Community sector needs govt lifeline: “People’s lives depend on it”
Posted on 25 Mar 2020
Our Community has backed lobbying by the community sector’s peak body for the federal government to…
Institute of Community Directors Australia
Australia's best-practice governance network for not-for-profit boards, committees, councils, schools, and their staff.
- Receive ‘responsible person’ status from the ATO
- Receive notifications when changes are made to policies
- Credentials: recognition through post-nominals (MICDA; FICDA)
Membership from
$65/year
Save Our Sector
We’re giving the not-for-profit sector access to a library of capacity building resources to help you stay afloat until we get to the other side of COVID-19.
BSB52318
Diploma of Governance
Gain the knowledge and skills required to sit on or work with boards at the highest level
Save Our Sector: Our pledge to not-for-profits
Posted on 20 Mar 2020
One of Australia’s leading support organisations for the country’s 600,000 not-for-profits has…
Coronavirus and the Community Sector
Posted on 20 Mar 2020
Here at Our Community we’ve always warned not-for-profits that they need a varied and balanced…
Upcoming on the Festival of Community Directors calendar
Posted on 05 Mar 2020
The Festival of Community Directors is well underway for season 2020, and over the next two months…
Young scholarship winner has his eye on the prize of more board positions
Posted on 03 Mar 2020
The first winner of a new round of scholarships plans to use the networking opportunities of the…
Lena lands LGBTIQ+ scholarship to study good governance
Posted on 24 Feb 2020
The first LGBTIQ+ winner of a $1000 part-scholarship to complete a Diploma of Governance wants to…
Cracker 2020 calendar for directors built on community insights
Posted on 19 Feb 2020
The 2020 Festival of Community Directors – a year-long celebration of community governance – has…
Pray this never happens to your organisation
Posted on 13 Feb 2020
Confucianism and Taoism are among the world’s great religious and philosophical traditions, and…
Celeste Barber’s $51 million bushfire fundraiser: it’s complicated
Posted on 13 Feb 2020
The complications encountered by comedian Celeste Barber’s massively successful bushfire fundraiser…
ICDA fast-tracks scholarships for community leaders
Posted on 13 Feb 2020
Hundreds of not-for-profit leaders will be given the chance to win a part-scholarship to complete…
Free whistleblowing policy contributes ‘millions’ in value
Posted on 12 Feb 2020
An updated free whistleblower policy released by ICDA for use by not-for-profits has been a popular…
Sapphire miners association digs itself into trouble
Posted on 12 Feb 2020
As part of the Institute of Community Directors’ commitment to encouraging good governance, this…
Why not-for-profits are Australia’s sleeping giant
Posted on 10 Feb 2020
Not-for-profits are yet to truly embrace the power they wield, former World Vision chief Tim…
Free boost for cemetery trusts
Posted on 10 Feb 2020
If you’re a Victorian cemetery trust member, make sure you’ve completed the free governance and…
Top tips for an effective code of conduct
Posted on 07 Feb 2020
Moores is supporting greater awareness about codes of conduct during the Festival of Community…
Good governance crucial for arts community
Posted on 28 Jan 2020
A detailed study of arts governance published as a joint venture between the Australia Council for…
Changes to whistleblower laws: what not-for-profits need to know
Posted on 11 Dec 2019
There's never been a better time for all not-for-profits to review their whistleblower policies and…
Not-for-profit ‘roadmap’ tackles sector’s big issues
Posted on 11 Dec 2019
A landmark study of Australian not-for-profit governance has created the clearest picture yet of an…
Data visualisation: ICDA Not-for-Profit Governance Roadmap 2020
Posted on 04 Dec 2019
In December 2019, the Institute of Community Directors Australia launched a major study into…
Festival of Community Directors to return bigger and better in 2020
Posted on 18 Nov 2019
As the door closes on the 2019 Festival of Community Directors, the Institute of Community…
Why you should trust and verify for good governance
Posted on 18 Nov 2019
The executive director of the Institute of Community Directors Australia, Patrick Moriarty, says…
Communities in Control Conference
Posted on 01 Nov 2019
The talent that will illuminate Australia's most important community conference has been locked in,…
Second Virtual Disability Conference
Posted on 20 Oct 2019
The Festival of Community Directors is dedicated to providing the best tips, tools and training to…
Study proves not-for-profit leaders need a better welcome
Posted on 07 Oct 2019
Nearly half of Australia's not-for-profits are giving their directors - including treasurers,…
Study takes pulse of not-for-profits’ financial health
Posted on 16 Sep 2019
Australia’s not-for-profits are almost evenly split between thriving organisations and battlers…
Study spotlights not-for-profit crime threat
Posted on 02 Sep 2019
Thousands of crimes targeting Australia's not-for-profits are going unreported, a detailed study…
Five things charities need to know about new standards of conduct for overseas work
Posted on 19 Aug 2019
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) has released new guidance on the…
Members Only
Old-school not-for-profits risk losing trust
Posted on 15 Aug 2019
Schools governance is in the spotlight after a very public spat in Queensland, experts suggest that…
Spotlight report highlights issues for board and CEO performance
Posted on 22 Jul 2019
ICDA executive director Patrick Moriarty’s first response to ICDA's Spotlight Report Assessing…
Study puts the spotlight on the role of the chair
Posted on 20 Jun 2019
Nearly all chairs enjoy their role as a board member, understand their responsibilities as board…
Conference reveals how directors can measure their impact better
Posted on 14 Jun 2019
Community directors know better than most that not-for-profits must do as much as they can with the…
Come up to the lab: The neuroscientist helping you do data better
Posted on 11 Jun 2019
Our Community's Innovation Lab has flicked the switch to better understanding by not-for-profits.
