In this episode of Executive with a Cause, host Tammy Ven Dange chats with Simone Clarke, the CEO of UN Women Australia.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day this year, Simone shares her insights on the importance of this day and the work that UN Women Australia is doing to empower women and girls globally and domestically.
Simone has had a long career working in Not for Profits, especially in the fundraising space, including on the other side with foundational donors. In this episode, she addresses the misconception that fundraising is free. We chat about managing partner expectations and the burden of government funding compliance, and with this, the dependencies and challenges of competing investment needs, particularly in technology.
You won’t want to miss this episode – a true fundraising masterclass, particularly on how to work with corporate partners.
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IT in Plain English
In this week’s episode of ‘IT in Plain English’, we’re exploring the question, ‘What is AI or artificial intelligence?
While these AI tools offer numerous benefits, it’s important to be aware of their limitations and response accuracy, ensuring you apply the same critical lens you would to any human-generated work.
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Topics from this episode:
- 0.00 | Introduction
- 00.41 | UN Women
- 02.31 | Domestic advocacy
- 03.30 | Commencing with UN Women
- 06.32 | Employees and volunteers
- 08.28 | Fund distribution
- 11.05 | Managing partner expectations
- 16.21 | Improving technology
- 19.35 | Protecting data
- 23.28 | Staying mission focused
- 26.08 | Merchandise supply chains
- 32.35 | Ethical procurement
- 35.21 | Organisational challenges
- 40.17 | Lessons learned
- 49.15 | IT in Plain English
Quotes from Simone Clarke in this episode:
“We are tasked with, as an organisation, advancing the Sustainable Development Goal, specifically number five, which is to achieve gender equality by 2030, which at current rates is looking fairly elusive, which is a little bit disappointing.”
“We work in a range of areas. We work around empowering women through financial leadership, through greater representation in public office, but also in business as well. We also look at programs in mitigating the impact of climate change and climate emergencies on women, in particular, and families. And also, obviously, in humanitarian crises, situations like Ukraine and others around the world as they happen, both natural and manmade. So we have a lot of work to do, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. “
“There is much ambition. There is much desire to be. We always say we are small, but we’re mighty. And so, with that comes its own set of challenges in terms of operations and running a Not for Profit when you have a small team but a very dedicated and nimble team. And it’s also interesting to go from a large-scale organisation to a smaller-scale organisation. Because the nuances are different. The challenges are different. But I think there’s obviously a core skill set and a range of experiences that you garner over the years that put you in good stead.”
“So we have one of the things from an operational perspective with Not for Profits, which is really important, is that spread of and diversity of income streams because I know. I’ve worked for other organisations that are solely and entirely dependent on individual contributions. And some organisations look at that as spreading the risk. So, a little from a lot. Others are very strong on government, and others on partnerships. And so I suppose if there is one lesson that I’ve taken away over the years is really to ensure that you have the diversity of support from a range of stakeholders, particularly financial support because it’s essential because if one income stream is challenged, or one level of funding is challenged, then at least you have others to rely on.”
“We have our International Women’s Day events which are signature events across Australia. That is a very daunting task because it is literally held across the country and simultaneously ends. So from an event management perspective, it’s rather challenging, but from our reach and also from the income generation, that’s been fairly effective. But again, looking to spread that risk, if you like, to ensure that we have deep relationships with a range of stakeholders, from individuals to government to private sector.”
“Sometimes the reporting aspect of that can be somewhat overwhelming. And, even just acquittal reports and other things like that, there’s a burden of compliance. I think, on a lot of organisations, certainly in Australia, and across the globe, where, particularly for smaller organisations, when dealing with government, you have to ensure that you have the foundations for those relationships, and the foundations to be able to deliver on the expectations, which are very clear in government contracts. They’re very clear about their expectations. But I often think sometimes it’s very easy to be dazzled by the large sums of money. But I suppose one note of caution that I would put out to other aspiring Not for Profit leaders is just to really ensure that you have in place the operational infrastructure to be able to meet those expectations.”
“The private sector works on a very abbreviated timeframe. They are used to working in a commercial environment…So sometimes it’s a real struggle to manage the expectations of partners and funders, with the reality of doing the work that we do and the good work that we do.”
“Technology is not the panacea to solve all problems. But it certainly helps in terms of gathering information, of sharing information. Even if you look at digital channels now, and the use of imagery and the things that I can do now on my laptop that I could only dream of 20 years ago, I had to send something to a designer. They are all innovations that have helped, Not for Profits, for-purpose organisations do better, and really help work smarter, not harder, because most people who work in the Not for Profit sector are working pretty hard already.”
“The advent of technology, and what that can enable is really, is really compelling. And things like marketing automation and the whole tech stack that we spoke of earlier are really important. But it’s expensive, so we also look to gurus in that space to help us who are aligned with our mission.”
“We’re literally working with some people at the moment about helping us improve our marketing, our automation, our donor databases, our CRM – things that large for-profits, large corporates take for granted. So sometimes that’s a bit frustrating because these things cost money. And so when you make those decisions about where am I going to invest that spend, every dollar has to absolutely be invested as wisely as you can because you’re diverting it away from something else or from a program that you obviously want to make an impact in. So it’s a juggle, and I think there are trade-offs along the way. But it’s really important, I think, to use the technology that’s available.”
“I think a lot of Not for Profits, chase the money, and then sometimes we create a rod for our own back, because then we’ve got to come up with a program, implement that report and you go, “how effective was that? And is that the best use of our time because we’re never short of things to do?” So, I think staying focused is one of my challenges. I know I’m a bit opportunistic. So I like to go after things and go, ‘hey, that looks like a great idea’. And my team goes, ‘yes, Simone, that’s lovely, but who’s going to do it?’ So opportunities and pragmatism, I think, is probably at the core of all that.”
“I think, really, that that technology piece for us is a challenge because we can see the value and benefit of it, getting the right people, the right partners, the right systems, again, with a group of people who aren’t tech people, who haven’t done marketing automation before, and who use a CRM simply to receipt and bill people. So I think the technology piece of it, and the fact that it’s changing so quickly, as well as, soon as you implement a system, then the next version 2.0 is out. And you may or may not have the capability or the budget to be able to support that.”
Links & Resources
- Connect with Simone on Linkedin
- Visit the UN Women Australia website
- International Women’s Day is on Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Other Episodes Mentioned in this Show
- Watch our interview with Kate Luke of Little Oak Sanctuary
Credits
Thanks to our Producer, Nick Whatman, and the entire team at Lonsdale St. Studio. Thanks also to our Digital Content Creator, Laura Kleinrahm.
Tammy Ven Dange is a former charity CEO, Not for Profit Board Member and IT Executive. Today she helps NFPs with strategic IT decisions with her business, Roundbox Consulting.