![Study reveals what Australians really think of the community sector](https://www.communitydirectors.com.au/uploads/general/Articles/_large/DiversityMelbourne_Crowd_iStock-1086630220_2024-07-17-035105_xuwe.jpeg)
Study reveals what Australians really think of the community sector
Posted on 17 Jul 2024
New research has laid bare Australians' vastly differing attitudes towards the community sector.
Posted on 09 May 2024
By Chris Borthwick, thinker-in-residence, Institute of Community Directors Australia
Our Community’s resident Agony Uncle and thinker-in-residence, Chris Borthwick, examines the conundrums facing not-for-profits. In this comment, he nominates a few hard-won truths about advocacy. Contact Agony Uncle with your gnarly NFP problem.
1. The best battle is the one you don't have to fight
If you can find a way around the problem, do that. If you can live with it, do that. If you can cut a deal, do that.
2. Find the weak point
And make it a photogenic angle where the public is on your side.
3. Symbols are powerful
What's your symbol? What's theirs? How can you bring them both into a story?
4. Ask for something specific
It minimises confusion across your coalition.
5. Keep it simple, stupid
If you can't make your case in 140 characters (old style), you're not going to conquer the world.
6. People trust their friends
Word of mouth is magic. That's where social media comes in. One retweet and you're inside the magic circle. You have to go viral.
7. Let someone do you a favour and they're yours for life
If you can get your members to join in your advocacy, it strengthens their commitment to the cause. Studies find, for example, that people who've signed your petitions give more than your other members.
8. Easy come, easy go
The easier it is to sign on to a campaign, the less weight people place on your contribution. And vice versa.
9. Your enemy isn't evil. It's apathy.
Friction slows you down. Inertia almost always prevails. Like a shark, if you don't keep moving, you die.
10. Half a loaf is better than no bread
Don't die in the last ditch for the last inch. Every step forward is valuable.
11. Credit where credit is due
For any gesture at all towards your position by a politician, reward them with enthusiastic praise, no matter how much you object to everything else they're doing. Classic behaviourism: that's how you teach pigeons to play ping pong.
12. It's got to be fun
The other side is paid by the hour. It's no hardship for them to sit back and outwait you. The only way you can keep the pressure on is by keeping your supporters interested and excited and motivated and having fun.
Read more of Agony Uncle’s guidance.
Posted on 17 Jul 2024
New research has laid bare Australians' vastly differing attitudes towards the community sector.
Posted on 17 Jul 2024
Charities Minister Andrew Leigh was put on the spot this month in ICDA’s quarterly newscast, the…
Posted on 12 Jun 2024
If you’re not careful, your annual general meeting (AGM) can be a deadly dull affair: the bare…
Posted on 12 Jun 2024
The end-of-year reporting process and the audit that comes with it are often seen as a challenging…
Posted on 12 Jun 2024
Annual reports have a bad rap, with many people thinking of them as dull and dusty doorstops.
Posted on 12 Jun 2024
AGMs are sometimes seen as irritating annual bureaucratic hurdles, as meetings that must be held…
Posted on 14 May 2024
Nearly 1000 coders, data scientists and artificial intelligence experts have converged to witness a…
Posted on 09 May 2024
Not-for-profits wanting to win the political and influence game can boost their negotiating power…
Posted on 09 May 2024
I recently wrote about the impotent campaigning of the Yes campaign. The current debate and…
Posted on 09 May 2024
A foremost expert in helping not-for-profits build better connections with government decision…
Posted on 09 May 2024
Many in the philanthropic and charity sectors have tremendous policy reform ideas that would help…
Posted on 09 May 2024
One of the most powerful tools any community group can have is the ability to inspire and mobilise…