September 16, 2026 Culture and Values, Organisational Strategy

How to keep purpose front and centre in your NFP

Decades of psychology research show that humans have a deep-seated desire to find meaning in what they do. For many, that desire is what draws them to a workplace or a particular job. They want to contribute to something bigger than themselves – by improving lives, supporting communities or protecting the environment.

But that sense of purpose in NFP workplaces isn’t always guaranteed. When job demands increase, teams evolve and day-to-day responsibilities become more routine, it’s easy for the bigger picture to fade into the background.

So how can NFP leaders and HR teams keep that sense of purpose alive for their employees as the day-to-day work becomes familiar?

July 22, 2026 Culture and Values, Health & Wellbeing, Legal Issues

The right to disconnect: is your organisation doing enough?

Going above and beyond is often part of the culture in many NFPs. Employees answer messages out of hours because a client is in crisis, stay back because an event needs to run, or volunteer extra hours because they believe deeply in the mission.

But when passion quietly becomes an expectation of being constantly “on”, even the most committed employees can reach their limit. Burnout, resentment and staff turnover can follow – particularly in organisations already stretched by limited resources.

April 1, 2026 Culture and Values, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Recruitment

Six ways to make your recruitment process work for First Nations candidates

If Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates aren’t applying for your roles, the barrier may not be a lack of interest – it may be your recruitment process. Even when NFP employers are working to build a more inclusive workforce, the way roles are designed and advertised can unintentionally exclude First Nations applicants.

The good news is that NFPs can make small changes to create genuinely welcoming, culturally safe hiring processes – and increase engagement from First Nations candidates.

We asked Australia’s only 100% Aboriginal-owned executive recruitment firm specialising in Indigenous appointments how to craft a recruitment process that encourages First Nations people to apply for a role.

October 21, 2020 Bullying, Harassment & Inappropriate Behaviour, Culture and Values, Human Resources, Legal Issues

Should your NFP have an employee code of conduct?

Every organisation has expectations of how their staff should behave at work. But without writing down those expectations, it’s easy for misunderstandings or differing expectations to form among your staff and volunteers.

To help avoid this, more NFPs are turning to a written employee code of conduct to provide clear expectations about what how staff should or shouldn’t behave at work.

August 16, 2023 Bullying, Harassment & Inappropriate Behaviour, Culture and Values, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Legal Issues

Every Australian employer has new duties under the Sex Discrimination Act – here’s what you need to know

Australian employers have new duties under the Sex Discrimination Act

You may well have missed it, but in December 2022 changes to the federal Sex Discrimination Act came into affect. The legal changes have been made to better protect workers from sexual harassment and other forms of sex discrimination, harassment, and unfair treatment in the workplace, and they impose some significant new responsibilities on every Australian employer, including every NFP organisation.

These are the seven new standards that the Commission expects all organisations to satisfy the positive duty under the Sex Discrimination Act, plus some advice on what to do next to make sure your organisation is compliant.

August 5, 2021 Bullying, Harassment & Inappropriate Behaviour, Culture and Values, Health & Wellbeing, Legal Issues

How to respond to serious incidents in the workplace – best practice guidelines from the federal parliamentary review

Multiple sexual assault and sexual harassment complaints from workers and staffers at Parliament House in Canberra this year have been a cautionary tale for many organisations on how not to handle a serious workplace incident.

Here are 14 best-practice recommendations drawn from the Foster report that can help to improve your organisation’s response should a serious work place incident occur in your workplace.

September 1, 2021 Culture and Values, Health & Wellbeing, Human Resources

Leave policies that could make your NFP stand out from the crowd

Attracting and keeping top talent can be a challenge for not-for-profit organisations that can’t pay “the big bucks”. But often money isn’t the main benefit people are looking for.

Savvy NFPs can differentiate themselves and stand out as an employer of choice with better, more progressive leave policies that can help to support your team members at the challenging or important times in their lives.

Here are 12 different types of leave your organisation could consider offering.

May 21, 2018 Culture and Values, Leadership, Organisational Strategy

What Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, has to teach NFP leaders about high standards

“High standards are contagious. Bring a new person onto a high standards team, and they’ll quickly adapt. The opposite is also true. If low standards prevail, those too will quickly spread. And though exposure works well to teach high standards, I believe you can accelerate that rate of learning by articulating a few core principles of high standards.”

That’s Jeff Bezos – founder and CEO of Amazon, and also the wealthiest person in the world.

While you might wonder about how much a billionaire has to teach leaders in Australia’s NFP sector, the lessons from Bezos’ annual letter to his shareholders are hugely relevant for leaders in any organisation, of any size.

March 24, 2021 Culture and Values, Leadership, Managing People Well

How to build a culture of trust in your organisation

Employees who trust their organisation are more loyal, engaged, committed, and will advocate for their workplace – so how can leaders build an organisation-wide culture of trust?

If you’d like to build greater trust in your NFP’s workplace, here are 5 key ways trust can be built and improved.

March 3, 2021 Culture and Values, Managing People Well

Why employees hesitate to speak up at work — and how to encourage them

Employee voice — speaking up with ideas, concerns, opinions or information — is vital for organisational performance and innovation. Yet studies consistently show that employees are reluctant to speak up, and are even hardwired to remain silent, with 50 per cent of employees keeping quiet at work.

Why is this the case, and how can we help people voice their opinions at work more effectively?