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Sharing insights from SVA’s work and across the social sector to prompt learning and discussion about effective practice.

10 roles for impact at scale

The variety of potential roles needed to work towards impact at scale reflects the collaboration of actors with differing capabilities and focus.

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10 design principles for impact at scale

SVA identifies 10 design principles as key considerations in defining an impact at scale goal or strategy.

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What does it take to create large scale impact?

Three leaders with experience of creating large scale impact both in Australia, and overseas in the UK share their insights about what it takes to create impact at scale? +Podcast

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Why is strategy valuable: leaders have their say

Leaders in the community legal sector share their perspectives on strategy – why it is valuable, what has worked and their top tips for developing strategy.  

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Frameworks for understanding impact at scale

Continuing in our series of articles on impact at scale, we look at six frameworks or models for understanding how to create impact at scale.

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Five questions to consider when scaling for impact

Dr Neela Saldanha explains why successful pilots often don’t achieve the same results ‘at scale’ and outlines what to consider when scaling for impact. +Podcast

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Explore articles

Building effective corporate partnerships with non-profits

Strategic partnerships offer corporates the opportunity to create business and social value. Here, we look at how companies are adopting more effective ways to partner with the non-profit sector. +Audio

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Social sector intermediaries: what are they and what do they need?

Field-building intermediaries play an important role in social sector ecosystems but what do they do and what kind of funding do they need? +Audio

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Paying what it takes to create impact

Research from SVA and CSI has found that not-for-profit organisations across Australia are, in general, not funded for the actual cost of what they do. The result is less effective operations and reduced impact. +Audio

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Insights to grow philanthropic giving for not-for-profits

Recent research identifies key opportunities to increase philanthropic giving with implications for not-for-profit organisations.

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paw tracks on pathways heading over the hills symbolising the Backtrack way reaching far and wide

Scaling community programs the BackTrack way

How do you spread the impact of your program when it is rooted in your local community’s response to young people doing it tough? BackTrack has been finding out.

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showing trees holding up under a strong wind

Vulnerability and resilience in the social sector: what we learnt through Covid-19

Supporting social purpose organisations through 2020 taught the Paul Ramsay Foundation and SVA key lessons about what leads to vulnerability or resilience in a crisis.

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replication illustration

Making replication work

Seven observations from seven initiatives that have replicated their model to increase social impact.

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Man in AIME hoodie throwing a dart at target in the sky

Aiming high – what it takes

What AIME Mentoring’s CEO, Jack Manning Bancroft can teach us about starting up a social purpose organisation and the philanthropy needed.+Video

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corporate woman taking a leap

Cross-sector partnerships: will corporates step up?

What will motivate corporate Australia to step up to systems change in its cross-sector partnerships? Five questions provide a road map.

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Unlocking the PAF market

Accessing PAFs: six rules of engagement

The realities of private ancillary funds (PAFs) and what it takes to position your organisation for that serendipitous alignment. +Podcast

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doing philanthropy differently

How ten20 Foundation is doing philanthropy differently

Catalytic funder ten20 Foundation shares its story and what its learnt about achieving systems change by funding collective impact initiatives. +Audio

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What makes for a collaborative philanthropic partnership?

Indigenous women’s social enterprise, Marnin Studio and SVA describe what it takes to create a collaborative philanthropic partnership. +Audio

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Yunus advocates social business as tool to stop increasing inequity

Micro-credit founder, Professor Muhammad Yunus urges us to consider social business as a tool to address the world’s increasing inequity, whether it’s getting rural Bangladeshis out of poverty or Australians off welfare. +Audio

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surfer on wave & swimmer with floats

Sector trends: stories from the frontline part 1

Leaders in the social sector reflect on current trends and how their organisations are responding to be the most effective funders and service providers. Part 1 of 2. + Podcast

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Summer treats: staff picks 2016

SVA staff share a collection of articles, podcasts, books, videos and films touching on sector topics that have inspired them as they go about their work to address disadvantage.

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Incubating a pilot

Lessons from incubating a new model for tackling unemployment

Incubating the Industry Employment Initiative highlighted the importance of knowing your endgame, evaluating to improve rather than prove, and of strategic funders who are willing to take risks. + Podcast

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A portfolio approach to corporate social investment

Using various approaches as part of a well-managed portfolio can help corporates to maximise the benefits of their social investment activities for business and society. + Podcast

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SVA Quarterly: Corporate funder illustration

Why and how corporate funders should manage to outcomes

Why corporate philanthropists need to adopt an outcomes management approach, the priorities to consider and how Woodside has done it.

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Find your philanthropic true north

To affect positive social change, philanthropic organisations need clarity and alignment on four key elements as demonstrated by the Paul Ramsay Foundation.

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Giving that packs a punch: best practice in philanthropy today

A review of philanthropic activity commissioned by the AMP Foundation has revealed Australian funders could do more to adopt best practice approaches.

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Partnerships: the heart of venture philanthropy

Understand what venture philanthropy is and the commitment required from both ventures and philanthropists to make it work.

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Investing in social change

Michael Traill explores innovative ways to build an efficient capital market for social purpose – one smart and sustainable enough to solve today’s entrenched social problems.

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Movember's moustaches

Movember: changing a system collaboratively

Movember’s story shows what can be achieved if you harness the collective wisdom of diverse stakeholders, galvanise disparate players to collaborate and focus on the goal.

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How corporate partnerships work

Ensure you have the basics covered as you build and maintain corporate funding relationships.

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Embedding continuous improvement

The framework that drives sustainable social change in social purpose organisations (and their funders) supporting them to get better at what they do.

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Funder curates visionary coalitions

Funders set up in perpetuity can afford to take a long-term approach to investments enabling them to build coalitions where more can be achieved.

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Due diligence: making philanthropy work for you

Applying a due diligence framework ensures choosing a fund recipient which best fits the funder’s strategy as well as having the capacity and capability to fulfil its aims.

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Macquarie: catalyst for cancer charities

The Macquarie Group Foundation’s funding of a group of cancer charities demonstrates how a funder can support collaboration as well as some of the inherent challenges.

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More than a trust, SecondBite’s security

How SecondBite, a rapidly expanding non-profit, sowed the seeds for a secure future.

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A major donor funding plan in six steps

This six step process demystifies the art and science of finding, engaging and stewarding major donors.

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You get what you give: The art of funding strategically

What are the challenges and how do you overcome them when your philanthropy becomes less about ‘giving money away’ and more about the social impacts you can achieve?

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Focusing ambition: The Wyatt Benevolent Institution

How did the 124 year-old Wyatt Benevolent Institution become more strategic in achieving sustainable social impacts?

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Moving towards engaged philanthropy: The Trust Company

How The Trust Company evolved its funding philosophy from small, ad hoc grants to ‘engaged philanthropy’ and the impact on grantees.

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