Greatest Good Newsletter August 2024
Happy August!
As the post-Olympic rush dies down and we briefly resumed normal sleeping habits, we are now ready to do it all again for the Paralympics. My dad volunteered for much of his life, which culminated in him being appointed as the Track Referee at the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
Whilst his highlight was watching Cathy Freeman win the 400m (he claimed not to have breathed for the 49 seconds she ran in case he had to disqualify her for running out of her lane), it was the Paralympics he enjoyed most. What continues to stay with me long after both events are finished is how they can unite and inspire individuals, communities and countries. If you are looking to be inspired, you can find a range of positions on our Volunteer/Work page.
I can’t help to both hope and wonder about how long it will be before we have a more inclusive Olympics which merges the Olympics and Paralympics together.
While you're feeling that inspiration, don't forget to visit our shop for unique items that support organisations aligned with your values, or consider making a donation to a cause you champion. Every purchase and donation on Greatest Good supports and Australian social enterprise, B Corp, charity or not for profit and helps all of us do the greatest good.
We value your feedback, thought, comments and suggestions, so feel free to get in touch and help us to help you do your greatest good.
Jenni - Founder/Managing Director
Inspiration from members
- Good 4 Business founder and CEO Kathy Joyce has been accepted into the prestigious IWF Australia’s Emerging Leaders Fellowship
- Greatest Good’s Founder, Jenni Harding has been selected as part of the 2024 Social Impact Fellowship commencing this month and running for until November. She was also featured on the Small Business Made simple podcast
- In partnership with Yarra Trams, SisterWorkshave won the Social Traders Social Procurement Impact Partnership Award
- Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month is just around the corner. Check out all the ways that you can support the valuable research that the Australian Gynaecological Cancer Foundation are doing
- CuriousWorks have produced a series of individual but interconnected documentary films – named Tender, and are thrilled to announce that this work is joining the line up for a season of UnWrapped at the Sydney Opera House
- Christie CentreExecutive Officer, Florence Davidson was delighted to speak at the HumanAbility National Forum in Canberra in early August
- The Dolphin Research Institute have received a 2024 Port Phillip Bay Fund grant to create five story-driven eBooks and invite local photographers to contribute images capturing Port Phillip's essence.
- Hotel Etico have been featured in Destination NSW’s list of the 12 most innovative, creative and unique regional destinations – and they’ve made the Guardian Australia’s Staff’s favourite East Coast Winter break list.
- The Reconnect Project are finalists in the Community category of the Canon Oceania Grants program where they are pitching for Canon cameras to create online resources for their Mobile Device Repair training program
- Be Hers founding CEO Melody Towns joined forces with 35 women leaders from across Australia to advocate for the world's most vulnerable people at Parliament House in the “Safer World for All” campaign
- Creative Plus Business have joined forces with Tantrum Youth Arts to offer one-on-one mentoring sessions to emerging artists in the Hunter region as part of their Cartwheel 2024 Initiative
- JAM the Label have formed a team to do STEPtember to raise money for cerebral palsy
News and updates
For-purpose sector news
- Social Ventures Australia have announced that CEO Suzie Riddell will step down in late 2024 after 5 years of impactful leadership as well as launching a new website and branding.
- B Lab AANZ (the not for profit behind B Corp in Australia) has released its first-ever Annual report.
- The Social Enterprise Network of NSW and ACT (SECNA) hosted their second Social Enterprise Festival in Sydney and have released a video capturing its energy, innovation and community spirit.
- The Centre for Social Impact has farewelled Professor Peter Shergold and Welcomed Greg Hutchinson as Board Chair
Other news
- The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission has developed a Pay Equality Toolkit to support small businesses to achieve pay equality in their workplace.
Regulatory updates
(the sometimes boring, but always important stuff)
Legislative changes
- Multiple changes take affect in the Fair Work Act from 26 August 2024:
- changes to casual employment and the need to provide casuals with a new Information Statement
- changes to definitions and protections for independent contractors
- employee’s right to disconnect outside working hours (also covered in our March 2024 and July 2024 updates)
- Victorian workplace surveillance laws are under review
- Victoria has a new social services regulator, along with a new social services regulatory scheme from 1 July 2024
Guidance and updates
- We’ve updated our Terms and Conditions with assistance of Verity White from Checklist Legal.
You can more on these items and other regulatory updates in our monthly regulatory updates and other updates posted on the Blog Pages (use the Regulatory Updates filter). We can't provide legal advice but you can find proposed and upcoming legislative changes to discuss with your legal advisers.
Opportunities to do your greatest good
Events/Courses
You can find a range of for-purpose events from members and the broader purpose-driven community on our Events/Courses page. We have listed free and paid events which we think will be of interest to both people wanting to network and find their tribe, through to those in the for-purpose sector who want to learn and grow. Some are online, but for those who are craving real life contact, we've got you covered as well. Here’s just a few of events you’ll find:
- SisterWorks are inviting you to have the adventure of a lifetime whilst raising money to support women from refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking backgrounds with their Three Peaks Challenge
- Greatest Good’s own digital marketing workshop - with strategies designed to boost your impact—find out more!
- We also have our rolling Show & Tell sessions to run through all of the ecosystem functionality, including our grants database
- The launch the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation’s Benefolk Expert Bar
Collaborations - asking for help and offering assistance
We have a range of resources for impactful individuals, as well as for-purpose organisations seeking support and more. Jump on our Collaborate pages to find a range of things to help you do your greatest good. Here’s just some of the ones we’ve added for you:
- Energy Incentives and Instant Asset Write-Offs for Small Businesses
- A range of reports, videos and more on the for-purpose sector
- Tech Ready Women have scholarships available in their Investment Ready Program
- New ATO tax and super resources for small business
- Infoxchange’s Digital Learning Centre and Cyber Safe Hub
