Sector Insights

I am with Larry Page. A good idea is always crazy until they are not. Until people jump on the crazy wagon. And we are in an era where big ideas are needed. Transformational ideas that allow multiple partners to help us bust out some of our old, limiting paradigms. 

(First published by Probono Australia) by practitioner Adam Blanch
Narcissism is the bogey man of personality. It is surrounded by myth and fear, but it is a surprisingly common part of most people’s lives. We encounter it almost daily, with approximately 1 per cent of the population suffering a diagnosable level of the disorder, so that’s something like 70 or 80 million clinical narcissists in the world.

One of my most recent AHA moments was the realisation that we have many 'hidden faces of social change'. We often talk about those running for purpose organisations as the agents of change in our society, and while I concur, the face we forget is the many consultants and small businesses.

This piece was first published by Pro Bono Australia. People who know me know that I get fired up about language.

The recent Global Philanthropy report pays homage to the incredible work of Community Foundations and noting they are becoming beacons of philanthropy everywhere.  

Philanthropy Australia’s recent conference theme Future Ready inspired me to tease out the issue with long-standing sector leader and author of Savvy Giving, Genevieve Timmons. (Many thanks to Pro Bono News for first publishing this piece on 8 November 2016)

This morning, I was fortunate to spend 15 minutes chatting on ABC Gippsland about social change and philanthropy, and we homed in on the subject of crowd-funding which has long been something I have felt nervous about. I am often warning people to be really careful with crowd-funding.  

I have been working with a fabulous lady in her 70s, and we have been delving into a sector that very few large-scale donors have navigated. In this sector – like many – there are the obvious big players and countless smaller organisations, many of which have never received a direct inquiry from a potential philanthropist.

Yesterday I attended Day 2 of the National Community Foundations Forum, where I was fortunate enough to speak about community engagement, and also participate in the audience and learn from some of our sector's inspiring leaders.

I was listening to a podcast last night by Smita Singh from Womenpreneur program in the USA, and something she said really hit me...