2025 NEXUS Summit – reflections, key outcomes, and what’s next for NEXUS 

NEXUS recently hosted the 7th NEXUS Australia Summit, 3-5 March in Melbourne. 230 next generation and emerging philanthropists, impact investors and exceptional young social change leaders united for 2.5 days of education, inspiration, innovation and connection. In this article, NEXUS Australia Executive Officer Lucy Steggles writes about the Summit and what’s coming up for NEXUS. 

Through the Summit theme of “Brave Voices & Bold Ideas”, we tackled a range of thematic areas, including First Nations Treaty and philanthropy; the defining decade of climate action; protecting our democracy by fighting the spread of misinformation; exploring the frontiers of new mental health treatments; and AI, futurism and the future of technology.  

We created spaces for young philanthropists to connect, share stories, and create peer connection through shared challenges and learnings, and hosted an intergenerational panel exploring decision-making across generations while navigating generational differences.  

The energy across the 3 days was palpable, inspiring and hopeful. One delegate shared: “The summit was raw, outraging and hope-inspiring, exposing brutal realities but also genius solutions by humble humans who are brave enough to share their bold ideas with the world. I feel SO galvanised and buoyed by this community.” 

2025 Summit data and survey findings  

Delegation data that we, as NEXUS Australia, are proud of: 

• Our delegates included representation from every Australian state and territory. 

• We welcomed 24 international delegates including representation from NZ, Singapore, Indonesia, England, France, Switzerland, and the USA – all members of our NEXUS global network.  

• 15% of our speakers were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. 

• 57% of our speakers were female.  

Some key feedback data:  

• 84% of delegates shared that the event Exceeded or Greatly Exceeded their expectations. 

• 75% Agreed or Strongly Agreed that the Summit influenced the way they see their role in addressing social and environmental issues.   

• 90% of delegates Agreed or Strongly Agreed that the Summit challenged them to think and take action in new ways. 

• 77% Agreed or Strongly Agreed that the Summit inspired them to take greater action or commit more resources to social impact activities. 

• 85% Agreed or Strongly Agreed that that they developed relationships that will turn into collaborations. 

What is unique about NEXUS? 

The NEXUS event was so well-received by attendees, it led me to reflect on what makes NEXUS unique and so much more than just a conference. These are my top 6 reflections:  

• Our Summit is all or nothing. 
  If we are going to shift minds, culture and behaviour, we need to capture people in immersive multi-day experiences. NEXUS only sells 2.5 day, full-event tickets. It is important that our delegates immerse themselves, connecting meaningfully with other delegates via curated gather groups, spaces designed to dive deeper into issue areas, and by creating moments of reflection and impact planning for the future. 

• It has to be fun – measuring engagement is key. 
  Many philanthropists are not working professionally in philanthropy; they are engaging in their personal time. At NEXUS we believe that while we touch on serious topics requiring thoughtful strategy; it is critical that we ensure fun, and keep joy at the forefront. Creating engaging spaces is critical to our success in growing giving. At NEXUS, we laugh, celebrate, dance, eat, and we make new values-aligned friendships. Growing giving in Australia necessitates a balance of ‘education’ with high ‘engagement’.   

• Embrace the arts and creativity in conferences. 
  Every day at NEXUS we had a musical invocation, dance, and cultural and creative experiences. Not only does this give delegates a ‘brain break’, but the music and dance in particular creates moments of reflection, emotion, unity and connection, which I don’t believe can be achieved via keynotes alone. We had a ‘unifying power of music’ interactive workshop, where we created a NEXUS song together, and it was one of the most energising break-out sessions across the entire Summit.  

• A curated delegation. 
  NEXUS is by application and invitation only. We are intentional about the curation of our delegation in order to ensure that members are values-aligned, and the interactions of our members are of high value and with exceptional peers. We believe that if we are going to tackle some of the most pressing issues of our generation, we need to bring together those with the resources to make significant impact, alongside the brightest young social change innovators from across Australia.  

• Global network/local impact. 
  NEXUS has more than 6,000 members from 60+ countries. NEXUS is uniquely positioned to connect global members with shared passions. Our Australia Summit was one example, bringing members together from eight other countries. We also have a presence at the NEXUS Global Summit in New York, which convenes members from over 25 countries around the world every June.  

• Partnerships and collaboration. 
  Our Summit would not have been what it was without the sector partnerships and collaborative and inclusive approach to content curation. Our dinners included collaborations with groups like: AEGN, Climates, Multicultural Leadership Initiative, and She Gives. We also had programming support from the Australian Jewish Funders Network, Minderoo Foundation, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, NEXUS Asia, the Foundations Group for Impact Investing (FGII) and others. Delegate recruitment support from our sponsors and community partners is listed on our website: https://www.nexusaustralia.org.au/partners-sponsors  

Why supporting the Next Gen of philanthropy in Australia so important right now 

We are on the precipice of the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in history. Australia will see more than $5.3 trillion change hands over the next 10-20 years, from older generations to younger generations, now in their 20s and 30s. It is important to foster spaces where the next generation of philanthropists can come together to learn about best practice philanthropy, unlock their purpose, and connect with leading young social changemakers to collaborate and build a better tomorrow.  

Research shows that attitudes towards giving are established early in life and can be difficult to change (Robitaille, N. 2019). We must engage the next generation early, in order to foster a culture of giving, building a pipeline of future philanthropists, and to grow more and better giving in Australia.   

NEXUS Australia is thankful to our philanthropic partners who understand the importance of including sector building initiatives in their strategies, enabling us to effectively grow giving in Australia so that we can tackle some of the biggest societal challenges.  

Thanks to Minderoo Foundation, MaiTri Foundation, Snow Foundation, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Wheelton Philanthropy, and the Krulis family.  

We would also welcome any other families who would like to get involved.   

NEXUS’s Strategic direction  

Our Summit event was just one stepping stone in our strategic plan, working to connect, inspire, and importantly to activate our community. NEXUS Australia is full steam ahead for 2025 and there will be many more opportunities to get together.  

NEXUS will continue to grow a supportive network of young changemakers via our salon events, monthly newsletters, delegations to global gatherings, and collaborative events. Stay tuned for more news from NEXUS Australia. If you are a next gen (aged 20-45) philanthropist, impact investor or next gen social changemaker, sign up to our newsletter on our website.  

Upcoming NEXUS events 

NEXUS Global Summit – 26-28 June 2025 – New York 

• Ticket price is AUD$2000 (after discount)  
• We are seeking expressions of interest to join our delegation. Please email [email protected] 

Government House, Victoria – 30 July – Melbourne 

• With Governor of Victoria, Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC 

• More details soon via our newsletter 

Screenings of Damon Gameau’s latest film – Future Council  

• Sydney and Melbourne 

• More details to follow soon 

Philanthropy Australia is the host organisation for NEXUS Australia and was the host partner of the 2025 NEXUS Australia Summit.