Third Sector Live conference kicks off with focus on ways the for purpose organisations can stand out from the crowd
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Third Sector Live finally kicks off this morning with the theme “Cutting through the noise”.
100s of delegates have gathered from different sectors such as charity, social enterprises and NGOs to tackle ways organisations can stand out in an oversaturated market over the two-day conference.
Ronni Kahn AO, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Oz Harvest delivered the opening remarks for today’s session by saying, “We are not the not-for-profit industry. We should be addressed as the “for purpose” and “for impact” community. We add profit to people’s lives.”
The not-for-profit world is incredibly competitive, especially when it comes to securing funding or running public appeals, Ronni said in an interview with Third Sector. “Innovation is now an integral part of our business and personally I am always pushing the boundaries to make sure we have considered the most effective and innovative solutions to help grow the business.”
Attendees also heard from batyr CEO Nicolas Brown on developing a strong mission and vision for organisations that supporters and team will get behind.
As he talked about identifying organisations’ core purpose, addressing gaps build strong foundations for success, creating an effective strategy to reach an organisations’ vision, Nic challenged the audience saying, “Your organisation’s mission and vision is important, but do you have one for yourself too?”
“Organisational values need to come from within, harnessing what kind of organisation the people within it want and don’t want to work for. Putting values on a wall and expecting people to live them out daily will not work but having everyone involved in deciding on and implementing the cultural values can,” he told Third Sector.
Meanwhile, Melissa Abu-Gazaleh, Founder and Managing Director, Top Blokes Foundation encouraged the audience to “strive for progress not perfection.” She talked about developing strategies to stand out in a saturated market particularly on identifying value-add opportunities to support beneficiaries, understanding the power of evaluation and measurement, and incorporating automation to improve efficiencies and magnify social impact.
Attendees will hear from other thought leaders tomorrow on day-two of the conference, including Claire Rogers of World Vision, Katherine Raskob of FIA, Paul Ronalds of Save The Children, Jan Owen of Foundations for Young Australians and Kylea Tink of Camp Quality.
Third Sector Live 2019 will also be hosting the Third Sector awards night this evening, in partnership with Spark Strategy and CSI. This year’s awards theme is “Avant-garde”, a tribute to the sectors constantly evolving, innovative and experimental ideas. Over 200 sector leaders are gathering in an evening of applause as we celebrate the best and brightest in the sector.
Pearl Dy is a community manager and journalist. She is passionate about business and development particularly involving not-for-profits, charity and social entrepreneurship.
