NFP Round Table - May 2025

Join Us for the May NFP Roundtable Session

Date: May 15th

Time: 9:45 AM - 11:30 AM

Location: Mills Oakley Offices

151 Clarence Street

Sydney NSW 2000

FEATURED SPEAKER

Nicola Norris - Non-Executive Director Success Works Partners and Director of Fundraising and Marketing Australia for UNHCR.

Success Works is a charity and registered social enterprise which supports women with criminal records to find employment.  Nicola Norris joined the Board of Success Works as a Non-Executive Director in 2022, shortly after the organisation obtained its DGR (Deductible Gift Recipient) status. Nicola has a strong track record in delivering revenue growth and leading high performing teams for some of the most well-known charities in Australia, including Australia for UNHCR, where she is currently employed as Director of Fundraising and Marketing. Nicola has over 20 years of fundraising, communications and marketing experience and has held senior roles with several prominent organisations including Greenpeace, Amnesty International and the Heart Foundation. Nicola is recognised as a thought-leader within the fundraising sector, and in 2021 was awarded a Fellowship of the Fundraising Institute of Australia for her contribution to the sector.

SESSION OVERVIEW

Joining the Board of a newly founded start-up organisation, which supports women with criminal records to find employment, felt like a great challenge. Launched with just 12 months of start-up capital, the race was on to demonstrate proof of concept and obtain ongoing funding to ensure its future sustainability. “Surely that’s virtually unfundable?” one of her peers in fundraising commented in relation to the organisation’s mission to help women who have broken the law and/or been to prison. Despite this kind of scepticism about its potential, Success Works has secured broad community support and raised $3.45 million in multi-year funding from diverse sources in just 2.5 years. 

Session overview:

• The Evolution of Success Works: Discover how Success Works secured $3.45 million in diverse funding sources, including government grants, major gifts, impact investment, and support from trusts and foundations.
• Social Enterprise: the role of not for profits and social enterprises in delivering community solutions that business and government have failed to or are unwilling to solve. Can we also expect NFPs to behave like businesses?
• Lessons for Boards: Learn what fundraising, communications and marketing professionals can bring to a not-for-profit Board.
• Raising Capital for “Challenging” Causes and Start-ups: Gain insights into effective approaches for raising capital for cause areas that are often considered challenging, as well as gaining insights into the challenges for NFP start-ups operating on shoestring capital.
• Employing People with Criminal Records: learn why all organisations should become Fair Chance employers open to considering employing a candidate with a criminal record.
• Crisis Management: what would you do as a Board member facing a crisis? A case study.
• Be Inspired!

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

Register Now: Secure your spot to be part of this enlightening session. Spaces are limited, so act fast!