United Way Australia Strategic Plan 2021-2025
March 24, 2021United Way Australia Strategic Plan 2021-2025 The first five years of a child’s life are critically important for brain development. What happens in that first five years can have a profound impact on the next 80 years. That is why we focus on early literacy, early childhood development and school readiness. Our strategy articulates the…
United Way Australia Presents Jumping for Literacy!
September 7, 2020Jump up to support children’s early literacy! Why jump on board? With employee engagement more important than ever, Jumping for Literacy is the perfect way to engage your team. Whether you tap into your team building, marketing or social responsibility budget, your staff will enjoy joining other businesses to give back to the local community. In…
Imagination Library Case Study- LOTE Family
August 19, 2020We have been enjoying the program since my son was one. He loves to read and discuss pictures in the books. As a LOTE (language other than English) background parent, I am often in the dark, especially when it comes to choosing good children’s books, which reflect Australian culture and education. Well curated books in the…
Imagination Library Case Study- COVID-19
June 10, 2020During the COVID-19 Crisis, The Imagination Library has continued to bring the magic of reading into the homes of families in isolation, keeping learning at the centre of Australian families. The gift of a book every month has been a cornerstone of family life in the struggling communities we support, and promotes much needed feelings of…
Macquarie Park Business Community Walkathon 2020
January 21, 2020The Macquarie Park Business Community Walkathon is returning for a fourth year. The Partnership is a vibrant collaboration of corporations helping local young people reach their potential. So far, the initiative has delivered thousands of books and learning resources to children aged 0-5, while over 650 young adults have received help to transition to work…
The Australian Bushfire Crisis – How to Help
January 9, 2020United Way is the world’s largest privately funded charity supporting 1800 communities across 41 countries.Currently in Australia, we are experiencing a bushfire crisis of epic proportions. If you’re part of the global United Way family and would like to contribute to the bushfire recovery, we encourage you to support these charities: Red Cross Salvation…
Announcing the Second United Way Community Cup in May 2020!
November 27, 2019Update: The 2020 United Way Community Cup has been postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis, keep an eye out for a new date or other ways you can get involved! —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————- The Macquarie Park Business Community Partnership is a vibrant collaboration of businesses helping local young people reach their full potential through United Way’s ReadLearnSucceed…
Announcing the third annual Macquarie Park Business Community Walkathon
June 18, 2019Tie up your shoelaces and get excited, the Macquarie Park Business Community Walkathon is back for a third year and it promises to be our biggest one yet! Join us and 1,000 of your closest colleagues on October 17th, 2019 as we walk around the park, getting to know our neighbourhood business district better and…
Imagination Library Case Study- The Cohen Family’s Story
June 5, 2019The monthly highlight of the Cohen household? The Imagination Library book delivery day, which guarantees joy and excitement when the mail arrives, and a night of imagination for the family. Jane – then three – was one of the first children signed up to the Imagination Library when it opened in Ryde in 2014. When he…
School Readiness Funding
March 27, 2019The links between early shared reading and school readiness are clear. That’s why we need to focus on getting more books into the hands of children before they start school. Clayton Noble, CEO, United WayAs of next month, hundreds more kindergarten children will start receiving Imagination Library books thanks to a new funding initiative by…
Imagination Library Case Study – Evans Story
March 21, 2019While it’s a well-known fact that quality books help build early literacy skills and spark imaginations, the benefits of shared reading can be much more profound. In fact, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has enormous benefits across a range developmental areas, as one mum discovered. We first heard from Mae, mother to then 3-year-old Evan, in…
Introducing The United Way Community Cup
March 4, 2019We are excited to announce the launch of the United Way Community Cup in Macquarie Park on Tuesday, May 21st. Featuring the best 16 soccer teams the Park has to offer, the day promises to be fun and (mostly) friendly as the players compete with their business’ pride at stake as well as the chance…
SUPPORTING PITNEY BOWES VOLUNTEERS, BELONG COMMUNITY CENTRE AND REFUGEES TO BUILD A STRONGER COMMUNITY, TOGETHER.
