SVA Quarterly: Recent Episodes
Social Ventures Australia
SVA Quarterly podcasts share insights across the sector to prompt learning and discussion about effective practice in the social sector in Australia. Social Ventures Australia (SVA) is a not-for-profit organisation that works with partners to alleviate disadvantage so that all people and communities in Australia can thrive. socialventures.com.au #non-profit
Lisa Fowkes unearths insights that suggest we should be talking about class and economic mobility in Australian workplaces. The reasons are not just because family background shouldn’t dictate our fortunes, but because of the economic benefits of more inclusive practices.Read the full article here: https://www.socialventures.org.au/our-impact/we-need-to-talk-about-class/
SVA's specialists in mergers, Irmke Bonte and Divya Roy, explore whether you should consider a not-for-profit merger with four questions that boards and leadership should ask themselves. These questions reflect the focus on impact: understanding how you make impact and how your impact could be increased. Read the article https://www.socialventures.org.au/our-impact/the-four-questions-to-ask-when-considering-a-merger/
Stephanie Chiang outlines how making integration efforts effective in the long term requires investment in people, infrastructure and systems. This invisible work, called the 'glue' is fundamental to successful outcomes.Read the article: https://www.socialventures.org.au/our-impact/making-integration-stick-investing-in-the-glue/
Sue Cridge, founding director of The Connection, an SVA incubated venture developing educational leadership capacity, shares what drives her, how The Connection started and some of the moving highlights from its 10-year journey. She also speaks of its potential now it has transferred to The Smith Family. To read her article about The Connection's journey, go to: https://www.socialventures.org.au/our-impact/the-connection-building-leadership-capacity-in-education/
Tom Hall, Global Head of social impact and philanthropy at UBS talks with SVA’s CEO Suzie Riddell about how to catalyse the impact investing market, sharing stories from the global market and opportunities in Australia.See www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/powering-up-the-impact-investing-market/
At SVA’s summit into impact at scale, three leaders in social change in Australia and the UK shared their insights into what it takes to create impact at scale? The speakers are:- Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, UK National Health Service Confederation - Kristy Muir, Chief Executive Officer, Paul Ramsay Foundation - Cindy Reese Mitchell, Program Director for Indigenous Women’s Entrepreneurship, Good Return.Their responses covered a range of experience from dealing with large systemic changes in UK’s National Health Service, through place-based community projects across Australia, to working with an Indigenous women’s entrepreneurship program in the Kimberleys which provides takeaways for people working with First Nations people. For a summary article, see www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/what-does-it-take-to-create-large-scale-impact/
Dr Neela Saldanha, Executive Director, Yale Research Initiative on Innovation & Scale (Y-RISE), visited Australia on the invitation of SVA to give the keynote address at our summit on impact at scale. She explained why successful pilots often don’t achieve the same results ‘at scale’ and provided questions to consider when expanding a change program. View the slides referred to in the podcast: https://www.socialventures.com.au/assets/Dr-Neela-Saldanha-keynote-slides.pdfFor summary article: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/five-questions-to-consider-when-scaling-for-impact/
Elyse Sainty, director in the Impact Investing team at Social Ventures Australia, spoke with Patrick Flynn, director of public affairs at SVA, as she’s about to pass on the baton after 10 years leading SVA’s work in social impact bonds (SIBs) and outcomes contracts.https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/outcomes-contracting-trailblazer-shares-knowledge-before-passing-the-baton/
Research from SVA and CSI 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. Author of SVA Quarterly article, Sam Thorp explores this tendency and its impact. For more see: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/paying-what-it-takes-to-create-impact/
Sally Garis outlilnes how strategic partnerships offer corporates the opportunity to create business and social value. She looks at how companies are adopting more effective ways to partner with the non-profit sector.From the SVA Quarterly aritcle: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/building-effective-corporate-partnerships-with-non-profits/
Field-building intermediaries play an important role in social sector ecosystems and they need to be supported financially. But what do they do and what kind of funding do they need to sustain their work and impact?Annabelle Roxon provides this audio of the SVA Quarterly article:https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/social-sector-intermediaries-what-are-they-and-what-do-they-need/
With a growing body of evidence backing the highly supportive Housing First approach, including the recent evaluation of the Aspire SIB, why has it not been funded and adopted more extensively across Australia?Pat Bollen looks at what the Housing First approach is and why it is successful then explores how these pilots could become standard policy. Based on SVA Quarterly article here: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/housing-first-the-challenges-of-moving-from-pilot-to-policy/
Building on the SVA Quarterly article which encourages us to approach grief support as core business, SVA's Emily Adams talks to Dr Kerrie Noonan from the Death Literacy Institute about the concept of disenfranchised grief and grief literacy. They also explore some of the ways that employers and managers can support their staff to grieve. To read the article: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/the-art-of-supporting-grief-have-we-lost-it/
Divya Roy describes taking a systems approach to help get the most out of a food supplly chain drawing on work with the City of Greater Geelong to improve the region's food security. For the full article: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/a-systems-approach-to-food-insecurity/
SVA's Doug Hume and Desmond Campbell discuss a Koori-designed program in the Children’s Court of Victoria which is providing a more effective and just response for Koori families. With potential for expansion across Victoria and Australia, it offers a step towards greater self-determination in the child protection system. See article here:https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/a-step-towards-first-nations-justice-in-child-protection/
Elyse Sainty talks with Patrick Bollen about the Newpin family reunification program deployed under the Social Impact Bond (SIB) mechanism in three states and about what SVA has learned. Read the article: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/social-impact-bonds-a-tale-of-three-newpins/
Anna Ashenden describes the common outcomes framework for disability housing co-developed by SVA and the disability sector, why it was developed and what it means for people with disability.
