Impact 25 Awards: Who Do You Rate?
29 November 2018 at 8:00 am
Nominations are open for Pro Bono Australia‘s 2018 Impact 25 Awards, and you now have your chance to nominate your picks of this year’s most influential people in the social sector.
The year for the sector has included challenges such as the roll out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (with varying degrees of success), a long awaited Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission review and the fight by advocacy groups to raise Newstart payments, as well as advances including an exponential growth in social corporate responsibility and the social enterprise movement. Oh, and yet another federal leadership spill.
This has paved the way for the emergence and growth of strong and innovative leaders in the sector, and Pro Bono Australia is now calling for the public to cast their votes to recognise new and established talent in 2018.
Karen Mahlab, founder of Pro Bono Australia says right now there is an urgent need to recognise people who operate beyond self-interest.
“The Impact 25 Awards do that and over the past four years we have unearthed many motivated, passionate and determined people working in our communities for the common good,” she says.
“They do what they do because they see something they strongly feel needs to change. They want to make a difference.”
She encourages readers to nominate those they feel are making a difference.
“Many won’t put up their own hand to be recognised but we encourage them to do so, and for others around them to nominate those they see making a difference in the world.”
Previous Impact 25 recipients include anti-domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty, Julie Reilley, CEO of Women Donors Network, and esteemed humanitarian lawyer Julian Burnside.
Julie Reilley, a winner in the inaugural 2014 award, told Pro Bono News receiving the award was enormously affirming, both personally and the Women Donors Network.
“We’re a very small team with large ambition to influence the funders to achieve more gender-balanced philanthropy,” Reilly said.
“To have been selected from what was a very impressive list of nominees provided a real boost and hopefully broadened awareness of our work.”
Reilley said the award added credibility and authority when approaching new audiences and reassures sponsors they have made a good investment.
“That is incredibly valuable,” she said.
For the first time, the awards will also feature a separate ‘Judge’s Pick’ award, on top of the 25 finalists selected by the public.
Nominations are now open, and will close on 13 December. Nominate your top picks for 2018 here.
