SVA News & Articles
SVA in the news
 New role for Jan Owen AM
Leah Armstrong to join Reconciliation Australia
Business planning guide for social enterprises launched
Engineer of childcare takeover honoured
PAFs make it easier
Money is only the first step to giving
The two sides of obsession
It takes more than just a village to save the kids
SVA’s social enterprise projects get underway
Wondrous vision of capitalism with a conscience
A capital idea
Grameen model can inspire social investment
Philanthropy bounces back
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New role for Jan Owen AM
14 July 2010
After eight years with SVA, Jan Owen AM is leaving her role as Executive Director to take on a new role as Chief Executive of the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA).
Commenting on Jan’s appointment, SVA CEO Michael Traill AM said: “Jan has been an anchor partner in all that SVA has done since our establishment in 2002. At a personal and professional level her passion, energy and in depth perspective on the sector will be deeply missed."
Reflecting on her time at SVA, Jan Owen AM said: "SVA has contributed to very real and practical innovation and investment in the social sector within Australia and is well placed to inspire, influence and collaborate in the social change revolution which I firmly believe is unfolding before us.
"It has been a profound privilege to work with the SVA team, many great social entrepreneurs and ventures, our investors, and our partners in community, philanthropy, business and government across the country over the past eight years."
Michael has confirmed that Jan will continue her association with SVA and will be joining the soon to be launched SVA Melbourne Leadership Council.
Leah Armstrong to join Reconciliation Australia
5 July 2010
SVA’s Leah Armstrong has been appointed as the new CEO of Reconciliation Australia.
Leah has been working with SVA for the past year, providing significant input to SVA’s thinking about the social enterprise sector and potential partnership opportunities.
“We will miss Leah’s valuable contribution to SVA but are very aware of the critical importance of her new role at Reconciliation Australia, which seeks to join indigenous and non-indigenous Australia in new understanding and hope through practical leadership and tangible change. We wish Leah only the very best for her new challenge”, said Michael Traill, SVA Chief Executive.
Business planning guide for social enterprises launched
23 June 2010
SVA, in partnership with Parramatta City Council, has published a new Business Planning Guide specifically for social enterprises. The Guide is designed to take social entrepreneurs through the step-by-step process of turning an initial idea for a social enterprise into reality and includes useful things to think about and watch out for along the way, as well as a business plan template to follow.
Speaking at a Parramatta Social Enterprise Hub event, SVA’s Kevin Robbie said:
‘We hope the guide will be an invaluable tool for every social entrepreneur who is looking to attract investors, allowing them to avoid obvious but dangerous pitfalls when trying to get an idea off the ground.’
The Business Planning Guide is available to download here.
Engineer of childcare takeover honoured
14 June 2010
Writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, Kate Lahey reports on SVA’s CEO Michael Traill being made a member of the Order of Australia in the 2010 Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Michael was awarded for his service to non-profit organisations through the development and implementation of effective financial systems and mentoring, and as a facilitator for social change. PAFs make it easier
3 June 2010 In this article for the Australian Financial Review, Mark Lawson discusses the recent regulatory changes associated with the transition from Prescribed Private Funds (PPFs) to the new Private Ancillary Funds (PAFS) structure. These structures are the preferred vehicles for high-net-worth individuals who are seeking to take a more structured approach to their philanthropy.
The article includes quotes from SVA’s Chris Cuffe, who believes that now the regulatory regime had been finalised, we can expect more families and individuals to establish these giving vehicles. Money is only the first step to giving
3 June 2010
In this Special Report on Corporate Giving in the Australian Financial Review, Mark Lawson reports on the USA Venture Philanthropy model, and cites Social Ventures Australia as an example of an organisation that has brought a similar model to Australia. The article includes comments from SVA’s CEO Michael Traill, who explains that in this type of model, non-profit ventures receive more than just a financial contribution, but also broader strategic support, similar to the way a venture capital organisation operates.
The article also refers to SVA’s venture partner Beacon Foundation, with Beacon CEO Scott Harris explaining that as a beneficiary of this kind of support, Beacon is now able to more clearly demonstrate the impact of their work, thanks to the Social Return on Investment (SROI) project that SVA conducted on their behalf. The two sides of obsession
29 May 2010
Emma Connors from the Australian Financial Review writes about the pitfalls and rewards for those with an obsessive style personality. Emma talks to SVA’s CEO Michael Traill, a self-confessed Type A personality, about his experiences in corporate life at Macquarie Bank and whether his life is more balanced now he has transitioned to the non-profit sector.