Not-for-profits missing the data train
Posted on 03 Jun 2019
More than one in 10 not-for-profits doesn’t bother tracking its success, while one in four say they…
Survey winners take the pulse of the NFP sector
Posted on 08 Apr 2019
The entry standards for this year’s Not-for-profit Governance Survey, which closed at the at end of…
Members Only
Whistleblowing law faces shakeup
Posted on 19 Feb 2019
Blowing the whistle on trouble could be the best thing you ever do for your organisation, with new…
High hopes for scholarship winners
Posted on 10 Feb 2019
Winners of ICDA's first round of Future 500 Leaders scholarships are confident they'll make a…
New accounting rules for not-for-profits
Posted on 10 Feb 2019
Not-for-profits will need to revise their approach to assessing income following the introduction…
Fundraising and the power of suggestion
Posted on 10 Feb 2019
Our Community researchers have proven how important it is for fundraisers to tailor their suggested…
Legal eagle's bird's-eye view of the sector
Posted on 10 Feb 2019
Lawyer Rebecca Lambert-Smith from Moores, Our Community's legal partner, advises charities and…
What to expect (at work) when you're expecting
Posted on 10 Feb 2019
Pregnant women have the right to nap at work when they need to, under a new pregnancy and parenting…
Gary Johns reveals ACNC priorities for 2019
Posted on 10 Feb 2019
With the new year comes renewed optimism for the charity sector. New and exciting opportunities…
How not-for-profit employers can get ahead of threats
Posted on 10 Feb 2019
2019 is set to be a big year for NFP directors, with a number of changes either on the way or…
How NFPs can keep calm under pressure
Posted on 10 Feb 2019
Directors under pressure to deliver funds, good leadership Why a net return at the end of the…
Members Only
How the financial royal commission affects you
Posted on 10 Feb 2019
Think of a smallish Australian not-for-profit - one of the 40% of NFPs with about $50,000 in…
ACNC seeks new measures for not-for-profit health
Posted on 10 Feb 2019
A study commissioned by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) suggests a…
Brace for impact of elections, inquiries, board quotas
Posted on 10 Feb 2019
Elections a time to take stock Elections and likely changes in governments will mean inevitable…
Future leaders scoop up scholarships
Posted on 24 Jan 2019
A new generation of Australian not-for-profit leaders are on the cusp of gaining fresh skills,…
Our Community, Trawalla Foundation offer $500,000 for better-run not-for-profits
Posted on 21 Nov 2018
Up to 500 people from across Australia have the opportunity to win a part- scholarship to study for…
Free analytics tool released to not-for-profit organisations
Posted on 15 Nov 2018
Not-for-profit directors wanting to know more about the performance of their organisations should…
Action must follow apology for abuse survivors
Posted on 15 Nov 2018
Following the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Prime Minister…
When it's just not cricket: Culture review's global impact can't be ignored by directors
Posted on 15 Nov 2018
The explosive review that picked over the toxic culture linked to Australian cricket's shameful…
Members Only
Tune in to the power of community
Posted on 15 Nov 2018
If anyone doubted the power of community to connect us, keep us healthier, and battle disadvantage,…
Plugging into 'the connectors' - a powerful resource for your community organisation
Posted on 15 Nov 2018
Connectors are the precious people who know many others and get things done. They have an uncanny…
New finance watchdog to make it easier to tackle rip-off merchants
Posted on 01 Nov 2018
The head of the new Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), which starts business on…
Members Only
Inside Greening Australia's radical cultural transformation
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
One of the most compelling sessions at the recent Community Directors Conference was a…
Our Community's culture? Read the Manifesto
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
Our Community founder and group managing director Denis Moriarty says Our Community's…
A new era for community directors: a navigator’s guide
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
Community directors face an unprecedented burden of increased regulation, decreased funding and low…
Board members aiming higher after Community Directors Conference
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
Community directors are better equipped to crack the code when it comes to regulation, data,…
Culture is key to healthy community organisations
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
Words, like people, have their good times and their bad times. This is a very bad year for the word…
Good culture starts at the board table
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
ICDA's executive director and head trainer Patrick Moriarty says the strife striking down…
Wealthy exec jailed for charity theft
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
In June 2019, top executive Michael Clark from the Adelaide-based charity SYC was sentenced to…
Need support? Here's how to take your pitch from mediocre to memorable
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
A convincing pitch is a powerful tool you can use to unlock opportunities, form relationships with…
Members Only
Why not-for-profits must do data better
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
Dr Lucy Bernholz, a world-recognised thinker on digital and data trends, and a specialist in…
Culture is a new focus for business - is it for you?
