UQ Business School leads the way for not for profits

UQ Business School's JD Story Professor of Public Administration Ken Wiltshire will next month present a unique week-long course aimed at addressing the challenges faced by leaders of not-for-profit organisations. The course, "Leadership for the Not-for-Profit Sector", will run from August 25-29 at the Downtown venue in the heart of the Brisbane CBD as part of the prestigious UQBS Executive Education Programme. Professor Wiltshire, who is a Counsellor for the Committee for Economic Development of Australia and a former Australian Representative on the Executive Board of Unesco and member of the Commonwealth Grants Commission, said the course was designed to equip leaders of not-for-profit organisations to negotiate the changing dynamics of this crucial sector. "Not-for-profit organisations have always faced an almost daily dose of crisis management in terms of revenue raising, recruitment and retention of staff in a resource-poor situation, but a growing desire of both private and government bodies to partner with not for profits in the name of 'Corporate Social Responsibility' has brought a whole new set of challenges," Professor Wiltshire said. "In this new era, leaders of not-for-profits need to be equipped to negotiate partnerships and contracts, deal with a broader range of stakeholders than ever before and even know how to build and manage a 'brand' successfully," he said. "All these aspects used to be anathema to most of these organisations and the new challenges bring dangers, the obvious one being that, if they are not careful, they may be exploited and lose their distinctiveness and raison d'etre." These challenges will be addressed with the aid of some of Australia's most prominent leaders and experts in the sector, including CEOs of successful not-for-profit groups such as the Smith Family and the Endeavour Foundation, a former Premier and experienced political advisors, as well as communications professionals and business leaders. "This five-day course is designed to enhance the leadership capabilities of senior professionals in the not-for-profit sector," Professor Wiltshire said. "Participants will explore how strong leaders build culture and align it with strategy to effectively transform organisations as well as learning how to enhance partnerships and build networks." As part of its commitment to the not-for-profit sector, UQBS is subsidising the cost of this course for all not-for-profit organisations by offering a 75 per cent discount on the usual price. Current or potential not-for-profit leaders can register online or download the registration form from the UQBS Executive Education website. For further information contact UQBS Executive Education, telephone (07) 3346 7105 / 7115 or email execed@business.uq.edu.au.