Read the article: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/disability-housing-what-does-good-look-like/
SVA's CEO Suzie Riddell talks with Professor Megan Davis, the Balnaves Chair in Constitutional Law and Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous at the University of NSW, and primary architect of the regional dialogues behind the Uluru Statement from the Heart. They discuss the Statement, where it is up to and why it is so important. Read the article here: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/the-uluru-statement-from-the-heart-what-now/ For more information, go to https://ulurustatement.org
Covid-19 has had a massive impact on the social sector, not least in making planning for future service demand extremely challenging. This podcast outlines how using scenarios can help to understand the potential impacts on demand given the many uncertainties -- as exemplified in some work that SVA has done in the Victorian child and family services sector. Nancy Tran explains. This podcast is based on an article by Susie King and Nancy Tran. Find the links mentioned and read the article: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/scenario-planning-for-times-of-great-uncertainty/
SVA CEO, Suzie Riddell talks to Rob McLean, Director Emeritus of McKinsey and Company, about problem solving, what makes it hard for not-for-profits and how the seven step process described in his recently co-authored book can be applied to complex social issues. For more on the seven steps, read the article: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/bulletproof-problem-solving-could-it-work-in-the-social-sector/
SVA's Jonathan Finighan explores how the right of Indigenous peoples to self-determination has significant implications for evaluating policies and programs that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and experts are showing the way. Read the article here: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/how-can-evaluation-better-recognise-indigenous-self-determination/
SVA's Impact Investing Director, Rebecca Thomas on how improvements to the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) landscape can be made to deliver high quality housing options for people with disability? For the article: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/where-to-next-for-specialist-housing-accommodation-sda/
Part 2 of Elyse Sainty's letter from the frontline of Australia's foray into social impact bonds in which she outlines her ‘thoughts and prayers’ for their future. Find the full article here: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/social-impact-bonds-a-letter-from-the-frontline-part-2/
After seven years ‘in the trenches’ as part of Australia’s foray into social impact bonds, Elyse Sainty shares her insights around social impact bond myths and legends. Find the article here: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/social-impact-bonds-a-letter-from-the-frontline-part1/
Increasing numbers of Australians experience severe financial vulnerability and stress. SVA consultant, Louise Campbell describes some emerging trends with the potential to 'move the dial' on financial wellbeing. Read the article here: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/shifting-battlegrounds-for-financial-wellbeing/
SVA’s strategy consultants share their thoughts and observations about developing and implementing strategy in the social sector. To read the full article: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/strategy-in-the-social-purpose-sector-whats-critical/
Selection of SVA's staff and board picks to provide a smorgasbord of inspiring, insightful, and affirming reads, listens and viewing for the summer holidays. For the full list: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/summer-treats-staff-and-board-picks-2018/
Listen to Goodstart's CEO, Julia Davison and Chair, Michael Traill explain how Goodstart, one of Australia's largest not-for-profit social enterprises, balances its commercial and social goals. Read the full article: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/goodstart-steering-a-social-enterprise-for-impact/
Robert Fitzgerald AM, from the Productivity Commission talks with Stuart Lloyd-Hurwitz, SVA Consulting’s Executive Director about competition and contestability in the social sector and how it’s all about providing more consumer choice. Read the article: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/competition-its-all-about-the-consumer/
Robert Fitzgerald AM from the Productivity Commission talks to SVA's Stuart Lloyd-Hurwitz about how not-for-profit boards need to put clients ahead of their own organisation’s ambitions, whether that’s in the context of mergers, acquisitions and partnerships or other organisational priorities. For more: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/competition-its-all-about-the-consumer/
What is customer-centricity and why is it so important in the disability sector? Author Diana Ferner explains citing examples and explains how the SVA Quarterly article will help disability service providers become customer-centric. For the article, see: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/how-disability-service-providers-can-become-more-customer-centric/
Simon Faivel explains how Social Return on Investment or SROI has evolved over the last 10 years, and how that has shown up globally and locally. For the full article: http://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/sroi-revolution-or-evolution/
Diana Ferner discusses why non-profit organisations should consider a merger with insights on how to go about it and some lessons learned from a recent large-scale merger in the disability sector. For the full article: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/how-to-adopt-an-outcomes-focused-approach-part-1/
Clemmie Baker introduces the step-by-step guide for organisations to set up an outcomes management approach, and explains why it is important, and how to go about it. To read the articles: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/how-to-adopt-an-outcomes-focused-approach-part-1/
Social purpose leaders describe how social impact investing has provided a flexible, mission-aligned and supportive approach to fund their organisation's vision. Rebecca Thomas talks to Lucy O'Flaherty from Glenview Community Services and Jeremy McLeod from Nightingale Housing.