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
ASIC - the corporate, markets and financial services regulator - will continue to push for a better…
Foundations set to tip in millions to boost not-for-profit leadership
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
The Ian Potter Foundation and the Myer Foundation are actively considering a $6 million investment…
Members Only
Why investing in your NFP workforce is critical to your culture
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
Knowing that an organisation needs a good culture to thrive is one thing, but how do you get there?
Members Only
Avoiding scandal by promoting good culture
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
Changing your company culture may help you prevent sexual harassment and child protection failures…
Seeing the big picture could be crucial to your survival
Posted on 10 Oct 2018
Culture will be the key for all organisations In the wake of royal commissions into child abuse and…
Doing More with More: Putting Shared Leadership into Practice
Posted on 16 Jul 2018
This article comes from Nonprofit Quarterly.
Ethics as a karate chop in the face of wrong
Posted on 16 Jul 2018
US education pioneer Dr Mary Gentile has seen first-hand some of the most devastating ethical…
Members Only
Inquiries' powerful lessons for directors
Posted on 16 Jul 2018
Directors are under increased scrutiny and pressure in light of royal commissions into banking and…
The art of leadership at the Australia Council
Posted on 15 Jul 2018
Are leaders born, made, or something in between? It's a tricky question, and one that's been…
What makes a good community leader?
Posted on 15 Jul 2018
Each year, Our Community hosts the Communities in Control conference for 1000 representatives of…
Members Only
If ethics is so obvious, why is it so hard?
Posted on 15 Jul 2018
Most not-for-profit leaders aim to set - and expect the people in their organisations to practise -…
Vision and courage, the twin foundations of leadership
Posted on 15 Jul 2018
For all of the talk about the importance of leadership, relatively few resources are applied to its…
The problem with good leadership
Posted on 15 Jul 2018
Alexander conquered the known world in his twenties. Caesar conquered Gaul. Frederick the Great won…
Why diversity on boards makes sense
Posted on 15 Jul 2018
The concept of diversity applies to many factors besides gender, but gender diversity should be the…
Cyber attack exposes sex health clients, highlights threats to not-for-profits
Posted on 16 Apr 2018
A cyber attack on Family Planning NSW, which exposed the personal information of up to 8000 clients…
Decision less taxing on directors' decisions
Posted on 15 Jan 2018
Community directors can breathe easier following a significant tax ruling brokered by Our…
Get your head into the clouds
Posted on 30 Nov 2017
The cloud can keep you connected with your members and stakeholders.
NFPs face big digital decisions
Posted on 30 Nov 2017
Not-for-profits aren't investing enough on IT to keep pace with other sectors, an industry study…
Members Only
How to build your digital capability
Posted on 30 Nov 2017
Not-for-profits are being outspent on digital technology almost three-to-one by corporates, an…
Members Only
Recruit the ICT skills you really need
Posted on 30 Nov 2017
Not-for-profit recruiting expert Richard Green backs the Our Community Innovation Lab's finding…
Research shows why your board lacks ICT nous
Posted on 29 Nov 2017
You might assume that the demand for ICT skills on not-for-profit boards and executive teams would…
Get the most out of your data
Posted on 18 Nov 2017
Big tech companies and multinationals make huge profits with a big global impact, but how can we in…
Members Only
What can data tell you?
Posted on 08 Nov 2017
The US-based not-for-profit technology resource centre Idealware spent four years researching "data…
Great advice: Top five financial questions for not-for-profits
Posted on 17 Oct 2017
Knowing how to assess an organisation's finances is something that many people without accounting…
The art of survival for regional gallery
Posted on 17 Oct 2017
Our Community's thinker-in-residence, Chris Borthwick, casts a close eye over the financial…
Members Only
Where's your money for a rainy day?
Posted on 17 Oct 2017
Diversity of funding sources is crucial for sustainability. We've identified seven possible income…
Why being a perfect chair is for losers
Posted on 14 Sep 2017
A good not-for-profit board chair, if you consult the relevant literature, combines the leadership…
Members Only
Where are the women?
Posted on 23 Dec 2013
A quick look at building better board equality on not-for-profit boards.
Members Only
Tipping the scales - getting the size and shape of your board right
Posted on 23 Jun 2013
Over the past couple of months a continuing query in our governance training sessions has been…
Youth on board: Attracting and supporting young people on boards
Posted on 29 Mar 2012
A long standing challenge for groups in the sector is to attract young people to their board, and…
Members Only
Drive for diversity: A blueprint for board diversity
Posted on 29 Dec 2010
According to the Denver Foundation in the United States, full board diversity cannot be realised…