkedIn: Gina Anderson | Claire Braund (host) Further Information about Women on Boards (WOB) For further information about WOB membership, events & services, please visit our website. To receive our weekly newsletter, subscribe to WOB as a Basic Member (free). Join as a Full Member for full access to our Board Vacancies, WOBShare (our online member platform) and more.

ACNC Commissioner Gary Johns speaks about the latest edition of the Charities Report and what it says about the state of the charity sector. He speaks about the growth of the charity sector, the state of charities before the pandemic hit and how information and data can be better used to help charities and their work.Read the latest edition of the Australian Charities Report.Explore the data used for the Charities Report.

Welcome to our seventh and final episode of the Good Will Hunters Autumn Series: The NGO of the Future. This series is presented with sponsorship from Alinea Whitelum. Learn more about their work here alineawhitelum.com In this episode, co-hosts Paul Ronalds and Rachel Mason Nunn speak with Jo Cavanagh and David Crosbie on the challenges and opportunities highlighted in earlier episodes and discuss how NGO leaders can overcome some of the specific barriers to transformation in the NGO sector. Jo Cavanagh is the Chair of the Good Things Foundation, and was previously CEO of Family Life. Jo is also an adjunct professor at Swinburne University. David Crosbie is CEO of the Community Council of Australia. Previously David was the CEO of the Mental Health Council of Australia, and has served on the Advisory Board of The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. Enjoy the episode, The GWH Team

Now that we've gotten past Easter, what better way to prepare for Pentecost than to discuss Pentecostalism with one of my favourite YouTubers, Prophet Of Zod! We discuss the history of Pentecostalism in America, the 4 Great Awakenings, the weird beliefs of Pentecostalism, and some of the dangers it can bring. It's weird hearing a familiar voice talking to you... Mentioned: William Lane Craig, Assemblies of God, Hillsong, Answers In Genesis, Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, Harold Camping, sleep paralysis, Kenneth Copeland, Rodney Howard-Brown, mental health, speaking in tongues, Australian Charities & Not-For-Profits Commission, Rise Up Australia, Catch The Fire Ministries, Telltale, Jim Bakker, . –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For more thought-provoking content, head over to the Tall Friendly Atheist Dad blog at http://www.tallfriendlyatheistdad.com, check out the tweets at http://www.twitter/com/tfadpod, and check out the book "The Best Religion For The Task At Hand" available on iTunes and Google Play. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Trick or Treat (instrumental) by RYYZN https://soundcloud.com/ryyzn Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/l_trick-or-treat Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/uNPXJ9CDzbc ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Australians donate more than 780,000 tonnes of clothing and goods to charity stores every year and a large quantity ends up in landfill or shops to be sold for profit. Many people are unaware of how to ensure their donation reaches the needy.

acnc.gov.au

ACNC resources Philanthropy AustraliaKordaMentha

Welcome to our podcast with the Australian Charities and Not for profits Commission (ACNC), investment and advisory firm KordaMentha and Philanthropy Australia.In this two-part podcast we explore some of the issues around financial viability and solvency that are currently so challenging for many organisations in the charity and not-for-profit sector.Here you'll find a discussion between the ACNC, PA and KordaMentha on the potential scale of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, what to look out for and steps to take that may improve your situation.

Welcome to our podcast with the Australian Charities and Not for profits Commission (ACNC), investment and advisory firm KordaMentha and Philanthropy Australia.In this two-part podcast we explore some of the issues around financial viability and solvency that are currently so challenging for many organisations in the charity and not-for-profit sector.Here you'll find a discussion between the ACNC, PA and KordaMentha on the potential scale of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, what to look out for and steps to take that may improve your situation.

You can explore all the data used for the Charities Report in the interactive dataset available on the ACNC website at acnc.gov.au/charitydata.

