Schedule details

Event Agenda

Join us for a dynamic two-day program exploring the future of Australia’s third sector. The agenda features keynote sessions, practical case studies and peer-led discussions on funding, governance, workforce, digital transformation and growth, alongside data-driven insights into how organisations can strengthen resilience and deliver sustainable impact.

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Stabilising your organisation: Funding, leadership & operational foundations

7:00 AM Registration opens

8:40 AM Welcome to Country

8:45 AMOpening remarks from the Chair

8:50 AMOpening remarks from the ACNC

Cate Bennett, ACNC, will kick off the forum with opening remarks on the sector and key takeaways from the latest Annual Charities Report. Her session will provide a timely overview of the trends, pressures and opportunities shaping the sector, and a strong foundation for the conversations that follow.

Morning Plenary

9:15 AM Opening keynote: Purposeful success: What the future of leadership can learn from the purpose sector

Exploring what leaders across every sector can learn from the purpose sector and the unique capabilities it fosters
Understanding the pressures facing not-for-profit organisations and what they mean for leaders across every sector
Recognising the value the sector creates for community wellbeing, resilience and long-term impact
Reframing success as “purposeful success” by focusing on the positive change leaders create for others

9:45 AM Panel discussion: Leading through constraint: how organisations are doing more with less

Identifying the toughest trade-offs senior leaders face across funding, workforce and service delivery

Benchmarking your constraint strategies against real peer organisation decisions
Selecting immediate actions that protect mission impact while achieving cost targets

Moderator:

Panellists:

10:15 AM Workforce crisis: retention, volunteers & psychosocial realities

Diagnosing key drivers of workforce decline across paid staff and volunteers

Benchmarking practical retention frameworks that address psychosocial needs

Implementing immediate actions to rebuild engagement and stabilise capacity

10:45 AM Morning refreshments

Chair:

11:15 AMPanel discussion: Reframing overheads: funding the true cost of delivery

Capturing true costs (staff/overheads) in grant applications

Building funder narratives that justify full-cost recovery

Securing multi-year commitments that cover the overheads as well as the delivery

Moderator:

Panellists:

11:45 AMCase Study: What if impact measurement cost 80% less? Rethinking evaluation in an era of financial constraint

Identifying practical ways to use AI and existing program data to generate meaningful outcome insights more efficiently and cost-effectively.
Understanding the governance considerations, risks and safeguards involved in using AI for impact measurement.
Recognising how lower-cost evaluation approaches can strengthen decision-making, stakeholder confidence and service delivery.
Applying ideas that help organisations improve impact measurement without adding significant time, cost or complexity.

12:15 PM Networking luncheon

1:15 PM Case study: Securing long-term corporate partnerships that deliver value and turning organisation strategy into a funding mobilisation plan

Designing co-created partnerships with shared KPIs

Proving measurable business value to corporate boards

Scaling pilot success into multi-year commitments

1:45 PM Case study: Scaling mission-aligned social enterprise at VMCH

Identifying how operational needs can become employment and training pathways.

Recognising what helps social enterprise succeed inside a not-for-profit.

Balancing commercial discipline with mission alignment and internal integration.

Applying early lessons on building credibility, competing externally and scaling impact.

2:15 PM Proving impact through stories while protecting vulnerable people

Building ethical storytelling frameworks that prove impact without client risk

Embedding lived experience into governance while prioritising safety and consent

Navigating funder pressure for “human faces” with mediated, dignified alternatives

Scaling vulnerable voice influence without compromising privacy or trauma triggers

Chair:

11:15 AMPanel discussion: Culture, execution and trust: why strategy fails when values don’t show up in practice

Identifying the gap between stated values and lived culture, and understanding how that gap can undermine strategy, trust and execution.

Recognising the leadership behaviours, incentives and informal norms that shape “real culture” inside an organisation.

Applying practical approaches to aligning culture, values and day-to-day practice so organisations can strengthen mission delivery and sustain growth.

11:45 AMPanel Discussion: Succession planning: building leadership pipelines in flat organisations

Identifying internal successors before crisis hits

Developing flat-structure talent without hierarchy

Transitioning leadership without service disruption

Moderator:

Panellists:

12:15 PM Networking luncheon

1:15 PM Designing services for First Nations communities: beyond one-size-fits-all

Understanding unique community needs and cultural drivers

Adapting service delivery models for real impact

Securing funding and partnerships that recognise cultural complexity

1:45 PM Compliance without killing productivity: redesigning reporting systems

Reducing reporting burden through smarter systems

Designing compliance processes that don’t slow teams

Balancing audit readiness with operational efficiency

2:15 PM Closing the gap between strategy and service delivery

Best practice for strategy setting from Boardroom to staff to implementation
Aligning operations to deliver strategy and achieve targets
Building sustainable service delivery within funding to meet board strategy
Measuring execution and impact

2:45 PM Afternoon refreshments

3:15 PM Roundtables

1. Peak body dilemmas: Influencing when government funds you

Facilitator:

2. Turning gender equity commitments into practical action

3. Revenue diversification: Beyond grants and donations

Facilitator:

4. Can You See the Risk? Workforce Compliance in the Not-for-Profit Sector

5. Community-led governance: When the people most affected hold the power

6. Australia’s social enterprise strategy

4:00 PM Is the current model broken? Funding, duplication and consolidation in the third sector

Exploring whether the current third sector model is fit for purpose in an environment of intense funding competition and rising community need.
Diagnosing structural inefficiencies, duplication risks and operational barriers that limit collective impact.
Balancing mission diversity against the need for greater coordination, scale and service effectiveness.
Planning consolidation strategies that strengthen impact, protect local delivery and improve long-term sustainability.

