Pride and joy in Aotearoa
The footprint we have left is now their footprint. Waipareira own what we have done with themIt was one of those days which is difficult to translate into words: a day immersed in Maori culture, and the culture of an organisation defining what it means to be Maori in 2015 in urban Auckland. It was a day that filled me with immense pride for what Waipareira is doing, and for how we have helped them to build an organisation and team that can support and strengthen that journey.
Top 10 SVA Quarterly articles of all time
Looking at the top 10 SVA Quarterly articles of all time – well, since we launched in August 2012 — what strikes me are the various themes they reflect.
Evidence and transformation
I had the great privilege in November of being a delegate to the most recent convening of the Global Education Leaders Partnership (GELP), held in Auckland, New Zealand.
Social Return on Investment – Triple Care Farm
For every dollar invested in the Triple Care Farm program approximately $3 of value was createdSVA was delighted to work with the Sir David Martin Foundation and Mission Australia on a Social Return on Investment analysis (SROI) of Triple Care Farm.
Relationship, relationship, relationship
Our social licence to operate is given through our capacity to build relationships of trust and collaborationSVA started because non-profit sector leaders saw the need for an organisation that was light on its feet to respond to the fast changing social environment.
Critical elements for successful collaboration
For collaborations to be successful, organisations need to leave their logos and egos at the door and get ready for a bumpy but rewarding ride.
Watch: NRL discusses community engagement
Can a community engagement strategy positively impact the bottom line?At the latest SVA Quarterly and Macquarie Group Foundation discussion, Adam Check from the NRL and Shannon Donato from the South Sydney Rabbitohs share how working with SVA on social impact measurement and strategy development helped them to be clearer about where their organisation was heading and why.
Networked school leaders workshop design thinking
The Connection schools come together to share insights, challenge thinking, and create shared understanding.Each quarter, leaders from The Connection schools come together to share insights, challenge thinking, and create shared understanding of successful approaches to leading schools.
Finding Question Zero
Each lecture at Harvard would usually start with Question Zero. Or, put simply: “What is it we are really trying to do here?”
Leadership and the opportunity of measurement, evaluation and impact
Schools are focused on the immense responsibility of developing children and adolescents in all facets.At SVA, we have the privilege of working with outstanding school leaders in The Connection. These leaders recently convened to discuss “Leadership, and the opportunity of measurement, evaluation and impact”.
Influence and impact – setting priorities for the NRL Community Strategy
With society facing so many challenges, what should the NRL's community strategy focus on?SVA Consulting worked with the NRL to develop a three year strategy for its community portfolio.
SEWF Day Two – Entry, Evolution and Exit in Impact Investing
Day two of the Social Enterprise World Forum in Milan saw the impact investing conversations ramp up a gear, giving leading impact investors the opportunity to share detailed (and sometimes difficult) experiences; and to learn from each other.
Social Enterprise World Forum – Day One
The Social Enterprise World Forum kicked off in Milan this week with 800 delegates from 43 countries, ranging from Taiwan to Ghana, Scotland to Australia.
Reflecting on Reconciliation
National Reconciliation Week is celebrated across Australia each year between 27 May and 3 June. The start and end dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey—the anniversaries of the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision.
Setting Goals and Thinking Big
John Di Natale, managing director and founder of Big Think Business Booster, believes the key to success is in the power of setting goals. He says, “Setting goals gives you focus and commits you to a path”.
Tighter budgets need smarter funding
How do we catalyse a transition from acute to preventative spending?Last week we saw Western Australia’s AA+ credit rating downgraded from stable to negative. The requisite “belt tightening” is underway, and sadly, community based preventative services are often the first to go. The cut to financial counselling services, at a time when more and more households are finding themselves in financial difficulties, is just one example.
A novel approach to social and affordable housing
The extent of the social housing challenge demands innovative solutions.The extent of the social housing challenge in New South Wales is hard to overstate, with over 59,000 people on the waiting list, current stock unsuitable for many applicants, a maintenance bill of around $350m and rising property prices – city living is becoming less and less affordable.
Creating Shared Value through Employment
There is a clear business case for focusing on the creation of shared value.SVA hosted a small, private session with Mark Kramer, co-author of the Harvard Business Review (HBR) article ‘Creating Shared Value’.
Making demand-led employment work: practical lessons from the IEI
In 2015, providers who have secured 2015-2020 employment services contracts will have to hit the ground running on new employer engagement obligations and, promisingly, many have committed to using demand-led strategies. Here are some of the lessons that the IEI team has learned to date.
Teachers, meet evidence. The seed for radical transformation?
It was only toward the end of my time in the classroom that I began to engage with rigorous research.When I first started at SVA nearly a year ago, I was particularly impressed by SVA’s dedication to building the evidence base in the social sector, so that policy and practice can be built on what works.
Governments move on impact investing
The policy sets out a ten point action plan to deliver more social impact investment transactions.Key events throughout February have signalled a growing shift towards impact investment opportunities across a number of Australian jurisdictions.
Social outcomes need broadest possible collaboration
One of the wonderful things about working at SVA is the network of people from around the world we have the pleasure of meeting and working with. A recent visit from Andrew Muirhead, who leads the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), was a case in point.
SVA Staff share what Australia means to them
SVA staff took a moment to reflect on what Australia Day means, in the spirit of reconciliation.On the occasion of Australia Day, SVA staff share what Australia means to them.
Transforming society will take more than business as usual
Fair Australia is all but a distant dream which last made sense in the 1970’s.Towards the end of last year I attended a key note address by Alexandra Peterson Cart, the co-founder of Madeira Global, a New York based impact investing firm.
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