For more about Free 3D Hands work producing protective equipment during COVID-19: free3dhands.org/face-shields-covid-19/For more about Free 3D Hands: free3dhands.org/For governance resources to help your charity: acnc.gov.au/governanceacnc.gov.au

Australians give a total of $9.9 billion to charities each year according to the most recent ACNC Australian Charities Report and we can only imagine that number will skyrocket in 2020 following this year's catastrophic bushfire season and COVID-19. When you make a donation, you trust that the money is going where it's needed most, right? Well, it's not always that simple. As we saw with the bushfire effort, surges in donations often present challenges for charity organisations that have the responsibility to distribute the funds. It can take months for the money to get where it's needed and it often gets tied up in necessary costs such as administration. This question of "where is my money going?" has made headlines this year, but it's a valid and important question to ask every time you make a donation - whether it's to a well-known charity, Go Fund Me or a donation box at the supermarket. We chatted to the Commissioner for the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission. Dr Gary Johns talks about where our donations go, what the responsibilities of registered charities are and what to look out for before you donate your time and money so you know it's going somewhere legit. Full show notes at https://www.finder.com.au/podcast Find us on Insta at https://www.instagram.com/pocketmoneypodcast Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/pocketmoneypodcast/ Listen and subscribe https://pod.link/1448147010  

In this episode of Charity Chat, ACNC Commissioner Dr Gary Johns is back to speak about the importance of charities managing donations properly. We speak about the challenges that charities face in managing large donations and how important it is to have good governance processes in place to be able to manage funds properly and avoid problems.acnc.gov.au

In this episode of Charity Chat, ACNC Commissioner Dr Gary Johns joined us in the aftermath of recent Australian bushfires to talk about how people can donate safely to charities and avoid scams. We spoke about the best ways to make sure your donation is going to a charity and the importance of checking the Charity Register to avoid scams.acnc.gov.au/charityregister

The World Economic Forum has identified Emotional Intelligence as one of the top 10 required skills in the workplace by 2020. As part of the Not for Profit Podcast series, join Mel Yates FCPA, Director of Reporting, Red Tape Reduction and Corporate Services at the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission hosting David Smith exploring the topic of Emotional Intelligence for Not for Profit Leaders.

In this episode I’m joined by three company directors, each with a unique outlook on the past, present and future of business. My three guest speakers are Ian Sampson, Michael James and Natasha Howie. Ian is an executive and non-executive director and chairman of several companies, advising senior leaders on complex issues. Michael is a company director and business advisor, working mostly with SMEs to grow their businesses and create a high performing culture. Similarly, Natasha is director of Ascend Media Australia and a marketing consultant specialist, and works primarily with people in the SME space in Brisbane. We chat about everything from business culture and brand identity to leadership, artificial intelligence and even Lime electric scooters. Episode highlights: An introduction to each speaker and their role Natasha’s work with clients on ‘micro moments’ A definition of micro moments - what people are doing when they’re online and how that changes the customer’s decision making Michael’s work with his clients - focusing more on business succession and how that can mean losing sight of opportunities for micro or macro moments for customers Looking at brand identity and understanding that it all starts from the soul of the leadership team The challenge with professional services Customer design - a huge issues that has come out of the Royal Commission into the finance and banking industry Michael’s views on the SME world and its lack of empathy towards client’s needs How the not-for-profit industry is changing - NDIS and pressure to amalgamate from the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) The Australian government’s pullback on funding is another huge change for the not-for-profit world Artificial intelligence and how it ties in with micro moments What does the workforce of the future look like? The future workforce needs ‘soft skills’ Having your own personal network of trusted professionals instead of relying on your employer’s network is key Michael’s work helping large corporations get back to basics Employee engagement is a reflection of culture Michael’s view that the best surrogate for culture is measuring leadership impact Risk management in a world where we don’t tolerate mistakes People are victims of the pay cheque in larger corporations so cultures are bypassed Board’s struggle with investing in the dynamic to make better decisions What Ian thinks the Royal Commission has got wrong Where are people looking for their fulfillment? Part-time job or hobbies etc. Understanding cultures through the perspective of Greek gods How to be an effective director The opportunity for innovation thanks to artificial intelligence The importance of making real human connections rather than fake, online connections through social media and other technology A look at Lime electric scooters - the business model and whether they’re actually any good Innovations in business that excite the speakers Two ways of looking at the world - through the lens of care and the lens of fear What would it take for organisations to embrace love? What are the five things corporates could learn from SMEs? What does leadership mean to everyone? If people can be better human beings rather than ‘human doings’, leadership will be better Company Director magazine article about directors paying more attention to middle managers The meaning of Sonder - being aware of the incidental people that make up our experience of life Arete Website: http://areteexecutive.com.au/ Richard Triggs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardtriggs/ Tap Into the Hidden Executive Job Market: http://areteexecutive.com.au/free-book/ Ian Sampson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianrsampson/ Michael James LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-james-8028694/ Natasha Howie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natashahowie/