Traill admits that he is still not immune to occasionally losing sight of what’s important, telling the story of his young daughter’s observations of what’s changed since his departure from the corporate sector. It takes more than just a village to save the kids
15 May 2010
In this feature story in the Sydney Morning Herald, Adele Horin traces the history of the GoodStart non-profit consortium – from initial concept through to its successful bid for 678 of the ABC Learning childcare centres. The article highlights the contribution of the major players in the deal, including SVA CEO Michael Traill. Read the full story here. SVA’s social enterprise projects get underway
Social Ventures Australia (SVA) continues to support and invest in sustainable social enterprises with the selection process for identifying suitable social enterprises to support via a number of different projects well under way.
'Supporting Social Enterprises Project' funded by the Australian Government’s Jobs Fund initiative is focused on supporting and investing in social enterprises that are creating meaningful employment opportunities for those disadvantaged in the labour market in three local areas - Logan and Ipswich in Queensland, and the western suburbs of Sydney.
SVA is also working on the implementation of two projects in Queensland with the support of the Queensland Government. The ‘Youth Enterprises Partnership Project’ will fund the establishment of two social enterprises in Brisbane and Townsville that specifically target young people aged between 15 and 18 who have either recently entered the youth justice system and are at risk of reoffending or are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless. Meanwhile, the ‘Queensland Inclusive Social Enterprises Project’ will support the development of social enterprises that are focused on employing people who have been long-term unemployed due to mental health issues.
Michael Traill, SVA’s Chief Executive, commented:
‘Each of these projects will play an important role in supporting the social enterprise sector in Australia. The enterprises we work with will receive important support, such as mentoring and networking opportunities, as well as investment. This wrap round support is vital to help them progress to the next stage in their development. We look forward to tracking and reporting on their progress over the coming months and years.’ Wondrous vision of capitalism with a conscience
16 March 2010
In this article for the Sydney Morning Herald, Peter Hartcher covers the recent visit to Australia by Nobel Laureate Muhummad Yunus. Hartcher explains that Yunus wants to “give capitalism a soul” and how is doing just that through the various social enterprises the Grameen group is involved with.
Citing examples such as Grameen-Damone which sells low cost high nutritional yoghurt to the people of Bangladesh and Grameen-Adidas which sells low cost footwear in the same market, Yunus believes the world’s social problems can be solved through social businesses.
Read the full article, including a quote from SVA’s CEO Michael Traill on the potential of social enterprise sector in Australia, here . A capital idea
3 March 2010
Writing for the Social Investment column in The Australian, a monthly column on philanthropy sponsored by the Pratt Foundation, SVA’s CEO Michael Traill reflects on the formation of the GoodStart non-profit syndicate, the preferred bidder for 678 ABC ABC Learning childcare centres.
In particular Traill focuses on the challenges the syndicate faced in accessing adequate capital to make a credible bid and highlights this as a systemic problem for the non-profit and social enterprise sector in Australia. Traill suggests there are a number of lessons from the GoodStart experience that are fundamental to bridging this social capital gap: - recognising and promoting the role of social capital providers;
- ensuring collaboration and partnership within and across sectors;
- insisting on clarity around both business and social objectives of this style of enterprise.
Grameen model can inspire social investment
1 March 2010
Writing in an opinion piece for the Australian Financial Review, SVA’s CEO Michael Traill argues that the creation of a new social investment market in Australia would facilitate new flows of capital to support disadvantaged members of the community.
Traill takes the case studies of Muhammad Yunus’ Grameen Bank and Andy Kuper’s Leapfrog, and asks why the same thinking that led to these inspirational stories in developing nations can’t be applied to more advanced economies. He highlights the lesson from Yunus and Kuper’s work - that allocating capital in a different and more thoughtful way is powerful and that this shift has the potential to achieve both financial returns and social outcomes for investors.
Using the announcement of the GoodStart syndicate of four non-profit organisations as the preferred bidder for 678 ABC Learning Centres as a case in point, Traill goes on to highlight other opportunities in the employment and social enterprise sector that could also be based on this social investment model.
Philanthropy bounces back
4 January 2010
In this piece for Business Spectator, Lisa Cotton, SVA’s Director of Social Investment, highlights that despite the global financial crisis placing strain on philanthropy and the non-profit sector, paradoxically, it is also serving to significantly strengthen leadership in the sectors. Discerning non-profit groups are making decisive long term plans, examining their strategies and revenue streams, and working harder to forge trusting relationships with funders who are placing greater demands on outcome measurements and impact.
Lisa concludes that when combined with smarter, more sustainable practices across all sectors, these tougher times offer great possibilities for positive long-term social change. Read the full article.
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