Record Number of Votes for 2016 Impact 25

A record-breaking 11,500 votes have been cast already for the 2016 Pro Bono Australia Impact 25 awards to decide the not-for-profit sector’s most influential people.

Impact 25 is the only national accolade recognising the most influential people in the Australian social sector.

Some of Australia’s best-known CEOs, politicians, advocates and innovators, including students and refugees, have been recognised in previous years for their influence on a sector that accounts for 4.3 per cent of Australia’s GDP and employs more than one million people.

The members of Impact 25 spend their days advocating for the issues of the day, working with the disadvantaged and silenced groups, finding ways to improve efficiency, inspiring others and even leading the country.

Last year’s list included the overall winner, anti-family violence campaigner Rosie Batty, World Vision CEO Tim Costello, asylum seeker advocate Kon Karapanagiotidis, ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie and the CEO of the ten20 Foundation Seri Renkin.

The youngest recipient of Impact 25 in 2015 was Paige Burton​ – a board director at UN Youth Australia. Burton has been nominated again in 2016.

In recent weeks she has been travelling to New York with the Australian diplomatic mission to represent Australian young people at the United Nations.

“Having the opportunity to represent the diversity of Australia’s young people on the international stage is a huge honour,” Burton said.

Other contenders for this year’s Impact 25 awards include the CEO of Community Council for Australia (CCA) David Crosbie, for his passionate advocacy for the not-for-profit sector including the recent launch of the Australia We Want campaign, and Fiona McLeay for her leadership of Justice Connect, which provides free legal help for individuals and community organisations.

Most recently McLeay has been a driving force behind the creation of health justice partnerships in Australia, benefitting many of Australia’s most vulnerable people – those experiencing elder abuse.

Also nominated in 2016 is Professor Myles McGregor Lowndes who founded the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies at QUT. He was nominated for a range of impacts including collaboratively creating the National Standard Chart of Accounts. In 2016 he has been part of the largest study of giving and volunteering in Australia, Giving Australia which will be launched later this week.

Influencers who receive the most votes will be announced as members of Pro Bono Australia’s Impact 25 in early December.

Voting closes on Friday 1 December so there’s still time to cast your vote from a shortlist of almost 300 community influencers as nominated by the sector.

Download the full list of nominees with reasons for their nominations here.

Help us choose 2016’s Impact 25 here.