Hi ,

Much has been written about the importance of ‘home’, ‘place’ and ‘community’, and our enduring attachment to these essential building blocks of a happy life, and a thriving society - especially when these building blocks are strong and good.

When they are not, we see greater mobility and patterns of migration leaving the uncertainty, difficulty or danger behind in search of the opposite. And a new chapter of making ‘home’, ‘place’ and ‘community’ starts up in our adopted land. 

As one of the many travellers who has chanced upon the Lucky Country, I had the pleasure of returning to where it all started for me, co-hosting a donor trip to Zimbabwe and Malawi to visit community-led organisations and consider the ramifications of the recent and drastic cuts to global aid. 

Locals there say that 'visitors bring blessings,' and many readers will have experienced the warm welcome and extravagant generosity of these communities, humbled by their circumstances but steadfast in their hope and resolve to make things better for future generations. But it was the blessings that we took away that have stayed with me, and that I enjoyed sharing with the team on my return.

I share below a particular reflection of this trip in the form of a letter from Malawi to the Australian community about how intentional and focused these community leaders are in addressing gender inequality. So much so, it startled my own residual gender bias and highlighted what courageous action looks like when you are a woman, leading change against insurmountable odds, with minimal resources, surrounded by an indifferent patriarchy, but with the magic cards of faith and community trust in your pocket.

As a team, we at GoodWolf have all recently travelled to Australia, or recently returned, and the work we chose to do every day is linked to and inspired by these memories which all connect back to ‘home’, ‘place’ and ‘community’ in some way.

We are delighted to share our newsletter with exciting updates about our team, and groundbreaking work on Impact Frameworks that Nina has led in the health and medical research foundation space.

We look forward to seeing you out there in the field, and making ‘home’, ‘place’ and ‘community’ as good as it can be! 

Kind regards,  

Simon

More Than Metrics: The Hidden Power of Impact Frameworks

Too often, impact frameworks are treated as compliance tools - boxes to tick for funders, donors, or annual reports. But when done well, they are much more than that. An impact framework, thoughtfully designed and strongly embedded in the human experience of impact, does more than articulate outcomes to stakeholders; it becomes a living process that shapes how teams think, learn, and drive strategy.

“An authentic impact framework doesn’t just measure change - it builds a culture of reflection, intention, and shared purpose.”

Simone Garske
Chief Executive Officer, Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital Foundation

GROWING OUR TEAM

Our business is ultimately powered by the passion, drive, and insights brought to the conversation and enquiry by our dynamic team, and growing momentum has created opportunities for them to step up into new roles:

• Nina has stepped into the role of Director and oversees a portfolio of work covering theory of change and impact frameworks, business planning in social enterprises, and a growing number of strategy and trusted advisor gigs

• Hannah has been promoted to Senior Consultant as she takes on project management roles in the Trusts and Foundations space while thoughtfully engaging with social enterprise and First Nations communities

• We welcomed Balveen Ajimal as a Director in our Brisbane team, who hit the ground running after working alongside GoodWolf in an Associate capacity for the last six months. Balveen's breadth of skills and experience make her a shoo-in for Chairs, CEOs, and COOs looking for a trusted and dexterous advisor to bring ideas and people into alignment around governance, risk, and strategy

• Meanwhile, interviews are underway for a new Melbourne-based team member to keep Simon company! Watch this space.

These developments mark an important step as we grow our capacity to deliver sharp, high-level advice in an increasingly complex and challenging environment for the sector. And as we sometimes say, “the for-profit space is growing at around 3 per cent a year, while the for-purpose space is growing at least double that!”

CLIENT SHOUTOUTS

The tools and insights gained will not only benefit the pilot communities but will also provide valuable learnings for regional communities across Australia as they shape their own approaches to wellbeing.

GoodWolf is carrying out an independent evaluation of the Regional Wellbeing Project. The evaluation will support the Gardiner Foundation in understanding how and by who the tools are being used and the ways regional communities can adapt similar frameworks in the future.

National Affordable Housing

The housing crisis remains at the forefront of public debate across Australia. It was a privilege to work with National Affordable Housing to support the reset of its strategic and risk framework amidst an environment of significant need and complexity.

