10 THOUSAND COMMUNITIES.

10 THOUSAND COMMUNITIES

The whole reason 10 THOUSAND FEET was established in 2003 was to get into a position to give to community. From the outset we supported charities pro-bono (this is now low-bono to be able to expand our work with charities).

In 2011 we formalised our passion by setting up our Not-for-profit arm 10 THOUSAND COMMUNITIES.

With thanks and deep gratitude to our clients the research work of 10 THOUSAND FEET enables us to fund our not-for-profit arm 10 THOUSAND COMMUNITIES where we focus on encouraging Australians to be a generous giving society, bringing communities closer together, and the environment.

Community projects

Over the years our projects have included…

Encouraging Australians to be a more generous giving society:

◉ 10 THOUSAND FEET recently completed a 75-page research report into bridging the gap between philanthropic organisations and the not-for-profits they support.

◉ Funded by 10 THOUSAND COMMUNITIES, the research unveiled 7 key friction points that philanthropists feel prevent optimal impact from occurring for the causes that philanthropic foundations and NFPs are so passionate about. The insights uncovered are designed help to improve relationships, processes and efficiencies between parties to ideally improve the degree of impact of giving in Australia.

◉ We believe the research can be a game changer, by taking the relationship between philanthropic organisations and NFPs to the next level, we believe we can help the sector elevate the positive impact it can have on the causes both funders and fundees care deeply about.

◉ If we can help funders have a greater impact, evidence also shows they are more likely to talk positively to their peers about their philanthropic giving. We believe if new potential funders have greater confidence that their giving will have the intended impact, they will be more likely to give and give at higher levels to the causes they are passionate about.

10 THOUSAND FEET Philanthropic Giving Research_LR2

More about the research:

We collaborated with 25 foundations

We interviewed 25 foundations with a mix of professional foundations, family foundations, corporate foundations and intermediaries. Thank you to all the interviewees who took part in the research. Interviewees who are happy to be acknowledged for collaborating on the research, in alphabetical order include:

◉ AGL
◉ ANZ
◉ Eastwood Family Foundation
◉ The Edward Alexander Foundation
◉ Fay Fuller Foundation
◉ Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR)
◉ The Ian Potter Foundation
◉ I Give One Percent
◉ Menzies Foundation

◉ Minderoo
◉ Origin Energy Foundation
◉ Paul Ramsay Foundation
◉ Perpetual
◉ Reid Malley Foundation
◉ Sage Foundation
◉ Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation
◉ The Spinifex Trust
◉ Stephen Pfeiffer
◉ UBS

Bringing insights to life:

Workshops drive positive change

Whilst we could just put the report up on our website for the general public, we believe that readers would simply skim the research without stopping to reflect on what they could do differently.

We also believe that taking an approach of running workshops enables foundations and charities to bring senior stakeholders on the journey, getting buy-in to positive transformational change for the sector.

Utilising the research, so far we have run a number of workshops for not-for-profits to enhance the way they engage and work with philanthropy.

Shahar Burla - Aspect - Autism Spectrum Australia

Aspect (Autism Spectrum Australia), Head of Philanthropy & Relationships, Shahar Burla, had this to say about the 75-page report and accompanying workshop.

“The workshop with 10+ senior Aspect team members enabled our leaders to use the research as a basis for developing strategies and tactics to holistically enhance our philanthropy program.

There are many areas Aspect excels in that we haven’t historically shared with philanthropic organisations. After the workshop we successfully implemented several of the recommendations, adjusting our grant applications and our website to more effectively talk about our work and the way we operate.

We have always placed a lot of importance on connecting with our major supporters as individuals. What the research and workshop did was highlight where we could refine our approach to take one-to-one engagement to the next level.”

Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s Head of Philanthropy, Lorraine McNuff, found great value in the research and workshop commenting

“The report details how both fundees and funders can improve the ways we engage and work together to create impact.

The report aligned to our approach of aiming to always do our homework to understand the motivations of the potential funder, and to be clear that there is genuine alignment on values and mission.

It was also great to see how to tap into funders joy highlighted in the reporting, as this is something we actively strive to do, by sharing the stories of our beneficiaries, and the difference to their quality of life that has been made possible with funding support.

The report also covered areas around leadership, retention and account management, which in my experience are critical. It’s so important to have the right people in your team, building strong, transparent and respectful relationships to maintain and grow a thriving philanthropic portfolio. Having the resources to do this well is important for ongoing success”

Lorraine Mcnuff - Cerebral Palsy Alliance

Learn more about getting a workshop run for your organisation or the organisations you support

If you would like to find out more about the research get in touch.

