An Exciting For-Good ‘Storm’
Thursday, 8th August 2013
In the For Good Blog this week Karen Mahlab looks at how Pro Bono Australia’s for-good hemisphere is on the rise.
Talk about being in the eye of the storm….At Pro Bono Australia we are about to step up the pace in our ‘for-good’ hemisphere with release of a number of new and exciting initiatives.
Over the next couple of months Pro Bono Australia and our partners will be delivering a number of projects that will crystalise our position as the Australian “Hub for Good”.
Pro Bono Australia is soon to release the results of our major Pre-Election Sector survey as soon as the responses from 1770 participants are collated and analysed. We have been very heartened by the sector’s response.
On the heels of the dramatic Federal Labor leadership victory to Kevin Rudd, the Not for Profit sector has been urged to deliver strong and clear messages on the reform agenda to our political leaders in the run up to the next election.
To make this happen we partnered with the Community Council of Australia and Tomorrow’s Agenda Research Institute to formulate an incisive online survey around the extensive sector reform that has taken place in recent years and the future of that reform.
As well, in collaboration with CPA Australia we have just rolled out our ‘Mentor the Treasurer’ program which has had enormous response from our readers.
The program offers qualified accountants the opportunity to add value to the community through a new Not for Profit ‘Mentor the Treasurer’ program.
Through this unique program, qualified CPA Australia members are able to volunteer their time and expertise to small Not for Profit organisations’ treasurers needing guidance and support in their roles. More than 150 CPAs have already signed on to take part in the ‘Mentor the Treasurer’ initiative.
Hard working volunteer treasurers will have the benefit of CPA Australia members’ professional support and guidance which in turn enables the acquisition of new skills and knowledge to fulfil the requirements of the treasurer’s role.
The program is available for small organisations. For more details click here.
But wait there’s more.
In another exciting initiative Pro Bono Australia and its partners are about to launch the 50 most significant Australian philanthropic gifts of all time – including grants, bequests and donations – as part of a project to inspire and promote philanthropy and champion success stories.
Swinburne University, Philanthropy Australia, The Sidney Myer Fund, The Myer Foundation, the Myer Family Company joined with Pro Bono Australia to help find the top philanthropic gifts in Australia.
The organisations set up a working group to find the ‘Top 50 Gifts’ and the results will soon be delivered with a major announcement and an interactive website to compliment the project which will allow the public to all vote on their ‘favourite’ gifts.
It has been an amazing and inspiring journey for all of us involved and we can’t wait to reveal the results publicly.
Subscribers to our new Corporate Community Impact News service will already be aware of our engagement with the community and business sector and issues around Corporate Social Responsibility.
Our new targeted website around these issue is now live and already gaining traction. Visit corporate community and feel free to give any feedback to janine@probonoaustralia.com.au.
This is one of those periods where many of the projects we have been working on over the past few months are coming to fruition in quick succession.
We are delighted – as they are all consistent with our purpose and further the profile and work of the community sector in Australia and the Social economy that surrounds it.
So I hope I am not sounding like a broken record (for those of you who remember what that sounds like) when I say again ‘watch this space’!