Welcome to the CPA Australia and Pitcher Partners podcast series for the Not-for-Profit sector. In this five-part series, we discuss some of the key issues for those working in the NFP space, covering a different topic each podcast. Listen to the second topic “The NFP CFO of the Future” featuring expert presenter Mark Harrison – Partner / Executive Director of Pitcher Partners, Melbourne who responsible for leading the Business Advisory and Assurance offering; and Mel Yates, FCPA - Director of Reporting, Red Tape Reduction and Corporate Services at the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.

There are a number of current developments and other forthcoming changes that will have an impact on the operations of many charities around Australia in the near future. In this podcast episode, hear Melville Yates, Director for Reporting and Red Tape Reduction at the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission speak with Ram Subramanian, Policy Advisor in Reporting at CPA Australia, on the latest regulatory developments for charities.

How do you ask your manager if you can work from home? Do you trust your employees or team to be working when they’re not in the office? In this podcast episode, junior staff right through to business owners can learn how working remotely will help retain talent and increase the productivity of a team or organisation. You’ll also find tips on how to speak to your manager about working flexibly, and some of the barriers to implementing flexible work practices. Join Phu Nguyen, Chief Finance Officer, City of Melbourne, and Corey Hale, Director Corporate Services from Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group for their thoughts on this topic. Facilitated by Mel Yates, Director, Reporting and Red Tape Reduction, ACNC Corporate Services at Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. 

In this episode of Charity Chat, Ian Parry, Senior Manager of Compliance at the ACNC, joins us to speak about charities handling conflicts of interest. Ian briefly explains what a conflict of interest is before talking about the importance of being able to identify and manage them appropriately - and provides some tips for doing so. acnc.gov.au/conflictsofinterest acnc.gov.au

A discussion about how charities and businesses can work together to form mutually beneficial corporate partnerships. We look at the opportunities corporate partnerships provide, as well as tips for charities looking to work with a business to form a partnership. Corporate partnerships consultant Linda Garnett is our special guest for this episode of the podcast. The ACNC’s Charities and Corporate Partnerships guidance can be found here: acnc.gov.au/corporatepartnerships

Ballbusters - Speaks about their upcoming show on Saturday December 16thCam Walker - Campaigns co-ordinator Friends of the Earth- Talking about the mayor concern expressed in the social sector at the appointment of Dr Gary Johns – considered a staunch critic of charities, as the new commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). There is a petition started by concerned members of the sector and supported by ALP member Andrew Leigh.Prof. Lyndall Ryan - Centre for the History of Violence and Centre for the 21st Century Humanities at the University of Newcastle - Alongside her research team are creating an online interactive map documenting massacres site locations, details of the individual massacres and, the sources corroborating evidence of the massacres - released in July http://thenamesofplaces.com/tnop/Reyadh al-Adassi - Public Relations Officer - Palestinian Community Association of Victoria - Talking about Trump's plans to relocate the US Embassy to Jerusalem and the solidarity march opposing Trump's decisionDr Micaela Sahhar - Australian-Palestinian poet and academic - Her PhD focused on the impact of Israeli national narrative in Western media reporting of two 21st century assaults on the Occupied Palestine Territories while more recently her work looked at comparisons of Israeli and Australian settler-colonial paradigms as well as ideas of subterranean forms of resistance in vanishing landscapes, both conceptual and geographical. Sary Zananiri - Australian-Palestinian artist and academic - his PhD looked at the ways in which biblical frameworks colour the imaging of the Palestinian landscape and more recently he has been researching the masculinity and transgression in the Middle Eastern.

