Advocacy and Systems Change Workshop and Report

L to R - Rachael Trotman (CSI), Emily Tow (President, Tow Foundation USA), Justine McFarlane (Lifewise), Tania Sawicki Mead (JustSpeak), Robyn Scott (J R McKenzie Trust), Tim Maurice (Asylum Seekers Trust)

This event held in Auckland on 12th March was quite momentous in many quite unforeseen ways. It  was one of the very last occasions where funders from the philanthropy sector were able to travel from all parts of the country and meet together in person to learn and share experiences in a stimulating workshop setting, before the Covid-19 Lockdown put an end to all our face-to-face events for the foreseeable future.

Co-convened by the JR McKenzie Trust, Philanthropy New Zealand and the Centre for Social Impact the day provided an opportunity for the sector to have a conversation together, listen to some experts from the sector as well as funded community groups and to explore advocacy as a tool for driving positive systems change.

This sector conversation was informed by the report ‘Voice, Influence, Action’, which was commissioned in 2019 by the JR McKenzie Trust and completed by the Centre for Social Impact.

This summary report (click here) provides key messages from speakers and participant discussion about the potential for philanthropic engagement with advocacy.