What inspired you to become involved in the not-for-profit (NFP) sector?

In my twenties I read the quote by Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

I love this quote because it somehow gave me permission to pursue a career where I can ‘come alive’, and allowed me to drop all those ideas about what I ‘should and ought to do’. I feel most alive when I am working with others to bring about positive social change. And there is nothing better than when you can see the impact of what you do.

What was the transition to working in the NFP sector like for you?

I transitioned to the NFP sector from working as a consultant, and before that I worked in a University. Working in the NFP sector exceeded my expectations. I have met and learnt from people from all walks of life – from people who have experienced profound disadvantage to global leaders through my involvement in the World Economic Forum. I have realised that we all want pretty similar things – a loving family, friends, a job so that we can earn money and have choices, a safe environment to grow up in and raise our kids in, and the resources and support to reach our potential. There is more that unites us than divides us.

Why is the Australian NFP sector important?

Without it, real people would suffer. And one thing I’ve found through working in the sector, people always think they have the halo effect – bad things only happen to other people. Yet I’ve met so many people who thought they had their life on track only to be rocked by a single event and finding out they were vulnerable was an enormous shock to them. The organisations I have worked with have found they are helping people from a really broad cross-section of the community – not just who we imagine is the ‘normal’ client of an NFP.

I am proud that my organisations have helped these people – people who have wanted to work, who have wanted the best for themselves and their families – to find a way to participate. And this is important: the NFP sector helps to ensure everyone in our community can participate. We desperately need this for our community to be robust and meet the many challenges that we are facing – social, environmental and economical.

What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in your career within the sector?

Without doubt, the greatest challenge is the lack of resources in the sector. One of the biggest challenges I faced in my career was in a previous role as a CEO of a medium sized NFP. A corporate partner withdrew support because their priorities changed, at a critical time in my organisation’s development. What was most difficult was the corporate partner’s casual approach to a decision and complete lack of awareness of the profound impact that decision had on the many people we were helping with their assistance.

For the corporate, it was a matter of them trimming their budget. For us, it meant facing the closure of a program that would affect hundreds of women. We bounced back, secured other partners, and went on to help a record number of people, but it reminded me that trust is so important in any partnership, and that if you are going to run an NFP in this environment, having Plan B (and, possibly C and D) is critical.

Another challenge has been educating those that don’t work in the sector about the incredible level of innovation, professionalism and talent that exists amongst my colleagues. I have been dismissed at functions because I work in the NFP sector and somehow my work seems a mere hobby compared with the ‘serious work’ of the for-profit sector, and I have seen my colleagues experience the same thing. If I only had a donation for every time a corporate has told me that they run a ‘lean’ operation! The way I tackle that now is to tell a story – everyone loves a good story – because I find that is the best way to capture people’s hearts and minds.

What are some benefits of working in the NFP sector? What have you personally found fulfilling?

Other than those I have already mentioned, I think the biggest benefit is getting to work in areas that are a strong values-fit. At the moment I am the CEO of Adopt Change because I am really concerned about offering opportunities to children whose families cannot look after them.

My various roles in the sector have been fulfilling because I have been able to be creative and entrepreneurial. I love that I get to design and implement social enterprises and also build organisations and programs that address the real needs of community members. I find this a really creative process, and because I love a good piece of research, I enjoy being able to convert research into practice.

In the last five years, I have really enjoyed the strategic element of the work I do in the NFP sector – I love working with organisations to figure out their business model and then help them to build a really effective organisation that has social impact and generates a financial return. Because the sector has been challenged by a lack of resources, it has forced us all to innovate and find effective ways of helping people. I find it interesting that increasingly I get approached by private business and corporates because they too want to learn how to innovate within a resource-constrained environment.