A discussion about the report released by the ACNC and AUSTRAC looking into the risks of money laundering and terrorism financing for charities and not-for-profits. Amongst details of the report's findings, we talk about the nature of the risks faced by charities and what they can do to mitigate them. You can read the full report, Australia’s non-profit organisation sector: money laundering and terrorism financing risk assessment, on the ACNC website at acnc.gov.au/nfprisk

A new report commissioned by Pro Bono Australia in partnership with the Human Rights Law Centre, has found that not for profits are on a path of quiet advocacy. The Civil Voices research showed that to a greater or lesser degree civil society organisations are engaging in various forms of “self silencing” – treading very carefully in their advocacy work, less they risk financial security and political retribution. In this episode of Not for Podcast: Where Not for Profits Fear to Tread, we unpack the report and look at the current state of not-for-profit advocacy in Australia, and how it compares to a decade ago. The latest research is framed against Australia Institute’s 2004 report, Silencing Dissent: Non-government organisations, which detailed the growing fears across the NGO sector concerning their right to advocate in the public policy domains, and more broadly about their changing role in the democratic process. A lot has happened in the 13 years since that report was published including changes to the political and regulatory landscape, the formation of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, the passing of the Charities Act and advances in the digital landscape. But Civil Voices shows us that Australian civil society still needs to be supported and encouraged to engage in frank and fearless advocacy. Pro Bono Australia is proud to have spearheaded the research and believes it sits firmly within the remit of our social impact mission to give a voice to civil society organisations. We know from a previous sector-wide survey conducted by Pro Bono Australia in 2015 that nine out of 10 not-for-profit respondents considered recognition of their advocacy role as the most important factor in developing the social sector. From our unique position as an umbrella to the sector we were able to take the temperature of civil society organisations on this important matter. In this podcast we speak to report author Sarah Maddison about what the report tells us about how charities are feeling at the moment; we talk to Community Council of Australia CEO David Crosbie about whether some of the sector’s fears are being realised; and we talk to the former president of the Human Rights Commission Gillian Triggs about the dangers of silencing the charity sector and what we can do to make sure organisations are not silenced. Download the transcript here. Featured in this episode: University of Melbourne Associate Professor Sarah Maddison Community Council of Australia CEO David Crosbie Former president of the Human Rights Commission Gillian Triggs   Produced by Wendy Williams and Luke Michael. Recorded in November 2017.  

Acting Commissioner Murray Baird is back to discuss the ACNC's latest research into public trust and confidence in Australia’s charities. We touch on the research methods before discussing the results and what they may mean for the charity sector. acnc.gov.au/trustandconfidence acnc.gov.au

A discussion with Melville Yates, the director or reporting and red tape reduction at the ACNC about the recently issued 2017 Annual Information Statement.  The podcast provides an overview of the information that is requested through the revised AIS, what the changes are and what the ACNC's expectations are when charities complete and submit the AIS.

We take a look at the issue of engaging in advocacy in this episode of Charity Chat. Assistant Commissioner Murray Baird explains advocacy and talks about where it can become a concern for charities. The discussion outlines the boundaries of charity advocacy, makes the distinction between a charity’s activities and its overarching purpose, and reiterates the need for charities to make sure their activities of advocacy are tied to their charitable purpose. For more on advocacy: acnc.gov.au/advocacy And for advocacy during elections: acnc.gov.au/politicaladvocacy acnc.gov.au

We discuss the importance of a charity investing in the board's education and training to be most effective. Commissioner Susan Pascoe talks about the benefits of spending time and money on the capacity of a board, she touches on some of the ways charities can do this, and dispels the misguided perception that charities cannot use funds for this sort of thing. acnc.gov.au

