Guiding the next generation of philanthropists

Lucy Steggles holds two roles in the community, as chair of Nexus Australia and as part of the executive team at mental health charity Batyr. She is this week’s Changemaker. 

Lucy Steggles started her career as a marketing assistant in the legal sector, after completing a Bachelor of Business at UTS. After 13 years working with law firms and moving into business development and strategy roles, she felt the drive to move into the for purpose sector. Through her family’s philanthropic work (her family owns the iconic Australian poultry company Steggles), she joined Philanthropy Australia as a member and also Nexus Australia, as a committee member. From there, Steggles’ passion for social and environmental causes started to take more shape. 

She eventually left the legal sector to take a role with mental health charity Batyr, where she has worked for four years, currently as head of partnerships and growth. 

“Moving into the NFP sector was one of the best things I’ve done, and knowing I’m making a difference in the work I do every day, fills me with a lot of joy and purpose,” she says. 

In this week’s Changemaker, Steggles explains how she is inspired by her dual roles in the sector and what success looks like to her.

What does your role at Nexus involve and how did you get into it? Were you looking for a position like this?

Well to provide some context, Nexus is a global movement of more than 5000 young people from over 70 countries working to increase and improve philanthropy and social change. It works to bring together the next generation of philanthropists (aged 20 to 45), impact investors, leading young social entrepreneurs and allies to catalyse new leadership and accelerate solutions to the world’s greatest social problems. 

It was started in New York, convened in conjunction with the United Nations, and every year there are Nexus Summits and events around the world including the flagship Global Summit that takes place in New York at the United Nations. 

I first found out about the Nexus community in 2015 through my family’s membership with Philanthropy Australia. Caroline Vu was running the Philanthropy Australia Next Gen program at the time, and connected me with the then chair Nina Skrynski who invited me to join the Nexus committee. I didn’t know that something like Nexus existed, and I remember feeling that I had found my tribe when I attended my first Nexus Summit.

I’m now the chair and regional director for Australia, leading a committee of ten, spread across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. My role involves leading our committee to deliver against our theory of change which is to connect, inspire and activate the next generation of philanthropists, impact investors, and leading young social entrepreneurs; to help them collaborate and innovate to address some of our most pressing social and environmental problems. 

What attracted you to this position?

I’ve been involved with Nexus for seven years, and being part of the community now feels like a core part of my identity. I think without it I wouldn’t have had the courage, community support or passion to move full time into the for purpose space. As chair I get to work with an incredible and passionate committee of like-minded people who all have a drive and a passion to engage the next generation of wealth holders, to drive change. 

There is going to be a huge intergenerational transfer of wealth in Australia over the next two to three decades. $3 trillion will pass from the older generations to the younger generation. So the time is now to engage the younger generations of wealthy families to unlock their passions and find their purpose in the world of philanthropy and social change. 

I really believe that it’s the younger generation (those in their 20s and 30s) who have the ideas, the creativity, the energy and the spirit to find solutions to create a brighter future.

What makes Nexus different to other networks for the social change sector and how does it drive change?

Unlike most other philanthropic organisations that I know of, Nexus has been created only for the younger generations. It’s a community that young people can join at any stage of their philanthropic journey to begin to learn about philanthropy, find their passions, and connect with some of the country’s brightest young social change makers working across a range of social and environmental causes.

Our summits and events have a vibrant energy and youthful vibe. It is also uniquely positioned as its part of a global community from over 70 countries. Every year we take a delegation to New York. This year we had 28 Australians join our Australian delegation to the Nexus Global Summit where we connected with peers just like us from over 35 countries. It was an incredible, life changing experience. 

What would you like to achieve in your time with Nexus?

It is already the largest global network of next gen philanthropists, and I believe it is also Australia’s largest network of next gen philanthropists, impact investors and leading social entrepreneurs. I’d like to work with our committee and our collaboration partners to continue to grow the network, bringing more young people into the world of philanthropy, increase engagement, and help unlock the passions of those just starting out on their journey. 

What advice would you give to other young changemakers and philanthropists just starting out in the industry?

There are some terrific networks that you can join which will allow you to embark on a journey of social change (whether that be professionally or as a side interest). I can hand on heart suggest that joining the Nexus community to meet other like minded young people is a great way to start. I’d absolutely recommend applying to attend the upcoming Nexus Summit at Carriageworks in Sydney on 2 to 4 November. It will be the best 2.5 days of your year and will change your life. You’ll meet so many incredible, passionate young people just like you. You can apply on the website. 

What does a typical day look like for you?

Well, my role at Batyr is very busy. There are a lot of young people needing mental health support right now, and so Batyr has had a huge increase in demand for their mental health education programs this year.

I work with an incredible team and we run a pretty tight ship, so on the daily I’m out and about flying the Batyr flag and meeting with people who are keen to support Batyr’s work.  I catch up on my Nexus responsibilities in the evenings and usually on Sunday afternoons, but it’s a very busy schedule for me and our other committee members in the lead up to our summit (most of our committee are next gens themselves who are also volunteers with full time jobs). 

What is your proudest achievement throughout your career to date?

I recently attended one of Batyr’s school programs, where I saw a young person share the story of their mental health journey in front of a room of 150 strangers. This young girl showed strength, courage and resilience in the face of adversity and you could have heard a penny drop in the room, as the students listened to the story. Some even came up and hugged her at the end for showing such courage and strength. It’s moments like those that make me proud to work at Batyr, and proud to have left the corporate world to do something that feels uniquely important.

What are some of the challenges facing your organisations and the social change sector more generally?

One thing that I think about a lot with my work at Batyr and Nexus is the financial sustainability of these organisations. How can we create models that allow for more self generating revenue and less reliance on donations. Of course there will always be a place for donations, philanthropy and community giving, but I think we need to find and fund new and innovative models to better support the long term financial security of our for purpose sector. 

What does success look like for you?

That’s a big question. At the risk of sounding like I’m speaking from a Miss Australia pageant, success to me is when I feel like I am doing something that is helping to make the planet a better place. I am acutely aware that I have been born into such a privileged existence, so I feel a great degree of responsibility to help those (in Australia and abroad) who have not been as fortunate and who have not had the opportunities, education or privilege that I have had. The messaging from Peter Singer’s book “The Life You Can Save” really resonates with me in terms of my attitude to the world and the legacy I want to leave as an individual, and member of my family.  

How do you wind down at the end of the week?

I go to F45 several times a week, which allows me to keep physically and mentally fit. I also love catching up with my twin sister and heading to Manly beach for a swim.