ASF recently held Christmas Drinks which was generously hosted by our Partner KPMG in Sydney.

Many ASF Scholars, Partners and Supporters attended.

ASF Scholar Mr. Lincoln Hopper, Executive Leader Community Services of Mission Australia spoke about the importance of education and development in the NFP sector.

ASF CEO Amy Lyden shared ASF's 2009 highlights and strategic plans for 2010.   Click HERE for ASF's 2009 Review.

ASF wishes to thank all its Partners and Supporters for making 2009 an exciting year of growth!    

 

 

Have a look at what our Supporters, Educators, Partners and Scholars have to say about ASF and the importance of training and development in the Not-For-Profit sector:

"As a result of attending the course we are looking at how social networking can support our volunteers, and have reviewed some of our social marketing practices.

 I think the possibilities are endless. There are many ways we can utilise social media to tell stories and provide information to caregivers at end-of-life.  

Like many not for profits, our organisation is reliant on a very small paid team and a large number of volunteers, so allocating resources towards training can be challenging. I see training and development as essential to the NFP sector, and the courses that the ASF offer enable people in the NFP sector access to programs that may not otherwise be there. Thank you for this opportunity."

 

Kerrie Noonan, Program Manager, Home Hospice, Scholarship for Social Media Marketing Practice, UTS, September 2009  

 

 "As a result of the course I was able to learn new skills related to the cost of acquisitions. I am now able to pass on to colleagues many new methods to improve response rates for acquisition campaigns and know how to compute Customer Lifetime value. I am able to understand the distinction between market & customer segmentation. 

Access to quality training and development for individuals employed in the not-for-profit sector is vital for a number of reasons:

1.  It helps to attract and retain staff, 2. It supports the organisation to operate at a level equal to its for-profit peers, and 3. It ensures that individuals employed in this sector are using best practise methodologies in their work with communities and governments."

 

Kerrie Barnett, National Manager- Fundraising Support, Mission Australia, Scholarship for "Managing Customer Relationships", UTS, September 2009

Following are some useful links and documents pertaining to Not-for-Profit organisations:

Productivity Commission Releases "Contribution of the Not-For-Profit Sector" Research Report  -  11 February 2010: 

The Commission was tasked by the Australian Government with measuring the contribution of the NFP sector. It was also asked to examine ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the sector, including in the delivery of government funded services. The changing nature of relationships between government, business and the NFP sector were also examined. Finally, the Commission considered the issues related to the effect of tax concessions available to NFPs on philanthropy and competitive neutrality, with due regard to the current Review of Australia’s Future Tax System (RAFTS). Recommendations for changes were made based on the research.  Click here to read the full report.

Productivity Commission Releases Draft Report  -  14-10-2009:

There is a need for wide-ranging reforms and a reduction in compliance costs faced by the not-for-profit sector, according to a much anticipated draft research report release by the Australian Productivity Commission.  ASF made a submission and is quoted in Section 10.26 of the report.  Click here to read the full report.

From the Australian Bureau of Statistics:

ABS:  The latest statistics on Non-Profit Institutions in Australia, published September 2009. 

ABS Media Release:  Non-profit institutions contribute 4.1% to the Australian Economy, released 18/9/09.

Various articles on the need for capacity building in the not-for-profit sector:

"Ten Nonprofit Funding Models", published by the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2009.

For-profit executives use business models—such as “low-cost provider” or “the razor and the razor blade”—as a shorthand way to describe and understand the way companies are built and sustained. Nonprofit executives, to their detriment, are not as explicit about their funding models and have not had an equivalent lexicon—until now.

"The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle", published by the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall 2009.

Most not for profits  (NFPs) are  challenged by  their inability to secure the "good overhead” required to achieve better results for their beneficiaries. In a world of "good overhead," NFP staff receive the education, training and development they need to do their best work; IT, HR, and finance systems strengthen operations; and teams have the tools to measure performance, inform decision-making, and improve efficiency and effectiveness. Unfortunately, most NFPs are starved for adequate overhead needed to build and maintain their capacity to lead and manage. This is reinforced  by donor and funder biases which often compel NFPs to  underreport their true needs. "The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle," which appeared in Stanford Social Innovation Review's Fall 2009 issue, proposes a way to turn this vicious cycle into a virtuous cycle.

"The Profit in Nonprofit", published by the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Summer 2009. 

Kiva, the first online peer-to-peer microcredit marketplace, is one of the fastest-growing nonprofits in history. But its nonprofit status was not inevitable. Here’s why Kiva chose to be a 501(c)(3), what this tax status buys the organization, and how being a nonprofit poses challenges. 

"Social Entrepreneurship Revisited", published by the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Summer 2009. 

Not just anyone, anywhere, in any organization can make breakthrough change. 

The Alchemy Project Feasibility Report - A study into leadership development opportunities for boards, management and staff in the not for profit sector, December 2008.

Explores the issues, needs, challenges and strengths of leadership development within the not-for-profit sector in Australia. 

Contrary and Congruent Views of Leadership and Management in the Australian Social Economy, SEEEN and Perpetual Foundation (2007). 

The Perpetual Foundation commissioned this research to gain insights into the drivers of leadership and management in the Social Economy and how this might be used to help the sector build its skills and capabilities.