Read the full article: http://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/funding-their-vision-social-purpose-organisations-share-their-stories/
Robyn Mildon, Executive Director of the Centre for Evidence and Implementation, explains what implementation science is and why social services need to take notice? In conversation with Nick Perini from SVA Consulting
For edited transcript: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/implementation-science-what-is-it/
Richard Spencer explores the importance of healthy culture in creating an effective for-purpose organisation and what it takes to create and maintain that culture. In conversation with Susan Metcalf, SVA's COO. For edited transcript: https://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/culture-eats-strategy-social-sector/
Fiona Higgins from Australian Philanthropic Services illuminates the realities of private ancillary funds (PAFs) and what it takes to position your organisation for that serendipitous alignment.
For more read: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/accessing-pafs-six-rules-of-engagement/
If the Australian workforce is to be prepared for the future, science technology engineering and mathematics practices must be embedded across the entire curriculum. SVA's Susannah Schoeffel explains why.
For the full report, go to: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/why-stem-practices-should-be-taught-across-the-entire-curriculum/
Audio of SVA Quarterly article David Pritchard explains why and how the SVA Fundamentals for Impact were developed. This framework enables organisations to assess whether they are being effective and how they can do better.
http://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/sva-fundamentals-for-impact-are-you-doing-good/
Audio of SVA Quarterly article by Dan Code What do successful community leadership programs look like? SVA shares insights from programs it has reviewed.
www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/features-of-successful-community-leadership-programs/
SVA's Dan Code discusses why building community leadership capacity is important and some of the shared features across successful programs.
www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/features-of-successful-community-leadership-programs/
The OECD's Dr Andreas Schleicher talks with SVA's Matthew Deeble about the ‘21st century skills’ or general capabilities, why they matter and whether they can be measured.
www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/hard-measures-soft-skills/
Since transforming from service delivery organisation to catalytic funder, ten20 Foundation has been on a steep learning curve. The SVA Quarterly talks to ten20’s Managing Director, Seri Renkin and Executive Director, Caroline Chernov about ten20’s journey, and what they've learnt about funding collective impact initiatives to bring about systems change. For the article: http://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/ten20-foundation-doing-philanthropy-differently/
Lisa Paul AO PSM, previously secretary in Federal Government departments including variously for education and training, employment and workplace relations, talks with SVA’s COO Susan Metcalf about her approach to dealing with the challenges of leadership, its loneliness and rewards.
For article: http://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/leadership-amidst-complexity-and-change/
Four key players behind Australia’s first dedicated non-profit consulting business for the social sector tell the story of launching SVA Consulting.
Listen to Michael Traill, then SVA CEO; Rob McLean, then SVA Chair; Greg Hutchinson, former Managing Partner, Bain; and Duncan Peppercorn, who first led SVA Consulting recall how it began. Find out more about SVA Consulting's story here: http://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/founding-sva-consulting/
After 10 years advising the sector, and with persistent disadvantage an ever-present issue in Australia, SVA Consulting reflects on the strategies and interventions that it has seen deliver the greatest impact. Based on article by Malcolm Garrow, Nick Perini and Olivia Hilton. www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/reducing-disadvantage-insights-from-10-years-sva-consulting/
Podcast by Nick Perini
Indigenous women’s social enterprise, Marnin Studio and SVA describe what it takes from both ‘venture’ and ‘funder’ to create a collaborative philanthropic partnership – one that is driving mutual objectives and generating shared learnings for both partners.
