Common characteristics of a dysfunctional board
There are some common issues among boards that are falling apart at the seems. Fortunately, there…
Leadership and ethics
Help sheets
Drawing up a code of ethics
When it comes to developing an ethical organisation, it's up to the board to set the tone – not…
Help sheet: With demand rising for not-for-profit services, something has to give
Not-for-profits in Australia face growing demands as a “trilogy of terror” sparked by the pandemic…
How to increase productivity in less time
1. Check your meeting habits
How to step away from managing everything and step up to governing
It may seem counterintuitive, but many community leaders wanting to get more done need to start…
Old-fashioned practices that NFPs should bin
How often do you hear the phrase “It’s the way we’ve always done things here” at your organisation?
Qualities of good leadership
As a prospective or sitting board member, you need to think carefully about your own role in…
Several ways NOT to apologise
Everyone makes mistakes, including not-for-profits. What sets you apart is the way you handle your…
Mentoring
Articles
Our Community: a social enterprise before the term was coined
Posted on 17 Oct 2023
When Denis Moriarty founded Our Community – the parent company of the Institute of Community…
Founder’s syndrome: why the board has a responsibility to rein in its hero
Posted on 11 Oct 2023
First comes the hero. An out-of-the-ordinary citizen sees a glaring abuse in our society, hits the…
Heritage town turns to the sun to bury use of fossil fuels
Posted on 14 Nov 2022
An historic cemetery with an eye to the future has ended its reliance on fossil fuels and embarked…
A diverse not-for-profit team will help you ride the bumps
Posted on 19 Oct 2022
Sport makes headlines off the field as much as on it. Questions concerning governance, decision…
It’s not enough to care, the government should love us
Posted on 18 Oct 2022
No government can be much worse, or much better, than the people who voted it in, and anything I…
To be a better leader, ask more questions and practise silence
Posted on 14 Sep 2022
Organisations – and the communities in which they operate – tend to be complicated, even messy,…
New site to help NFPs tackle climate change
Posted on 12 Sep 2022
A new website with practical tools for community leaders aims to help the $176 billion…
Why is doing good mercilessly mocked?
Posted on 01 Sep 2022
The federal Opposition under Peter Dutton is still hostile to action on climate change.
Sick of election malaise? Let's raise the flag of hope once more
Posted on 09 May 2022
There’s not much hope around today. Specifically, neither major party seems to want to own that…
Guide Dogs lose their way
Posted on 09 May 2022
Everybody (close enough) likes dogs, and everybody wants to help blind people, so a charity that…
With Communities in Control, change is in your hands
Posted on 03 May 2022
Australia’s most important conference for community leaders has laid down the challenge to…
New Victorian program urges women to embrace local leadership
Posted on 02 May 2022
A Victorian Government-funded program delivered by the Institute of Community Directors Australia…
Not-for-profits must be bold to navigate covid-19 world: ICDA graduate
Posted on 25 Feb 2022
If there’s one thing that not-for-profits should learn, according to Community Vision CEO Michelle…
When apologising for mistakes, do it right!
Posted on 25 Feb 2022
Social marketer Brett de Hoedt is a man of 1000 opinions, and he’s here to share his knowledge…
Not-for-profits must grasp pandemic opportunity
Posted on 03 Jan 2022
Leadership expert, Leading Edge author and Emergent CEO Holly Ransom says not-for-profits have a…
Women, here's your chance to step up as not-for-profit leaders
Posted on 29 Oct 2021
The Institute of Community Directors is doing its bit to boost women in leadership, rolling out a…
Seven ways to adapt to covid-19, from the nation's best NFP thinkers
Posted on 27 Oct 2021
As organisations begin to adapt to a world with covid-19, here's some advice from the Community…
Why purpose is the competitive edge for not-for-profits
Posted on 28 Jul 2021
With three decades of experience across business and the not-for-profit sector in Australia,…
Don’t reform, but transform, sector leader urges community directors
Posted on 14 Jun 2021
Not-for-profit sector doyen Robert Fitzgerald has issued a rallying cry to Australian board members…
A quick and sometimes messy guide to apologising
Posted on 12 Feb 2021
Even not-for-profits make mistakes. In this help sheet, media professional Brett de Hoedt, aka the…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Members Only
Inside Greening Australia's radical cultural transformation
Posted on 15 Oct 2018
Looking at change? Consider this no-holds-barred Greening Australia presentation charting the…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Policies
Affirmative Action Policy
Affirmative Action means taking positive steps, by means of systematic management programs, to…
Board Confidentiality Policy
Board confidentiality is important. It encourages open and frank discussion in meetings, helps…
Board Dispute Resolution Policy
An effective Board is a harmonious Board, but often, disputes or grievances may arise. This policy…
Code of Ethics
The ethical climate of an organisation is an essential element in establishing its credibility and…
Environmental Sustainability Policy
The earth’s environment is under severe stress from uncontrolled human activity, threatening the…
Ethical Fundraising Policy
Ensuring that all fundraising activities are carried out in an ethical manner is very important.…
Vaccination Policy
Some dangerous epidemic or endemic diseases can be prevented, in whole or in part, by appropriate…