Hi ,

As we digest the news of escalating conflict in the Middle East and as the Winter solstice rolls past, we’re leaning into the warmth of ideas, connection, and community—the things that keep the civic fires burning.

It’s been a big couple of months in civic life, with Australia’s newly minted Labor government winning a thumping mandate—and, we hope, a recharge of courage. There’s long overdue progress on DGR reforms, and real momentum behind our growing network of community foundations. Australian voters resoundingly rejected the dog-whistling that crept onto billboards and spammed our phones, even as the slow erosion of political civility reminds us that power-sharing—and democracy itself—requires constant tending.

In this edition of The GoodWolf, we’re reflecting on the idea of community: what it means, why it matters, what happens when it frays, and who’s out there building and defending it. We’re also sharing a bit about some fantastic organisations we’ve been working with this quarter, and some tools we’ve found helpful along the way.

So grab a cuppa, rug up, and enjoy the read—we look forward to seeing you out there in the field.

Kind regards,  

Simon

Philanthropy & Community: Backing the Upswing

Community, as a concept, is simultaneously self-evident (we know it’s out there) and complex (we'd all define it slightly differently). It’s typically defined as the warm, fuzzy and reciprocal engagement between a smaller, more localised group of individuals who share a common purpose. Community is a building block of a ‘society’, which assembles these communities into a more integrated whole (while noting that some, like Thatcher, infamously declared ‘there is no such thing as society!’). 

We’ve all weaved in and out of different communities in our lives, and can all attest to the importance of community for our sense of belonging, and overall well-being.  Given that, wouldn't it follow that we'd all be extra vigilant to keep our communities strong and healthy, that we'd sign up and participate regularly, and that we'd contribute at least a little more than we take to support their growing momentum? Well, apparently not. 

CLIENT SHOUTOUTS

The Passe & Williams Foundation

The Passe & Williams Foundation: recognising gaps in support for the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialty, Barbara Williams established the Passe & Williams Foundation in 1991 in honour of her two husbands. 30 years later, the Foundation is the largest specialist funder of ENT medical research and clinical studies in the Australasian region. Over the last few months, GoodWolf has been working alongside the Foundation’s Board of Directors and leadership team to re-examine the design and focus of the Foundation’s support for ENT research and practice across Australia and New Zealand. The process has involved deep community consultation with leading ENT clinicians and researchers. The emerging strategy will see continuity of the Foundation’s commitment to excellence in the field, with a refreshed focus on innovation, impact and influence.  

Family of Veterans Guild (FoV)

Family of Veterans Guild (FoV) is a bold, lived-experience-led organisation transforming support for the families of those who serve. Originally founded after WWII as the Australian War Widows Memorial, FoV has stayed true to its mission for nearly 80 years while expanding its definition of family to reflect the diverse reality of service life today. Following the recent Royal Commission, GoodWolf was proud to support FoV’s dynamic leadership and Board as they developed their first theory of change, and explored new pathways for growth and sustainability.

Monkey Baa Theatre

GoodWolf has been delivering a new ‘Do by Learning’ offer to make our expertise accessible for a variety of organisations, as well as help build their capability. Monkey Baa Theatre is on a journey of innovation looking at new forms of capital to grow its youth theatre productions, and develop an impact framework that captures the cultural and social dimensions of its work. Through its work Monkey Baa aims to create theatre that nurtures empathy, sparks creativity and gives young people the confidence to explore their emotions – the arts play an important role in early childhood development. We have really loved our journey with Monkey Baa and are excited for the courageous and creative path they are leading as an arts organisation, to take their work to new highs.

The Southport School Foundation

The Southport School Foundation commissioned GoodWolf to conduct a review of a whole-of-school approach to philanthropy, and to help frame its impact agenda as one of the prominent independent schools on the Gold Coast. This review involved mapping the purpose and priorities across the School, Alumni, Foundation and Parents Association as four complementary pillars to the School’s agenda to create opportunities and educational outcomes for the families of its alumni and the wider community. Bringing the four Boards together around a common agenda will hopefully unlock a whole new level of potential for the School, and its community.

Monet & Metaphors

The WINGS framework... 

The Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (or WINGS) launched a valuable report last year called Philanthropy Networks: Creating Value, Voice and Collective Impact. The report includes a framework (pictured below) which describes the four dimensions through which philanthropy supporting organisations (PSO) create value and amplify voice. We’ve found this resource enormously useful in our recent work supporting PSOs in strategic planning. 

If strategic planning is about making informed choices on where to focus attention and resources, the WINGS framework offers a useful map to frame such decisions. It helps PSOs understand where they currently sit—and how they might rebalance efforts between meeting immediate needs and shaping the broader field.

Feeding our GoodWolf

• Purpose Under Pressure - Global Association Trends 2025: this new report by Belinda Moore explores how associations worldwide are navigating financial strain, tech challenges, and shifting member expectations. It calls for a stronger focus on purpose, long-term value, and strategic infrastructure to stay resilient in a changing world. Moore brings a surprisingly compassionate and accessible approach to this deep dive research.
• “A Few Rules for Predicting the Future” by Octavia E. Butler. The great science fiction author Octavia Butler offers a look into the importance of studying history and taking responsibility for our actions if we are to move forward.  She lays out four simple ideas: learn from the past, respect consequences, stay aware of your perspective, and be ready for surprises. A short read that prompts deep thinking – a helpful for those of us working on strategic planning!
• “The Middle East - 2000 Years of History from the Rise of Christianity to the Present Day” by Bernard Lewis is quite the tome to take you deep into the people, the religion, the culture and the battles that both scarified and sanctified this region since the birth of Christ. As the fulcrum of World politics, again today as ever, it helps deepen one’s understanding and appreciation for this precious region, and what both binds and divides it. 

• We donated to the Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital Foundation’s end of year giving campaign that was run for both Brisbane and Redcliffe hospital sites. A very energetic campaign which had great results.
  
  
• We also contributed to CERES, a longstanding social enterprise that is running an appeal to raise $150,000 by June 30. A ‘perfect storm’ of challenges means these funds are urgent to safeguard one of Victoria’s treasured food community assets.

• GoodWolf Partners was pleased to partner with our friends and colleagues - Philanthropy Australia's Queensland team Kim Harland and Caroline Morrissey - to host another wonderful ‘Breakfast with Interesting People’ gathering of folks in the Brisbane impact community. Thanks to all the leaders who joined us. Thanks also to Richard Warner Kirsty Leigh and the Nundah Community Enterprises Cooperative team for hosting us at their Marhaba café.

• Queensland is terrifically lucky to be coordinated once a year around QLD Philanthropy Week.
  We were reflecting that 10 years ago you would not be able to get a room full of engaged people together to connect around strategies associated with 'Giving' – now there’s a whole week’s worth of activities and the rooms are full to the brim. Huge thank you to Tara Castle and the team at Queensland Gives and the Queensland Community Foundation for a fabulous week.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of The GoodWolf.  

Please reach out or share a comment with us at hello@goodwolf.com.au or contact one of the team directly. 

Not subscribed yet? Don't miss out on our next quarterly newsletter!