Steve Lawrence Yakety Yak

By Andrew Young May 16, 2012 • Leave a Comment
Posted In: not-for-profit, charities, social sector, Social entrepreneurship and social innovation, Social investment & philanthropy, unmet social needs

This video captures a very special edition of CSI’s Yakety Yak, featuring the man who many call “the grandfather of social enterprise” in Australia – Steve Lawrence. Some of Steve’s background and achievements are summarised below. This Yakety Yak is special because Steve was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2007. After years of treatment, Steve’s doctors… (Read More)

Rock stars in Nashville

By Doug Taylor May 14, 2012 • Leave a Comment
Posted In: corporate community involvement, Corporate responsibility, creating shared value, CSR, corporate citizenship, sustainability, not-for-profit, charities, social sector, social value creation

It’s hard to think of an Academic as a rock star, but that’s how Mark Kramer, Co-Founder and Managing Director of FSG, was received at the Global Conference for United Way Worldwide in Nashville last month. Perhaps it was because we were in the US Country Music capital (Dolly Parton made an appearance as well,… (Read More)

When it comes to community organisations, small can be beautiful

By Peter Shergold May 11, 2012 • Leave a Comment
Posted In: community service, Community wellbeing, corporate community involvement, CSR, corporate citizenship, sustainability, flourishing communities, engaged communities

Last week at the Mount Druitt Community Hub I had the chance to participate in the launch by Western Sydney Community Forum of a valuable new Resource Handbook: ’Developing a Common Language’. Evidence-based, it is informed by a collaborative research project undertaken in partnership with the Westpac Foundation and the University of Western Sydney. The Handbook is… (Read More)

The social return on universities

By Peter Shergold April 30, 2012 • 2 Comments • Leave a Comment
Posted In: Demonstrating social impact, Economic and social participation programs, government, public service, social policy, measurement, Public & social policy, social value creation

I was honoured recently to be asked to address the Passover Dinner of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. The celebration of Passover, it seemed to me, was an appropriate occasion to recognise the emancipatory impact of education and the liberating effects of knowledge. Most of us gathered that evening still perceive university as a… (Read More)

Property development: from sustainability to shared value

By Peter Shergold April 30, 2012 • Leave a Comment
Posted In: corporate community involvement, Corporate responsibility, creating shared value, CSR, corporate citizenship, sustainability, reporting, transparency and accountability

In my previous blog I noted how property developers in Australia increasingly sought to exhibit their ‘green’ credentials and to report on a wide variety of initiatives in annual reports on ‘sustainability’. Some are persuasive, many others less so. They represent a necessary but not sufficient step in understanding the business imperative of sustainable development. … (Read More)

Can property development be sustainable?

By Peter Shergold April 27, 2012 • Leave a Comment
Posted In: Corporate responsibility, creating shared value, CSR, corporate citizenship, sustainability, reporting, transparency and accountability

Over Easter I perused the Sustainability Reports of major Australian companies involved in residential and industrial property development. Some are major construction companies. Others manage properties or invest significant funds in them. Most have been producing sustainability reports for between 5-10 years. Many report against the Dow Jones Sustainability Index or the FTSE4Good Global Index. Some… (Read More)

Sweeping reform to challenge the NFP sector

By Gina Anderson April 24, 2012 • Leave a Comment
Posted In: government, public service, social policy, not-for-profit, charities, social sector, philanthropy, Public & social policy, transparency and accountability

Not-for-Profit organisations providing for people with disabilities will need to undergo significant change with the introduction of a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) but are they ready for the challenge? The NDIS will transfer decisions about how and where to spend money to the individual and their carers rather than the disability service providers. This… (Read More)