4:30 PM Closing remarks from the Chair and end of day 1

4:40 PM Networking drinks

Scaling with confidence: Strategic growth, operations & systems

8:00 AM Registration opens

8:50 AM Opening remarks from the Chair

Morning Plenary

9:00 AMInternational Keynote: Building collective influence through large-scale collaboration

Identifying the opportunities, risks and practical challenges involved in leading large-scale cross-sector collaboration.

Understanding how to build collective influence and engage political decision-makers through a shared advocacy agenda.

Recognising the governance, legal and financial considerations that shape successful multi-organisation initiatives.

Applying equitable funding models that enable organisations of different sizes and capacities to participate effectively.

Balancing organisational priorities with a shared strategic agenda to maintain alignment and momentum.

9:30 AMScaling demand: how to prioritise when you can't serve everyone

Setting service boundaries that protect capacity without reputational damage

Prioritising demand against mission-critical outcomes

Communicating realistic delivery capability to stakeholders and funders

10:00 AMUnlocking value through customer-centric strategy

Understanding how to move from service delivery to experience-led strategy, placing people, connection and belonging at the centre of organisational decision-making.

Learning why a clear community strategy can unlock value across residents, members, staff and stakeholders, creating stronger engagement and long-term relevance.

Exploring how customer-centric thinking can help legacy not-for-profits evolve without losing trust, history or purpose.

10:30 AM Morning refreshments

Chair:

11:00 AMCase study: How integrated marketing and fundraising can transform donor engagement

Understanding why fundraising and marketing silos form.

Learning how integrated planning improves donor experience.

Identifying practical ways to align teams, messages and KPIs.

Exploring how digital, data and personalisation support engagement and retention.

11:30 AM Case study: How Diabetes Australia is unlocking sustainable impact through major partnerships.

Nurturing relationships beyond initial success
Structuring renewals with escalating commitments
Protecting against competitive re-tendering

12:00 PMA data story: from post it notes to generational impact

Understanding the ingredients for good data
Culture, infrastructure, processes & reporting
Using data dashboards that improve service delivery
Learning how The Glen for Women secured funding to establish itself

12:30 PM Networking luncheon

1:30 PM Panel discussion: Alternative revenue models beyond traditional funding

Building sustainable membership and subscription revenue streams
Identifying fee-for-service opportunities that align with mission
Implementing hybrid commercial models without compromising impact

Moderator:

Panellists:

2:00 PM Case study: Collaboration by design: building partnerships that create lasting impact

Understanding how collaboration can help organisations address complex community challenges that no single organisation can solve alone
Exploring how to build partnerships around shared purpose while aligning different priorities, capabilities and expectations
Recognising the role of lived experience in shaping programs, research, advocacy and community outcomes
Identifying the practical leadership, coordination and relationship-building required to sustain effective collaboration over time

2:30 PM Case study: Scaling major donor pipelines from first gift to legacy giving

Spotting major donor potential 12-18 months before they upgrade

Nurturing relationships through personalised cultivation journeys

Securing unrestricted multi-year pledges and planned giving commitments

3:00 PM Afternoon refreshments

Afternoon Plenary

Chair:

11:30 AMReversing volunteer decline: attraction across generations

Attracting younger volunteers with micro-commitments

Retaining experienced volunteers with recognition

Rebuilding pipelines depleted by COVID/recruitment failures

12:00 PM Case study: Rethinking hierarchy, leadership and community connection

Understanding how a purpose-led organisation can redesign its operating model to be more effective contributors in local communities.

Exploring the role of decentralisation, autonomy and agency in strengthening workforce, service and community outcomes.
Recognising the governance and leadership practices required to sustain innovation in a compliance-heavy environment.
Offering practical insights that other organisations can take from Chorus’s journey toward a more future-fit model.

12:30 PM"Burnover": why our best leaders leave, and how to keep them

Understanding the cycle where burnout drives turnover, and turnover drives more burnout, especially for middle leaders carrying delivery, culture and institutional knowledge.
Recognising the early warning signs that emerge months before a resignation, so you can intervene sooner and reduce the risk of losing your best people.
Identifying why psychosocial risk is now a board priority, while still being day-to-day work that lands hardest on middle leaders with limited support.
Learning how to act early with practical leadership responses that help retain, support and strengthen your most capable leaders.