Based on the article by SVA's Shiri Leventhal: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/what-makes-a-collaborative-philanthropic-partnership/
SVA's recommendations to the Federal Government about what steps it could take to help access more private capital for social impact investing to address challenging social issues. By Mark Peacock Read the article: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/how-government-can-grow-social-impact-investing/
Jon Myer describes how SVA Consulting worked with Te Whānau O Waipareira to build an outcomes management culture and strategy to measure what really matters for Māori families in West Auckland.
Read the article: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/how-culture-grows-effective-outcomes/
Insights from the two year Indigenous Social Enterprise Fund pilot provide lessons about supporting Indigenous social enterprises to grow.
From the article by Indu Balachandran and Leah Armstrong: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/dos-donts-investing-indigenous-social-enterprises/
Michele Goldman, CEO of the School for Social Entrepreneurs Australia in its final year of operation, reflects on the organisation’s learnings and how they could be applied to support the social enterprise ecosystem going forward.
Based on the article: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/ceo-reflects-on-learnings-from-sses-experience-in-australia/
Founder of micro-credit and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 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.
Based on article http://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/yunus-advocates-social-business-as-tool-to-stop-increasing-inequity/
SVA’s analysis of a peer operated mental health service reveals just how and why this approach is so valuable to both those accessing the service and the local mental health system which benefits from their recovery.
Karen Prout Read the article: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/the-value-of-a-peer-operated-service/
Part 2 in which leaders reflect on how their organisations are responding to trends in evidence-based practice, innovation capabilities, place-based service design and collaboration.
Edited by Karen Prout Read the article: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/sector-trends-stories-frontline-part-2/
Leaders in the social sector reflect on current trends and how their organisations are responding to them to be the most effective funders and service providers. Part 1 of 2.
Edited by Karen Prout Read the article: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/sector-trends-stories-from-the-frontline/
A model that uses expert support to build employers’ capacity is proving a necessary first step to increase workplace participation for people with disability.
By Este Darin-Cooper Read the article: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/substantial-capacity-building-of-employers-is-needed-to-grow-disability-employment/
Networking and collaboration are increasingly important for achieving social change. SVA’s successful model – in education – points to the core elements needed for growing an effective network. By Sue Cridge Read the article: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/networking-for-social-purpose-whats-needed/
Toowoomba’s most recent social enterprise, Vanguard Laundry Services brought to life by social entrepreneur Luke Terry, exemplifies what’s required to benefit from social procurement opportunities. By Karen Prout See more at: www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/social-procurement-success-toowoomba/
SVA consultants Simon Faivel and Jon Myer share some fundamentals about outcomes management – without the jargon.
http://www.socialventures.com.au/blog/outcomes-management-basics/
Case studies show social purpose organisations are reaping the benefits of improved process efficiencies. Find out how. Article by Gillian Turnbull. Read by Karen Prout See more at www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/process-efficiencies-help-non-profits-achieve-more-impact/
Incubating the Industry Employment Initiative highlighted the importance of knowing where you are headed, using measurement and evaluation to improve rather than prove, and finding strategic funders who are willing to take risks. Recorded by author Carlita Bevege. www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/lessons-from-incubating-a-new-model-for-tackling-unemployment/
Global education consultant, Charles Leadbeater identifies four features of innovative schools essential to prepare students for our changing world. They centre around developing students' humanity. Read by author, Karen Prout. www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/learning-to-be-more-human/
Alex Humphry, author of Kickstarting an innovation strategy, talks about about why she wrote the article, what people will learn from it and why innovation is important in the social sector. www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/kickstarting-an-innovation-strategy/
Four organisations in the disability sector share how and why they responded to sector changes by launching an innovation strategy. Read by author Alex Humphry. www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/kickstarting-an-innovation-strategy/
Using a combination of social investment approaches as part of a well-managed portfolio can help corporates to maximise the benefits of their social investment activities to both the business and to society. Recorded by author Nancy Tran. www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/a-portfolio-approach-to-corporate-social-investment/
Recent analyses by SVA of five Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) across regional and remote Australia demonstrate the social and cultural co-benefits of Indigenous land management initiatives.
The reports commissioned by the Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet show the success of these programs can be attributed to extraordinary levels of engagement amongst Indigenous Australians and the alignment of their interests with those of the broader community.
Recorded by Allegra Day, co-author of the article with Brendan Ferguson and Diana Ferner, http://www.socialventures.com.au/sva-quarterly/healthy-country-healthy-people/