February 2019: Your time starts now

Want to make this year the one you achieve your organisation’s biggest goals? Then you’ve got to prepare. And we can help.

From this month, we’re hosting the Festival of Community Directors, “a year-long celebration of community governance”, with events and training aimed at inspiring and educating community leaders. Why? Well, Roman ancient Marcus Cicero stressed “diligent preparation” before action more than 2000 years ago. And US Speaker Nancy Pelosi last year urged more women to step into leadership, with the advice: “Organise, don't agonise.”

As our Community Directors Council chair Susan Pascoe (AM) says: “The organisations meeting and exceeding their goals are, almost without fail, well-governed by competent boards with a healthy culture and a commitment to continual improvement”. That's why our Festival is a packed program covering ethics, human resources, communications, policy, strategy, finance, testing impact, whistleblowing, fundraising, AGMs and much more.

Talking of preparation, in this edition we've asked Ms Pascoe and several other not-for-profit experts to predict the biggest challenges and opportunities you’ll face this year. Completing our new national survey of the sector’s big issues will help that knowledge grow too, alongside a chance to win great prizes – including tickets to the unmissable Communities in Control Conference on May 20-21.