September 6, 2018Supporting Pitney Bowes volunteers, Belong Community Centre and Refugees to build a stronger community, together. One of the key ways we create impact at the community level is by connecting caring companies with local organisations doing great work to share their business skills and expertise. In Acacia Ridge, Queensland, one such partnership is not only…
Harrison Craig is Spellbinding at Seoul Summit Performance in support of Sustainable Development Goals
September 1, 2018Despite torrential rains and the stunning Seoul skyline competing for attention, United Way Australia Early Learning Ambassador Harrison Craig kept the audience at last month’s Asia-Pacific Philanthropy Summit completely spellbound during his opening-night performance. Organised by United Way Worldwide and the Community Chest of Korea, the inaugural event showcased technology and innovation as key drivers…
CSR, charity and giving back: 5 minutes with Clayton Noble, CEO of United Way Australia
July 25, 2018This piece was first published in The CEO Magazine. By Oliver Featherston. United Way has a long history of inspiring communities and organisations to get together in aid of disadvantaged communities, all across the world. In Australia, the organisation particularly focuses on smoothing the developmental path of children, particularly those who are less fortunate. Clayton Noble, CEO…
Media Launch: Brisbane Lions help bring breakfast to school kids in Acacia Ridge
February 27, 2018This week marks the public launch of a business-community collaboration that’s set to bring fuller tummies and a brighter future to children at Watson Road State School. Hosted by the Brisbane Lions, United Way Australia, and Belong (formerly Acacia Ridge Community Services, Inc.), this morning’s media event brings together key stakeholders and supporters of The Breakfast…
DOLLY PARTON’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY SET TO CELEBRATE 100 MILLION BOOKS!
February 27, 2018One of the most successful early literacy initiatives in the world, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library will this week dedicate its 100 Millionth Book to the US Library of Congress in a ceremony to be streamed live on both YouTube and Facebook. The renowned musician founded the program in 1995 with the aim of bringing free,…
Lessons from the Trenches: 5 Expert Tips for Building Employee Engagement
January 30, 2018Last month I was fortunate to be part of a robust discussion on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Australia.…
Harrison Craig, The Voice winner, Speaks up for Children’s Literacy
October 10, 2017United Way Australia is thrilled to announce Harrison Craig has joined us as our Ambassador. The singer and author, who won the second series of The Voice Australia, is helping raise awareness of the importance of early learning and literacy across Australian communities of disadvantage. United Way’s early learning programs hold a special place for Harrison,…
From for-profit to for-purpose: A CEO’s Reflections
September 22, 2017It's a question I find myself answering on a regular basis – after so long in the corporate world, why move to the Third Sector? It’s a question I asked myself just six months ago. There were two things that struck me: 1. “Charity” as I knew it had well and truly moved on The traditional…
SOCIAL INNOVATION: HOW ‘WE’ IS KEY FOR SOLVING COMPLEX SOCIAL ISSUES
July 20, 2017Are we in agreement that when we innovate alone, we draw on a limited pool of ideas, clouded by our own biases and assumptions? When it comes to addressing social issues, there’s a strong relationship between innovation and collaboration. Innovating with others generates more ideas, and enables us to build on and improve others’ ideas.…
Australia’s ‘slow burn disasters’: why we need to share learning to respond better, together
July 7, 2017Are we all in agreement that Australia’s most complex social issues require systematic change to ensure no one slips through the cracks, today or in the future? As single organisations, our programs and services affect individual lives, but the systemic change that’s desperately needed can only be achieved by sharing learning and tracking change together.…
Why Neutrality Matters for Collective Impact Backbones
May 10, 2017As using a Collective Impact approach to address complex social issues gains momentum in Australia, and around the globe, there’s been much discussion over the role of the ‘backbone’ and whether neutrality should be a prerequisite. In essence, the role of a backbone organisation is to facilitate collaboration among diverse stakeholders, rather than deliver traditional…
A community-centred approach is not business as usual – are we ready?
April 20, 2017Deeply listening and understanding. Doing with, not for. Enabling communities to create their own change. That’s what ‘good’ community development is meant to be about. Yet when it does happen, there’s no linkage to inform social policy, planning and service delivery – the very systems that can scale social change in Australia are often deeply…
Why impact-led thinking should be part of every NFP’s DNA
March 23, 2017A successful business requires a solid business plan, a watchful eye on the bottom line and radar for opportunities. In the non-profit sector, social change is our currency – but how do we measure up when it comes to tracking performance? To date, many social purpose organisations have measured success on meeting specific project goals…
United Way Australia announces new CEO
March 10, 2017United Way Australia is pleased to welcome a new CEO, Clayton Noble. Clayton has an extensive career in the public and private sectors, beginning as an Air Force Officer before moving to executives roles with companies including Fuji Xerox, Dell, BAX Global and Coles Myer. He brings strong commercial and operational capabilities, having lead diverse…
Innovation in unemployment: Are we setting ourselves up for failure?
February 9, 2017"Someone needs to say it," is what I keep hearing. We in the social purpose sector and government, look to be scrambling for ideas to address unemployment in Australia. But the answers exist already. Are we not learning? There is $96.1 million available through the government’s Try, Test and Learn Fund to ‘trial new or…