A discussion with Assistant Commissioner Murray Baird about the origins of charity, what it takes to be a charity today, and the difference between charities and not-for-profits. acnc.gov.au Transcript Matt: Hello and welcome to Charity Chat – the ACNC’s podcast. In this episode, we’ll talk about the origins of charity, what it takes to be a charity today and the difference between a charity and a not-for-profit. My name is Matt Crichton and I’m from the Education team here at the ACNC and joining me today to talk about these issues is the Assistant Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission – Murray Baird. Hello Murray. Murray: Hello Matt. Matt: Murray, I think a lot of people would have an idea of the concept of charity and generally know what it means to be a charity in the community. Can you give us an overview of your idea of the concept of charity, its origins, and what it means to be a charity today? Murray: Yeah. Well it may come as a surprise to many in the community that the charity is much wider than we would normally expect. I think most people think of charities as organisations that help the community or assist people in need. But the idea of charity, go back about 400 years, is much wider than that. Originally, Queen Elizabeth I had to work out where people put money into charitable funds and whether it was being properly used. So she gave some ideas in an Act of Parliament as to what we meant by charity. And these were over time distilled into four categories. The first category was the popular meaning – that was caring for people in need who were ill or disadvantaged. Matt: Right, what most people would associate with charity? Murray: Yeah that’s right. But it does go further because the second category is advancement of education. So education is seen as good for the community and if it’s done on a not-for-profit basis, schools and universities also fall within the concept of charity. Matt: OK and I think that one is probably one that doesn’t quite fit the regular conception of charity for many people. It’s one that probably sits off to the side a little bit. Murray: Yeah, but I suppose if you think about it, a community is much better off if there is access to education and before the government was fully involved in education, clearly people who stepped up and offered it on a not-for-profit basis, were regarded as doing good works. Matt: Yeah, right. Murray: The third one is the idea of advancement of religion. So it was presumed that if you were involved in religion, you were giving people hope and security and moral improvements and that was good for the wider community. So advancement of religion came in and that covers all religious expressions. And then there was a grab bag of things that we thought were good for the community and we recognised all to be charitable. And over the years, the big ones that emerged there, were that the safety and security of the community; the progress of the community and encouragement of, interestingly enough, agriculture and business; we have protection of the environment, and arts and culture were said to be good for the community. So they were just put in a fourth category of other things beneficial to the community. Matt: Right, so there was recognition that there were plenty of other things that benefitted the community but just didn’t fit into those other three categories of charity that were available at the time? Murray: That’s exactly right, yep. Matt: And you mentioned that these categories came about over centuries, has there been any further sharpening of the concepts of charity or even a codification of these charitable purposes since? Murray: Yeah I think that’s a good way of looking at what happened in 2013 when the Australian government, for Commonwealth purposes, set out in the Charities Act, 12 charitable purposes. And the traditional ones are there under Advancing Health and Advancing Social and Public Welfare – there’s Advancing Education and there’s Advancing Religion. But what it does in setting out 12 charitable purposes is tease out that fourth category that I talked about earlier. And so we also find on that list Advancing Culture; Reconciliation; Mutual Respect; Tolerance; Human Rights; Safety and Security; Animal Welfare; the Environment and Advocacy for charitable purposes. And they even put a grab bag in called Other Purposes that are similar to those ones set out. Matt: Right, so even miscellaneous remains? Murray: Yeah, miscellaneous is still in there. Matt: OK and if we consider the charitable purpose or purposes as just one aspect of operations that an organisation must have if it’s to be considered a charity and registered with the ACNC as a charity, what are the other criteria that an organisation must meet? Murray: Yeah, there are three hoops you have to jump through. The first is you’ve got to be not-for-profit and that doesn’t mean you can’t make a profit – in fact we encourage charities to be sustainable - to have a bit of surplus at the end of the year. What it means is your purpose is not to give private profit to individuals. Matt: OK. Murray: You can pay staff – that’s reasonable. You can of course give benefits to the people who are the objects of your charity, but you can’t set out with a purpose of creating wealth for people. Matt: Right, so you can’t be distributing any surplus that the organisation may come across to any members or anything like that? Murray: No paying dividends. Matt: Of course not. And the third hoop, Murray? Murray: Yeah. When I mentioned three hoops – not-for-profit – it’s got to come within that list of 12 charitable purposes. And it also should be able to show public benefit. Public benefit can be looked at a number of ways. One, is it’s the opposite of private benefit – so it’s not there for individuals to gain wealth. Matt: Yep. Murray: But also, it has to show that there’s something good happening in the wider community, and it’s got to be more than just a small group or a family group. It’s got to be public benefit. So public benefit has got lots of flavour to it, but it really means that when we look at it, we say “Yeah, that’s good for the community.” And it’s also the opposite of detriment