There’s a lot of talk about sustainability in the corporate sector, but what about charitable organisations? How is sustainability relevant to community organisations and charitable organisations, and what does it have to offer them?

Measuring financial performance goes without saying, but few organisations measure their social or environmental impacts, even when that is their core reason for being, and even fewer understand how the three are interrelated.

The social and environmental challenges facing society are significant, both locally and globally. The concepts that comprise organisational sustainability offer some practical solutions to these challenges and deliver financial and non-financial returns in the process. By adopting a more holistic view of the economy, you can better understand how your organisation can maximise its impact.

Key learning outcomes: 

• How social, environmental and economic performance are interrelated
• Why sustainability isn’t just for corporates
• How to determine which sustainability issues are significant for your organisation
• How to start managing and measuring those issues

About the presenters

Charlie Knaggs: Charlie leads Net Balance's climate change and energy business lines. He has extensive skills and experience in greenhouse gas inventory development and audit, carbon strategy, environmental management and delivering carbon policy advice. His experience includes developing carbon management and neutrality strategies, assisting companies in meeting their compliance obligations under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Scheme and providing audit and assurance of corporate energy and greenhouse reports. Charlie is co-founder of the Australian Institute of Environmental Accounting. 

Kate Robinson: Kate, a senior associate at Net Balance, has over twenty years’ experience in the corporate world, with extensive experience in the area of community investment, engagement and partnerships. Kate was responsible for ANZ’s internal community engagement programs such as volunteering and staff giving, as well as customer and shareholder giving schemes, disaster response and internal communications and advice with regard to local community investment. Kate has also been Senior Partnership Advisor with the Australian Charities Fund, and managed the benchmarking of corporate community investment data and also the corporate relationships for LBG Australia and New Zealand.