Bringing communities closer together:

◉ Over the last four years we have embarked on a program of research to find ways to bring communities closer together. Watch this space as this research comes to life in the coming years.

About us Community 2 - 10 THOUSAND FEET Team planting trees urban greening for National Tree Day, Sydney Australia-lowres

Our team supporting an urban greening project near our office in North Sydney, NSW, Australia

Environmental Sustainability:

◉ Environmental sustainability projects have been delivered under the 10 THOUSAND TREES banner. We recognise the environment for its natural beauty and that without it we are nothing.

We have had a focus on two core areas: Sustainability and climate change perceptions research to encourage Australians to be more environmentally friendly and positive actions like tree planting and urban greening.

Some of the projects we have been involved in to champion the environment and the animals and people that rely on it include:

Direct actions

10 THOUSAND TREES positive direct-action projects soak up carbon, but don’t focus on carbon credits, rather on tangible sustainable resource development.

◉ In Australia, by taking land that was cleared of trees generations ago and bringing native trees back that are used to produce sustainable resources such as paper and clothing, we are taking into account the reality that we live in a resource hungry society, but are working hard to bring balance back to the earth for today and for our children’s future.

10 THOUSAND TREES forest of 5,000 eucalypt trees is located in Irrewillipe, near Colac, Victoria, Australia and is managed by a professional FSC certified forester.

When the trees grow to maturity, they will be harvested to be used as environmentally friendly paper and clothing. The proceeds will be reinvested into planting more trees or promoting sustainability and care for our earth, so watch this space for a new project.

Our trees being inspected, in Irrewillipe, near Colac, Victoria, Australia

Fruit trees planted in a school in Dang, Nepal

Direct actions

10 THOUSAND TREES positive direct-action projects soak up carbon, but don’t focus on carbon credits, rather on tangible sustainable resource development.

◉ In Nepal, we worked with local communities to turn spaces that were previously barren, full of weeds or makeshift rubbish dumps into a resource for school children in poorer communities and parks for the local community.

Across 10 sites we planted over 10,000 fruit trees. We funded the planting of fruit trees on these sites and provided guidance on making the sites sustainable for the long term. The harvest proceeds provide nutrition, income to pay gardeners for the ongoing upkeep of the trees, and income to start the next site.

The green spaces provide a place for community to come together, exercise, play and just hang out.

Importantly the trees provide better air quality as the trees soak up carbon into their roots, trunk and branches. The sites also serve as a model and inspiration for planting of further trees by local farmers and communities.

Encouraging Australians to be more environmentally conscious

◉ In partnership with media organisations and corporates we have put the message of environmentally sustainable consumption out to over 4 million Australians via multiple communications campaigns.

◉ When it comes to sustainability and climate change perceptions research, we have funded research on consumer behaviour and attitudes towards the environment and sustainable consumption.

Some of the projects our research has recently supported include:

◉ Tread Lightly, which has now recycled over 1 million pairs of shoes in Australia, diverting 500,000 kgs from landfill.

◉ Work with Greenpeace to encourage Australians to care for the environment and support climate advocacy.

◉ Work with AUSactive and City of Sydney on the ECOactive program to make fitness centres more environmentally sustainable.

Sustainability research has also been conducted in a diverse range of industries for individual organisations who can make a difference in their communities, with a range of industries supported from fashion, fast food, fitness, footwear, print and beyond. The research helps our clients understand which sustainability initiatives to prioritise and invest in based on a range of possible initiatives (based on what their customers are most interested in), and how to best communicate sustainability initiatives to consumers in a way that will resonate and create cut through, such that they take up sustainable options.

Let’s start a conversation

We’ve helped other clients transform their organisations and would love to be part of your story.

Address

Level 1, 283 Alfred Street North,
North Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2060

Email

info@10thousandfeet.com

Phone

02 8080 7544

10 THOUSAND COMMUNITIES.

10 THOUSAND COMMUNITIES

Community projects

Over the years our projects have included…

Encouraging Australians to be a more generous giving society:

More about the research:

Bringing insights to life:

Bringing communities closer together:

Environmental Sustainability:

Direct actions

Direct actions

Encouraging Australians to be more environmentally conscious

Let’s start a conversation

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