This webinar series will explore topics of interest to Community Foundations in Australia, featuring speakers and guests who are involved with Community Foundations in various capacities and in different regions.

Community Foundations & GivingTuesday 2020 

14 OCTOBER | 12:00 – 1:00 PM (AEDT)

GivingTuesday, coordinated in Australia by Our Community, is a global generosity movement that is closely aligned with the values of community philanthropy. For charities and not-for-profits, participation is potentially a way to raise awareness, reach out to new supporters and increase giving. 

This webinar will introduce the GivingTuesday concept and will explore how it can be leveraged to benefit your community and your foundation.

Speakers
Alex McMillan from the team at Our Community
Andrew Eales, CEO at The Ballarat Foundation

Bequest campaigns & marketing

21 OCTOBER | 12:00 – 1:00 PM (AEDT)

Bequests have a special place in a comprehensive fundraising program. They will typically be larger than gifts made during a donor’s lifetime. For community foundations that are growing a permanent financial asset for their community, bequests can be transformative. Bequest giving in Australia is very low. A collaborative approach to promoting awareness of bequests among donors and professional advisers will amplify the rate of change we can achieve.

Guest speaker
Our special guest for this webinar is Eleanor Cater, Executive Director of Community Foundations of New Zealand. Eleanor will share why and how CFNZ brought together its community foundation members for the ‘September is Wills Month’ campaign and what they have learned so far.

Ethical investing for Community Foundations

28 OCTOBER | 12:00 – 1:00 PM (AEDT)

Investing plays a crucial role in a community foundation’s asset growth strategy. Ethical considerations add another level of complexity to the investment balancing act between risk and reward. While most community foundations recognise the importance of ethical investing, including for their donors and supporters, it may not be easy to achieve for smaller foundations. 

Speakers
Maree Sidey, CEO of Australian Communities Foundation, will explain why and how ACF decided to engage Brightlight as the Foundation’s new investment management and advisory firm.

Brightlight‘s Tim Macready will talk about the firm’s investment philosophy and approach that focus on achieving positive social and environmental returns alongside – and without sacrifice to – strong financial performance.

Helping the helpers: Peer support for communities in the aftermath of emergency

4 NOVEMBER | 12:00 – 1:00 PM (AEDT)

In a natural disaster or other emergency, it is understood that first responders need support. But what about the local community volunteers who contribute tirelessly behind the scenes? The people who work as long and hard as any firefighter, delivering essential and sometimes ‘invisible’ support in their community, often over extended periods.

During Australia’s Black Summer, some Community Foundation practitioners found themselves in that very position. They will share their experiences and ideas on how we can strengthen the collective support network. We will also hear from an expert peer support coordinator in bushfire recovery about how we may be able to work better together to help us through future emergencies.

Speakers
Louise Halsey, Chair of the Community Foundation for Tumut Region
Sara Jenkins, Executive Officer of the Upper Murray Innovation Foundation in Corryong

Evolving community philanthropy practice in a fast-changing environment: Lessons from 2020

11 NOVEMBER | 12:00 – 1:00 PM (AEDT)

COVID19 has created a new environment for community philanthropy. Reality for people in our communities is changing far more rapidly than available data about need, disadvantage, and vulnerability. 

What practical changes have Community Foundations made through this year in working with their grantees, local charities, donors, and the community? What are we learning from adapting our practice? Will some of this year’s changes become permanent and our new best practice?

Speakers
Louise Kuramoto, Head of Philanthropy and Impact at Australian Communities Foundation
More speakers to be announced soon!