1:00 PM Networking luncheon

2:00 PM Psychosocial risk as boardroom priority

Assessing psychosocial hazards as legal liabilities (not just wellbeing)
Implementing controls that satisfy regulators AND retain talent
Reporting risk status to boards/funders without alarming stakeholders

2:30 PM Digital risk and trust: protecting client and donor data while scaling

Assessing cyber maturity against NFP-specific threats

Budgeting protections within tight financials

Communicating risk and readiness to stakeholders

3:00 PM Case study: Leading through digital transformation: how purpose-led organisations can scale impact without scaling complexity

Aligning digital transformation with mission goals to improve impact without adding unnecessary complexity.

Prioritising technology, data, and governance decisions that deliver measurable value and protect donor trust.

Strengthening organisational agility by modernising systems, workflows, and decision-making.

Building a scalable digital foundation that supports resilience, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.

3:30 PM Afternoon refreshments

Afternoon Plenary

3:30 PM Panel discussion: The future of the sector: facing external pressures and building resilience

Understanding the external pressures facing the sector and how they are likely to evolve over the next 3–5 years
Learning from real-world examples of how organisations have navigated economic, environmental and operational challenges
Exploring how leaders can balance immediate response with long-term adaptation to build resilience and protect mission delivery
Identifying the signs of hope and opportunity emerging from the sector’s response to complexity and change

Moderator:

Panellists:

4:00 PM Building the next generation of nonprofit leaders through culture, lived experience and psychological safety

Identifying the leadership behaviours and workplace conditions that help build culturally aware, psychologically safe teams.

Recognising the value of lived experience as a core organisational strength that can improve trust, relevance and mission delivery.

Understanding how global and national events can affect staff wellbeing and day-to-day performance, especially in ethno-specific and purpose-driven organisations.

Applying practical leadership approaches that empower staff to speak up, contribute fully and thrive in supportive workplace cultures.

4:30 PM Closing remarks from the Chair and end of conference

9:00 AM-12:00 PM Workshop 1: Operating model reset: doing more with less without breaking your organisation

In this hands-on workshop, nonprofit leaders will redesign their operating models to deliver more impact with current resources. Using real-world frameworks and peer benchmarking, participants will learn how to audit current operations, build cost-vs-impact decision matrices, and create actionable reset plans. Expect to leave with specific cuts, automations, and scaling opportunities identified for your organisation.

Learning outcomes:

Redesigning services to thrive under funding pressure without losing mission focus

Building cost-vs-impact decision frameworks that prioritise high-ROI activities

Structuring lean, high-performing teams that deliver more with less headcount

Identifying what to stop, automate, or scale for immediate capacity gains

Workshop Facilitators:

1:00 PM-4:00 PM Workshop 2: The AI-Enabled Leader: Leading Ethical, Human-Centred AI Adoption

How can leaders adopt AI in a way that strengthens trust, culture and performance? For many organisations, the real challenge is not whether to use AI, but how to do so in a way that keeps people at the centre of decision-making.

This practical workshop is designed for leaders who want to move beyond hype and fear to build confident, ethical and human-centred approaches to AI adoption. Drawing on real-world leadership experience, the session will explore how to create the governance, culture and capability needed to introduce AI responsibly while keeping people at the centre.

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of:

Where AI can add value without compromising mission or culture,
What leaders need to put in place before adoption,
How to bring teams with them through change,
How to ensure AI supports, rather than replaces, human strengths.

Schedule details

Event Agenda

Stabilising your organisation: Funding, leadership & operational foundations

7:00 AM Registration opens

8:40 AM Welcome to Country

Clint Bertenshaw, MBA

Cate Bennett

Morning Plenary

Tony Stuart

Moderator:

Penelope Corkill

Panellists:

Jean-Baptiste Naudet

Kate Saporta

Nic Meulengracht

John Cullen

10:45 AM Morning refreshments

Chair:

Chris Jordan

Moderator:

Cara Varian

Panellists:

Brad Kane

Tony Warner

Jess Moore

Tony Warner

12:15 PM Networking luncheon

Catherine Hoban

Chris Coughlan

Sarah Parker

Chair:

Christina Chun

Lachlan Mitchell

Moderator:

Stephanie Naidoo

Panellists:

Faye Spiteri OAM

Kellie Dunn

Angela Williamson

12:15 PM Networking luncheon

Kaleb Mabo

Brooke Jennings

Kylie Pussell

2:45 PM Afternoon refreshments

Facilitator:

Cara Varian

Kellie Dunn

Dr Karen Anderson

Facilitator:

Josie Worner

Kim Boyd

Michelle Lim

Bianca Tini Brunozzi

Jess Moore

Darren Black

Clint Bertenshaw, MBA

4:40 PM Networking drinks

Scaling with confidence: Strategic growth, operations & systems

8:00 AM Registration opens

Clint Bertenshaw, MBA

Morning Plenary

Tim Edmonds

Bianca Stern

Aaron Crowther

10:30 AM Morning refreshments

Chair:

Chris Jordan

Jennifer Rutkowski

Justine Cain

Alex Lee

12:30 PM Networking luncheon

Moderator:

Irmke Bonte

Panellists:

Christopher Galloway

Mary Mullins

James Hornitzky

Yolanda Saiz

Ange Mcaughley

Sabine Reiser