to the community. Matt: Of course. Murray: So if a charity has a track record of doing really bad stuff, we might say “Well, that’s not for the public benefit. That’s for the public detriment. We’re not going to allow it in.” They’re the three things. It’s got to be not-for-profit; got to have a charitable purpose; got to be for the public benefit. Matt: And are there any things that would strike a line through an organisation that wants to be registered as a charity? Are there any restrictions on what they can and can’t do? Murray: Yeah, there are a couple of things called “disqualifying purposes”. And those disqualifying purposes is to have a purpose of doing things that are illegal, and that makes sense. We don’t particularly want organisations to set up for illegality. And the other is not to cross the boundary into the political arena. Now, there’s a lot of debate about where that boundary is, but the Charities Act helps us by saying it’s the support or opposing of a political candidate or a political party. So that then makes you a political instrument instead of a charitable organisation. Matt: OK, right. Murray: That’s not to say you can’t be involved in the marketplace of ideas and express opinions as a charity on issues that will come up in the political process. But it’s when you actually say to people “Vote for this candidate. Vote for this party.” That’s what we’re on about. We’re on about the furtherance of this party or the opposition to that party, that really gets you into a different area. Matt: And how about an individual then? Could I register myself as a charity? Murray: You’ll recall that we talked of a public benefit – what we say is that an individual can’t be a charity. You have to at least have a group of people who come together for that charitable purpose. Matt: Right, OK. Murray: So we call it a “body of persons”. You could incorporate; become an association or a company – you don’t have to… as long as you’re an identifiable crowd and you could prove that you have a charitable purpose and you’re not-for-profit and for the public benefit, you can become a charity. Often, a constitution is the document in which you will express that purpose. Matt: Right, OK. And just touching on this concept of not-for-profit briefly, because we have talked about it in the context of how an organisation can become a charity, that I think there may be some confusion still in the public consciousness about the terms “charity” and “not-for-profit”. These terms don’t mean exactly the same thing but then again they’re not mutually exclusive, are they? Murray: I think if you think of one large circle of not-for-profit organisations – that will include sporting clubs which are not charitable; that will include membership and social clubs that are not for the public benefit generally. They’re for the benefit for the people who joined them. Matt: Right. Murray: It might be in a Bridge club – that’s not-for-profit but it’s not charitable. Matt: OK. Murray: So it is said that there’s probably about 600,000 not-for-profit organisations in Australia, but there’s only about 55,000 registered charities. So charities are simply a subset of not-for-profits. Matt: OK. Murray: So you can be not-for-profit and not a charity, but you can’t be a charity without being not-for-profit. Matt: OK, so we should think about charities as being – they’re not-for-profits that have a charitable purpose? Murray: Exactly and are for the public benefit. Matt: Yeah, of course. What about the organisations, and there would be a few out there in the community, that have a mixture of purposes? So they are not-for-profit; they do have a charitable purpose, but then they also have other purposes that aren’t considered charitable according to those 12 categories that we spoke about just before? Murray: Yep. We talk about having to have solely charitable purposes. Now, that needs a bit of unpacking because you can have purposes in support of your solely charitable purposes. So there can be other purposes, but they must be what we call “ancillary”. But if they’re an independent purpose, beside a charitable purpose and the other purpose is not charitable, that pollutes the idea of a charity. Matt: OK, so that would prevent them from being able to register as a charity, because a charity needs to have solely charitable purposes? Murray: Yeah, solely charitable but you can have some ancillary purposes or supportive purposes. Matt: OK, well that may be a useful way to think of the phrase “ancillary purposes” actually. They are the supportive purposes – the ones that are there to support the charitable purposes of the charity? Murray: Yeah that’s right. I think that if you had a charitable purpose and an independent non-charitable purpose, you might think of creating two separate organisations. Matt: OK. Murray: One which could register, and the other which could run in parallel as long as it wasn’t some form of device to be able to get around the system. But it would be possible to have cooperation between two organisations. Matt: Well that’s just about all we have time for. Thank you very much for your time today, Murray. I think you’ve done a great job explaining the concept of charity, where it’s come from and also where it sits today, particularly that point about the difference between a charity and a not-for-profit. Murray: It’s interesting that we’re called the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission. I think when we were first envisaged, we were starting with charities and perhaps we would move to not-for-profits as well, but there’s nothing on the horizon for that as far as I know at the moment. Matt: Yes, well maybe at some point, sometime down the line. Thanks again, Murray. We really appreciate you taking the time today to explain all things charity and not-for-profits to us. Murray: Thanks very much, Matt. Matt: Be sure to check out other episodes of ACNC Charity Chat and other resources including guides, facts sheets and webinars on our website at acnc.gov.au. And if you enjoyed this podcast and would like to hear more, subscribe on iTunes or wherever you happen to access it. Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next time.

