Christchurch, New Zealand is to host a major international conference, the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) in 2017. With 1,200 delegates expected, it will be the largest international conference for the city since the February 2011 earthquake. ?kina Foundation Chief Executive Alex Hannant led a bid for the hosting rights at the SEWF in Italy in June with the backing of a number of partners. “Hosting the SEWF in New Zealand in 2017 is an opportunity…

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The Board of Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) today announced that CEO Suzanne Campbell will retire from her role when her term expires on 29 January 2016. Kee Wong, Chair of the AIIA said: “The board wishes to thank Suzanne for successfully leading the Association through a transition phase over the past four years. She has been able to build a strong team who have raised our profile with state and federal government, positively impacted policy issues relevant to our…

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A reminder to maintain financial vigilence comes from the charging with fraud of a former employee at Australia's oldest charity, The Benevolent Society. The 72 year old client account officer, who had left The Benevolent Society last year after eight years with the charity, allegedly pocketed almost $150,000 in cash payments for Meals on Wheels services over more than six years.  The Benevolent Society noticed discrepancies in its bank accounts in September 2014 and private forensic…

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CEO Sturt Eastwood, credits the entire team of Diabetes NSW with the turnaround in the organisation's fortunes over the last year and a half. Here's what he had to say in his Linkedin article on 13 October 2015: Great execution of basic business fundamentals has been key to a positive financial outcome for Diabetes NSW.  From a forecast $1.7m loss on a revenue base of $6m to a $200k profit in just 18 months is a…

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Don Chambers, the former Chair of Keep Australia Beautiful National Association, sadly passed away on 11 October while on a trip to Rome, Italy. He was 78. Don was an important part of the Keep Australia Beautiful family for more than a decade. He stepped down as national Chair in 2013, although he remained on the board of Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria. CEO of Keep Australia Beautiful National Association Philip Robinson said Mr Chambers was one of a kind. “All those…

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The Perth Convention Bureau’s (PCB) 2016 Aspire Awards are now open to individuals involved with not-for-profit associations who can apply for the City of Perth, the City of Mandurah and Giving West Scholarships funded by PCB under its Aspire Program. PCB is also pleased to announce the launch of the Telethon Kids Institute Award, open to staff at the Telethon Kids Institute. The aim of the Aspire Program is to assist the individual’s personal and professional development through attendance at…

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Outgoing Governance Institute chief executive Tim Sheehy has been appointed the inaugural Director General of the UK based Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) to address the urgent need for good governance in emerging economies. “With a strong presence in 65 countries, ICSA — under Tim’s leadership — is uniquely placed to spearhead a global push to embed in emerging economies sound governance practices in line with those in more mature economies such as Australia,…

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Australia’s Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb, whose presentation for Associations Forum’s Canberra Member Meeting on 23 October now has a waiting list, has won the the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in the 2015 Australian Financial Review Higher Education Awards. Prior to his appointment as Australia’s Chief Scientist in April 2011, Professor Chubb was Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University from January 2001 to February 2011. He was also Vice-Chancellor of Flinders…

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As part of Associations Forum’s partnership with Pearson VUE to deliver a unique educational series on trends in testing and certification, we are holding a workshop - Using technology to better develop and deliver exams. Held in the Pearson VUE office's in Melbourne on Tuesday 13th October, we have a few places left to join us for a day of learning and networking. Aimed at test owners and developers, the topics covered on the day will include how you can improve exam quality…

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We’re all aware of how important it is to engage your virtual audiences. In saying this, it's easy to fall into the trap of letting the Internet get the better of you as you become lost in the wonderful world of webinars and webcasts. So how can you run your virtual events minus the downsides? How can you eliminate the feeling of being disconnected from your members and avoid the common pitfalls? Uncover the 7 Deadly Sins of Virtual Events in this handy guide put together by Redback…

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