What we learned from your Conference feedback

The feedback from Conference participants provides rich insights on their experiences and how audiences see Philanthropy Australia fulfilling its mission as the peak body. The team thought it would be useful to share some highlights. Adam Ognall, Executive Director, Engagement, reflects on the key findings and how these insights will inform future Philanthropy Australia events.

Conference was overwhelmingly a positive experience for the 1,049 in-person delegates and the more than 200 who participated online. Results showed 82% of survey respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing with this statement and 5% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing.

We found that 75% of delegates also agreed/strongly agreed that that Conference helped support a shift in their perspective and practice. The topics most frequently highlighted were First Nations engagement, Moonshot Philanthropy and Pay What It Takes. The democratisation of giving and collective giving also resonated highly.

This was reflected in the top five rated sessions delegates found most valuable to their work:

Shifting philanthropic perspectives and practice

The Philanthropy Australia team was pleased to find that participants came away from conference feeling more confident to explore the ways they can shift their philanthropic perspective and practice (69% agreed or strongly agreed).

For some funders this was about considering how they show up, as shown in this comment: “The conference reinforced my focus on relationships, listening, connection and daring to try new things. We need to continue to include those that aren’t always seen and listen to their voices, follow their lead and use our privilege to shift power. We can transform our societies for the better if we do this in philanthropy.”

While for others, it was about strengthening their approaches, processes and giving strategies. As one respondent put it: “Discuss[ing] our spend down strategy … explore different ways of using our corpus beyond grantmaking… influence the board towards goal focus and risky projects.” Or as another said: “Taking Andy [Bryant]’s advice [to] ‘take a red pen to the application form’ is number one!”

One not-for-profit (NFP) delegate reflected on the Shared Place sub-theme by reflecting on: “How to harness the power of your community and use different mediums to connect.”

Another considered their working relationship with their funders: “As an NFP … I will feel more confident in inquiring why philanthropic foundations request specific data or ask certain questions.”

Creating new connections

The gathering and connection opportunities through the conference and the 24 side events were highly valued. The survey said 79% of respondents reported having connected with a broader network of people than they would have if they didn’t attend Conference.

One social enterprise participant commented: “PA attendees were the most friendly, networked group of people regardless of whether they were funders or fundees. I have attended many different conferences in my time, but this is what makes PA unique.”

This reflection on who attended Conference linked to our work to prioritise diversity and representation throughout: “Our sector is growing – both in breadth and depth. This is a very welcome development where more lived experience is coming to the table, and young and older generations are collaborating across initiatives.”

Lessons for Philanthropy Australia

As we start planning for Conference 2026 in Brisbane, we are drawing on your constructive suggestions of what we can do better or different. You have posed questions for us, including how we could be bolder in confronting issues that are challenging the sector and giving more focus to the big issues of our times.

There is also a strong encouragement to be more intentional in how Philanthropy Australia enables collaboration, on the centrality of impact investing and the use of corpus, and on providing more structured opportunities for networking. There is also a consistent call for Philanthropy Australia to continue to develop content that caters to the different experience levels and interests, and to ensure Conference is an open, inclusive, welcoming experience for our diverse sector.

Philanthropy Australia is also bringing these ideas and lessons to enhance the value and purpose of our ongoing work. Collaboration is a strong thread – from how our peer networks can empower collaborations, to championing collective giving, to the role Philanthropy Australia can have in facilitating important conversations on how funders and NFPs best work together around their shared purposes.

This work includes exploring how to best engage with government and work in communities. Conference also highlighted – to use Maree’s words – “the rich and diverse tapestry of people involved in all parts of the sector”. Philanthropy Australia’s storytelling will continue to celebrate this ensuring that across the nation, Australians will both appreciate the impact of giving and see themselves in these stories of generosity.

Philanthropy Australia has a reinvigorated motivation to lead the national conversation on improving philanthropic practice. We know – from the 75% of survey respondents who agree/strongly agree – that this is a shared endeavour.