Happy July!
We are over the half way mark of the year and for those of us who struggle with the cold, two thirds of the way through winter. It’s a great opportunity to bundle up and watch the feats of the world’s best athletes compete in front of a real crowd at the Olympics.
I have recently become immersed in all things ACCU’s – which are Australian Carbon Credit Units. Our latest consulting client is planting forests of tree to generate these carbon credits. It’s an exciting role that sees me working on a new impact investment class I haven’t been exposed to before. Despite adding consulting services to our service offering a while ago, I have finally created a web page with some details and an extract of our consulting history. It’s a work in progress as we increase the ways we can help for-purpose organisations do their greatest good.
On the social impact front, I attended the “Share the Love” with the team from brandkind community, an amazing social enterprise providing a range of branding and marketing services to other social enterprises, meeting a range of awesome humans from Melbourne and Sydney.
I was also able to spend time connecting with another group of amazing humans at the bi-monthly Purpose Speed Networking sessions.
Whether you are working for a purpose-driven organisation or just want to be surrounded by people doing their greatest good, jump on our Events/Course page and you’ll find a range of in-person and online events to keep you warm and inspired.
If you are in Sydney this weekend, make your way to the 2nd Social Enterprise Network of NSW/ACT festival, showcasing a range of social enterprises, presentations and lots more at UTS on Saturday 3rd August.
Keep an eye out on the Greatest Good ecosystem and our socials for our Father’s Day Gift Guide which launches next week in time for you to Shop Good, Gift Good, Do Good and Feel Good for dad.
As always, we can do better together, so if you have any comments, suggestions, criticisms or ways we can do better, don’t forget to drop us a line and let us know how.
Jenni - Founder/Managing Director
Inspiration from members
- CuriousWorks' Future Culture program is offering paid, part-time opportunities for early-career artists and arts worker interns in Western Sydney from September 2024 to June 2025
- The Christie Centre celebrated its 70th birthday by hosting the Bash Night Glow as part of the annual weekend of ballooning festival in Mildura on 30 June
- Winter whale season is in full swing, and the Dolphin Research Institute are calling for you to report your sightings of whales
- After a fantastic fund raising effort, Hotel Etico were able to offer trainees and graduates a fantastic opportunity to work at, participate and enjoy the World Down Syndrome Congress in Brisbane this year. They were winners of the Accommodation Australia NSW Excellence in Disability Access and Inclusion award and they are also recruiting a chef
- hiHandmade was featured in the Australian Gift and Homewares Association’s (AGHA) “Material Matters’ catalogue spotlighting their commitment to sustainability
- The Reconnect Project celebrated the 23/24 Financial year releasing their Annual Report and reflecting on the awards they have won and training programs they have launched- among other achievements
- SisterWorks have celebrated a year of remarkable impact and milestones – and have paid and volunteer jobs available
- Be Hers were part of the Multicultural Council of Tasmania’s Annual Women’s Expo, showcasing their mission and fostering community connections at the Moonah Arts Centre in Tasmania
- Good4Business have launched a newsletter diving into sustainability and purpose-driven business
News and updates
For-purpose sector news
- Social Enterprise Australia have announced the launch of Understorey – a digital commons and online resource for the social enterprise sector
- The Queensland Government has provided increased funding of $1.9 million to continue the Social Enterprise Jobs Fund and the Queensland Social Enterprise Council
- Jess Moore, CEO of Social Enterprise Australia has appeared on Channel Nine’s Helping Hands, to give a great definition of social enterprise
- The Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) have announced the 2025 location – next year SEWF will be in Taipei, Taiwan!
- Hot on the tail of the official launch of Beacon in Bangalow with the Prime Minister in April, White Box Enterprises opened a second Beacon Laundry in Adelaide in collaboration with Bedford Group
- The Federal Government has released its response to the findings of the House Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services – agreeing that Employment Services Reform is necessary
- The Institute of Community Directors Australia (ICDA) has released a study revealing what Australians really think of the community sector
Regulatory updates
(the sometimes boring, but always important stuff)
Legislative changes
- There are a number of changes which commenced on 1 July 2024, including changes to the National Minimum wage, increases in the superannuation guarantee rate, along with tax rate changes. The Fair Work Commission has also indicated it will review the wages across various sectors, predominantly employing women
- The Government’s new Environmentally Sustainable Procurement Policy takes effect from 1 July 2024 which will impact organisations supplying goods and services to the Government
- Annual self-review returns for non-charitable NFPs commenced on 1 July 2024
- Multiple changes to casual employment laws become effective from 26 August 2024, along with changes to definitions and protections for independent contractors, and the employee’s right to disconnect from work outside working hours (also covered in our March 2024 update)
- The Commonwealth Government has released its strategy for moving towards gender equality through internal government policy, law reform, and changes to procurement requirements.
- NSW Industrial Manslaughter laws were introduced into Parliament.
Guidance and updates
- SafeWork NSW has launched its Psychological Health and Safety Strategy 2024 – 2026 with an increased focus on monitoring and enforcing compliance in this space.
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 consumers 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 couple of events you’ll find:
- Social Enterprise Festival returns to UTS
- Social Impact in the Regions
- Guided tour of the Greatest Good ecosystem
Jobs – Paid and Volunteer roles
Are you seeking a new role or have some time to donate to an organisation aligned with your values? Check out the paid and volunteer roles from our members.
Collaborations - asking for help and offering assistance
Whether you are an individual looking for information or are a purpose-driven organisation seeking support and resources - we've got you! So check out the Collaborate section of the ecosystem for support and resources to help you or your organisation. Here’s just some of the things we’ve added recently:
- Places to donate goods
- Co-working spaces
- Impact North in the Northern Territory has a new coworking space in Nightcliff and
- Frankston Social Enterprise Hub (FSEH) are trialling free coworking in Wednesdays in August
- Business support
- A range of reports, videos and more on the for-purpose sector
Whether you are an individual looking for information or are a purpose-driven organisation seeking free support and resources - we've got you! So check out the Collaborate section of the ecosystem for support and resources to help you or your organisation.