Murray Baird, Assistant Commissioner and General Counsel for the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) talks with Vanessa Hall about trust in the charity sector in Australia.

Building a Successful Social Enterprise with Katie Wyatt Want to use your business skills and the power of the market for social good? Then you may want to consider social enterprises a.k.a not-for-profit businesses. Katie Wyatt is a wellness and business coach for social enterprises, which are businesses that raise money for and support a social cause. These businesses may employee people who would not otherwise be able to find a job, including the homeless and those with disabilities. It is not easy to start a new business and be successful. It is a big undertaking and not for everyone. Achieving social purpose as well as profit is twice as hard! But the payoff can be well worth it. So, how do you create an enterprise that has social benefit? Or how do you retrofit what you currently do in business to serve a social benefit? You have to have two main things: passion and business sense. What’s going to get you out of bed each day? A passion to help others. But you also need to address the business side – purpose, metrics, outcomes, business models, legalities, etc. Therefore, any business needs to be profitable – to put money back into the business and help its cause. Otherwise, the social purpose would not matter at all. So ask yourself these questions in order to be successful: Why are you starting the business? How much money you will need? If you can succeed with a social enterprise, you can succeed anywhere. Now, get out there and do some good! In this episode of Business Brain Food you will learn: ** Definition of social enterprises/not-for-profit businesses ** Differences between social enterprises and regular businesses ** What is needed to have a successful social enterprise ** How to obtain money for startup capital ** Steps to start a social enterprise ** Types of employees at social enterprises ** Importance of identifying ideal customers ** Development of foundations and charities Resources mentioned in this episode: ** ActionCOACH (http://actioncoachanz.com/itunes) ** ActionCOACH (http://actioncoachanz.com/stitcher) ** ActionCOACH Session (www.businessassessment.com.au) ** Skype (www.skype.com) ** The Voice (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voice_(Australian_TV_series)) ** Thank you Water (https://thankyou.co/) ** Daniel Flynn (http://actioncoachanz.com/bbf039-daniel-flynn-thankyou-group) ** Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission (https://www.acnc.gov.au/) ** Social Traders (http://www.socialtraders.com.au/) ** Dwayne Martens (http://actioncoachanz.com/bbf059-from-uni-dropout-to-a-multi-million-dollar-business-with-dwayne-martens) ** Niulife (https://www.niulife.com/) ** The Wellness Entrepreneur (http://www.thewellnessentrepreneur.com.au/) ** Pinterest (www.pinterest.com) ** Life in Half a Second (http://www.lifeinhalfasecond.com/)   Do you want to make a difference with your business? Then, use the advice provided in this episode to get started. Also, if you are enjoying these Business Brain Food podcasts, then make sure to share them via social media sites or email the links to family and friends. A lot of time and effort goes into producing each of these podcasts with the goal in mind of the more people we can inspire about business the better. You can help us do just that! Until next time, have a profitable day. Cheers, Ben Fewtrell (02) 9111 5000