On community spirit and empowering women with opportunity

I grew up in country Victoria on a dairy farm, so I didn't have a lot of exposure to financial giving. But what I did experience was a country community where everyone chipped in to help everybody else. My dad was a Rotarian and was one of those people who would do anything for anyone, so that kind of classic community-style giving came naturally for me. When my sister-in-law passed away, the number of people who rallied at the doorstep with food and support was testament to what country spirit is all about. 

I'm at a point in my life where I've finished my executive career and now through my current non-executive director and advisory career, what drives me is to simply give back. I view myself as very fortunate. I’ve always been able to get whatever I’ve needed and wanted albeit through hard work; I had a great job for over 30 years that provided a strong financial foundation for me and my family, and I lived and travelled overseas on multiple occasions. But I know that there are so many women who aren’t as fortunate - either they don't have the capacity or the skills or they're just not in the right place at the right time. And that motivates me to keep giving, both financially and with my time. After I left full-time executive work and embarked on my non-executive director career, I got involved in not-for-profits. It was always something I was interested in but there was never time during my career because I was juggling my job with raising my family. Being in this non-profit space has really opened my eyes to how much need is out there, and now I find that the more I give, the more I want to give.

I give in two ways. The first is through my time and experience and I really like focusing my giving on women, because I think we’re generally afraid to raise our hand and ask for help. My first not-for-profit board role was with Fitted For Work, which I've just retired from after nearly 10 years. It’s a wonderful organisation that helps prepare women to get into the workforce and rebuilds their confidence, whether it’s through simply dressing them well or empowering them with more skills and capability. Many of the women are migrants, single mums, mature age survivors of domestic violence and many other minority groups, so they come from a place of disadvantage.

I'm so passionate about this work and the value it brings to these women and their families and communities. It's not just about a woman getting a job; it's the legacy that flows after they get that opportunity and the impact is intergenerational. When you see the difference in these women from when they first come through the door compared to where they are now, you just want to keep helping even more.

A lot of the work I did with Fitted For Work was using my corporate experience to help them get fundamentals like risk frameworks, policies and governance in place. Like a lot of not-for-profits, particularly since Covid, we were struggling with a couple of cash flow crises a year and so a big part of my time was spent helping them become more sustainable. I put my corporate hat on, and we built some great corporate relationships and a couple of social enterprises that bring in good, regular income. Now we’re going down the endowment fund track and I chair and drive that fund (aka the Fitted for Work Future Fund). 

The second way I give is financially. I've always given bits and pieces, but I knew it wasn’t enough. So, my husband and I decided to make a very significant donation to the Fitted For Work Future Fund, because it’s a really worthwhile cause and this is the best way to create a lasting legacy for Fitted For Work. This has meant that I've now hit a higher pay scale in terms of financial giving. We’ve also set up our own foundation – and although we're still just working out the dynamics, over time we plan to chip away at things that we feel passionate about and where we think we can make a difference.

I've learned that there are always people who are much worse off than yourself, so there's no point getting upset about the little things. I've also learned how rewarding it is to give, when you know that it’s going to help people. Giving has changed me - I’m more empathetic and I’m a much better listener because it’s not about me anymore.

I was a very analytical, business-minded person who was always focused on getting the job done. I'd become so used to people wanting to hear my story but now I'm more interested in hearing other people's stories and giving them the tools and advice that they need. 

Giving has also taught me to be more patient. When you're working around not-for-profits you can't expect everything to happen in the same way as it does in a big multinational company. The local charity with 40 people can’t have the same capability as a business with executives all over the world.

Something that's become obvious to me in the work I’m doing now is that there are a lot of people out there who have good fortune and wealth, but don't seem to be doing anything philanthropic. Or if they are, it's small bits and pieces which is really frustrating to see. I want to give them a shake and tell them that if they’re leaving this huge amount of wealth for their family, surely there's some that they can carve off? And in the process, they’ll teach their kids to be more giving people. There is a big set of privileged people in Australia who could be more generous, and I want them to open their hearts and their wallets and work out how they can help.

What I really hope for, is an Australia where more people have their eyes open to giving and realise that they don’t have to be a multi-millionaire. Coles is a good example where they really rally together the people in their stores all around the country to support their local communities. It’s about people power. And while the individuals may not be the ones who are giving, they're out their rallying their communities to give and help out. Whenever there’s a crisis, like a flood or a fire, organisations like Coles are the first ones to line the trucks up and get products into those communities and I think that spirit permeates throughout the organisation. We need more companies to really embed that spirit of giving across all levels of their organisations. Hopefully that spirit of giving will rub off on individuals as well, particularly as they become more financially successful themselves.