Our Community
Encyclopedia
Our Community is an Australian social entrepreneurship
body set up to build capacity
in Australia’s 600,000 community groups. It has published a series of manuals on such issues as board management and charitable fundraising
, has since 2004 organised annual policy conferences for the Australian voluntary sector
, and offers a library of thousands of online helpsheets on a range of not-for-profit topics. In addition to its role as a leading social enterprise in Australia, Our Community has also established GiveNow.com.au through its not-for-profit arm, the Our Community Foundation, allowing not-for-profit organisations throughout Australia to accept online donations at no cost to themselves.
The company was founded in 2000 by Denis Moriarty, its current Managing Director, who received a Centenary Medal in recognition for establishing Our Community. In the past, it had Rhonda Galbally AO as its CEO.
In 2007, Our Community was named the winner of the "Cool Company" Social Capitalist Award, where the organisation was described as a "deeply noble enterprise."
There are over 55,000 community groups involved with Our Community ranging from large organisations such as Oxfam Australia
, to small ones such as Partners in Aid
.
Social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship is the work of social entrepreneurs. A social entrepreneur recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change . While a business entrepreneur typically measures performance in profit and return, a...
body set up to build capacity
Capacity building
Capacity building also referred to as capacity development is a conceptual approach to development that focuses on understanding the obstacles that inhibit people, governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations from realizing their developmental goals while enhancing...
in Australia’s 600,000 community groups. It has published a series of manuals on such issues as board management and charitable fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
, has since 2004 organised annual policy conferences for the Australian voluntary sector
Voluntary sector
The voluntary sector or community sector is the sphere of social activity undertaken by organizations that are for non-profit and non-governmental. This sector is also called the third sector, in reference to the public sector and the private sector...
, and offers a library of thousands of online helpsheets on a range of not-for-profit topics. In addition to its role as a leading social enterprise in Australia, Our Community has also established GiveNow.com.au through its not-for-profit arm, the Our Community Foundation, allowing not-for-profit organisations throughout Australia to accept online donations at no cost to themselves.
The company was founded in 2000 by Denis Moriarty, its current Managing Director, who received a Centenary Medal in recognition for establishing Our Community. In the past, it had Rhonda Galbally AO as its CEO.
In 2007, Our Community was named the winner of the "Cool Company" Social Capitalist Award, where the organisation was described as a "deeply noble enterprise."
There are over 55,000 community groups involved with Our Community ranging from large organisations such as Oxfam Australia
Oxfam Australia
Oxfam Australia is an Australian, independent, not-for-profit, secular, community-based aid and development organisation, and an affiliate of Oxfam International. Oxfam Australia's work includes long-term development projects, responding to emergencies and campaigning to improve the lives of...
, to small ones such as Partners in Aid
Partners in Aid
Partners in Aid is an aid organisation supporting projects in India, Bangladesh and the Philippines.- Transfer of Ownership of the Action Aid Australia Name :...
.