Useful Links & Insights

Key Things to Know

• A clear strategy isn’t just for big organisations, even a one-page plan that sets out your priorities and how you’ll measure success makes decision-making easier and funding applications stronger.
• Revenue strategies and grant strategies aren’t the same thing. Relying on grants alone is common for NFPs, but it’s worth also thinking about how you could diversify income, through services, partnerships, or membership.
• A Capability Statement is one of the most underused tools in the small business and NFP toolkit, it’s often the difference between being considered for a partnership, tender, or grant, and being overlooked entirely.
• Formalising a partnership doesn’t need to be complicated. A well-structured Memorandum of Understanding, even a non-binding one, clarifies expectations and prevents misunderstandings down the track..

Worth Following

• Business.gov.au, the Australian Government’s central hub for business planning tools, templates, and support programs.
• Our Community, practical, plain-English resources on running a not-for-profit well, from strategy through to day-to-day operations.
• Social Traders, useful if you’re exploring social enterprise models or want to understand how social procurement works in Australia.

Related from Thriive

Not sure where to start with strategy? Our Revenue Strategy Guide & Workbook and Capability Statement Reference Guide & Templates are both built for organisations doing this for the first time. Formalising a new partnership? Our Memorandum of Understanding template gives you a clear, non-binding starting point.

Key Things to Know

• Charities are grouped into small, medium, and large tiers based on annual revenue, this determines whether a financial review or full audit is required. Thresholds are reviewed periodically, so check current figures directly on the ACNC website.
• Not every not-for-profit is an ACNC-registered charity. Incorporated associations that aren’t registered charities follow their state’s incorporation legislation instead, which can carry different requirements around committee size, public officers, and reporting.
• Good governance isn’t just a board responsibility, it extends to staff, volunteers, and members too, particularly when it comes to conflicts of interest, complaint handling, and financial delegation.
• All board and committee members carry the same core legal duties, regardless of whether the role is paid or voluntary: acting in good faith, exercising reasonable care, not misusing their position, and disclosing conflicts of interest.

Worth Following

• ACNC, the primary regulator for registered charities. Their guidance and “Check a Charity” register are the first place to look if you’re unsure whether something’s compliant.
• Justice Connect, Not-for-profit Law, genuinely excellent free legal fact sheets for the NFP sector, particularly useful when setting up a new committee or reviewing a governing document.
• Governance Institute of Australia, often first to comment publicly when governance standards or reporting obligations shift.
• Our Community, a broad, practical resource hub with a less regulator-focused, more “how do we actually run this well” tone.

Related from Thriive

Building or refreshing your governance documents? Our Conflict of Interest Policy & Register, Complaints Management Policy & Procedure, and Board & Committee Induction Pack are all built around current sector expectations.

Key Things to Know

• Good financial governance isn’t just about record-keeping, it’s about having clear delegations (who can approve what, up to what amount) so decisions don’t rest informally on one or two people.
• Volunteers and members who handle money, event takings, petty cash, canteen proceeds, should follow the same receipting and reconciliation standards as paid staff. This is one of the most common gaps in small organisations.
• If your organisation receives grant funding, keeping that expenditure separately identifiable from general operating costs makes acquittal far easier down the track.
• Fidelity or crime insurance, which covers loss from theft or fraud by a staff member or volunteer, is worth checking on if your organisation handles significant cash.

Worth Following

• CPA Australia, Not-for-profit resources, practical financial management guidance written for the sector, not just for accountants.
• ACNC, Money and Financial Reporting, the regulator’s own explanations of financial obligations for registered charities.
• Institute of Community Directors Australia, a strong source of financial literacy resources aimed specifically at board and committee members.

Related from Thriive

Our Financial Governance Package brings the policy, procedure, delegations, and practical tools (petty cash log, reimbursement form) together in one system.

Key Things to Know

• NDIS providers are expected to have their own conflict of interest and complaints handling processes in place, meeting the NDIS Practice Standards, this isn’t optional, even for smaller or sole-trader providers.
• Registration requirements differ depending on the type of support you deliver and the size of your organisation, it’s worth checking your specific obligations directly with the NDIS Commission rather than assuming.
• If your organisation works with children or young NDIS participants, Working with Children/Vulnerable People Check requirements sit alongside your standard NDIS obligations, they’re separate but equally non-negotiable.
• Risk-based thinking matters in this sector more than most, having a clear process for identifying, escalating, and closing out an issue (not just recording that it happened) is what genuinely protects both participants and providers.

Worth Following

• NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, the regulator for provider conduct, complaints, and practice standards.
• NDIS Provider Portal, official guidance on registration, pricing, and provider obligations.
• National Disability Services, the peak body for disability service providers, useful for sector-specific advocacy and updates.

Related from Thriive

We’re currently updating our NDIS Compliance modules and Working with Children Compliance Framework to reflect the latest requirements. Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know when they’re back.

Key Things to Know

• The Australian Privacy Principles apply to most organisations with an annual turnover over $3 million, but many smaller NFPs and health-related providers are covered regardless of size, it’s worth checking your specific obligations rather than assuming you’re exempt.
• Under the Notifiable Data Breach Scheme, entities must assess suspected data breaches and notify the OAIC and affected individuals where serious harm is likely.
• A Privacy Policy isn’t just a compliance formality, it’s often the first thing a funder, partner, or member checks before trusting you with their information.

Worth Following

• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), the primary regulator for privacy and data breach obligations in Australia.
• Justice Connect, Not-for-profit Law, Privacy, plain-English privacy guidance specifically for the NFP sector.

Related from Thriive

Not sure where to start with privacy compliance? Our free Privacy Compliance Framework: Module 1 is the perfect starting point, then build out your full framework with Module 2 and Module 3, or grab our FREE Data Breach flowchart for a quick, practical guide if you suspect something’s gone wrong right now.

Key Things to Know

• The strongest applications lead with the need, not the solution. Funders want to see a clear, evidenced problem before they care about your proposed fix.
• A Capability Statement isn’t required for every application, but it’s one of the most effective ways to stand out when it is relevant, funders and tender panels want confidence you can actually deliver, not just a good idea.
• Letters of support genuinely matter. Multiple letters demonstrate broad community or stakeholder backing, and most applicants underuse this, thinking one is enough.
• Keep your responses concise and specific. Assessors are reading dozens of applications, clear, evidence-based answers score better than creative or lengthy ones.

Worth Following

• GrantConnect, the Australian Government’s official hub for all Commonwealth grant opportunities.
• Justice Connect, Not-for-profit Law, useful for understanding the legal side of accepting and acquitting grant funding.
• Our Community, broad, practical grant-seeking guidance for Australian community organisations.

Related from Thriive

Whether you’re just starting out or want to sharpen your skills, our Grant Writing Guide & Example Answers and Capability Statements guide are both practical, self-paced places to start. For a full, structured approach to Queensland’s Gambling Community Benefit Fund specifically, our GCBF Grant Writing MasterClass walks you through the entire process. We’ve also got a handful of FREE tools, our Quick Reference Guide, Grant Writing FAQs, and Organisation Preparation Checklist, worth grabbing regardless of where you’re at.

Looking for Grants or Tenders?

We keep a separate, regularly maintained directory of funding and tender sources, so they don’t go out of date here.

👉 Find Grants & Funding Sources
👉 Find Tender Opportunities