The process brought together experts from the housing sector, including community housing providers, developers, and funders, to deeply consider the service NAH provides to both individuals experiencing housing stress and in bringing together the diverse stakeholders who work together in this complex space. We spent time with the management, the Board, and the CEO to help construct strategic and risk pathways that will support NAH in its critical challenge of providing more stable housing outcomes.

MONET & METAPHORS

Despite these circumstances, we want to share some examples of how we make space for the voice and agency of our women and girls, and how we are working with our men to build a stronger, gender-equal community that benefits us all.

FEEDING OUR GOODWOLF

• We joined 450 leaders from the philanthropy and NFP community at the Philanthropy Australia Summit to explore 'Leadership In Our Times' and how we need to turn up in our roles to weather the challenges and changes ahead. The event was headlined by Julia Gillard, who gave a masterclass in oratory—synthesised reflections on her own leadership journey as our first female prime minister, and now Chair of one of the largest charitable trusts funding health and medical research, re-examining its role in today’s topsy-turvy and Trump-infested world. This Summit comes as a prelude to the new PA Strategy that will be launched in the New Year.
• Simon and his colleagues at AIDN will be giving an overview of the recent Warm Heart of Africa trip to Malawi and Zimbabwe in July 2025 at the Community Of Giving Hub, Level 6, 126 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne, VIC 3002 on 14th October at 12.30pm. Come along and hear about the trip, the themes and issues arising from the site visits and showcase days, and take away some inspiration about funding opportunities and communities beyond our shores.
• We've been loving the Brisbane Festival! A standout so far has been the QTC production, Back to Bilo. Developed over four years with the Nadesalingam family's involvement, the play begins in Sri Lanka, tracing Priya and Nades' early lives during the civil war, their migration to Australia, and their life in Biloela, where they became part of the community. The production integrates Tamil cultural elements, with live performances in both Tamil and English, and features real-life campaigners who fought for the family's return. Award-winning Belloo Creative specialise is bringing untold stories to the stage through community collaboration, and it is evident that this approach has been taken by Lyall-Watson and Dunphy with Back to Bilo. At its core the play is about connection, care and community. Artshub have a great review here: Back to Bilo review: the Nadesalingam family's story steals the show in Brisbane      

• After eight years volunteering on the Outward Bound Australia board and being Chair of its Foundation, Simon is stepping down and is looking for a replacement to join the organisation at a very exciting time. Having worked through the ramifications of bushfires and then COVID-19, and completely redesigning the business to be fit-for-purpose for young learners in the outdoors, Outward Bound Australia continues to define, or redefine, the importance of learning adventures for young people, for their sense of self, for their resilience and skills development, for their compassion and connection to others, and for their greater understanding and continued awe of the natural world that is our habitat. Simon is looking for his replacement to join the OBA board, particularly someone with philanthropy experience, so please reach out to him directly to find out more.

• Rich Expectations: Why Rich People Give by Beth Breeze and Rhodri Davies, based on interviews with 88 affluent UK donors and 20-plus years of philanthropic research. It reveals that most of the donors are self-made, giving over £500,000 annually, a practice driven less by vanity or image-management and more by a genuine desire to give back, enrich their own lives, and avoid over-privileging their children. Heightened scrutiny, via social media or critiques of “tainted money”, has made donors more cautious, and the authors advocate for a national philanthropic strategy. Ultimately, the report finds that meaningful engagement in charitable causes fosters a sense of purpose and personal fulfillments, rather than being motivated by self-interest or power.
• Sector Report — Endowments for Impact Challenge an excellent and practical report on EFIC’s work to promote investment practices that genuinely reflect the missions, values and impact goals of charitable organisations. GoodWolf is proud to have been supporting this work for more than five years.
• Partly inspired by reflections on the work of Australians Investing in Women, Hannah recently read Heart Lamp, winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize. In this collection of short stories, Banu Mushtaq explores the everyday lives of women and girls in Muslim communities in southern India. The book speaks to women’s lives, education and reproductive rights, faith, caste, power and oppression. It’s a powerful example of how art can open windows of understanding and compassion for the experiences of others.

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. 

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