David Gonski's views on being an Arts Board Member and the differences between the Baby Boomers and Generation Y
By Rebecka Delforce
David Gonski, AO, has some interesting things to say about Australia's not-for-profit sector. In between his '10 billion other jobs!' (see below), he's been raising money for philanthropic causes for many years, so much so that he was made an officer of the Order of Australia in 2002 for "service to the community through Australian visual and performing arts organisations, through the development of government policy, and through the promotion of corporate sponsorship for the arts and for charitable organisations".
David is adamant that individual board members should be passionate and resourceful. His own roles on various boards throughout Australia have given him a clear understanding of what a board member needs to do when it comes to delivering support to charitable concerns. "Board members need to give, get – or get off!" David said smiling. "With philanthropy, there must be action – a board member must give and I'm not necessarily talking money. It could be time or expertise or a board member must 'get' things for the cause – again, it could be money, or it could be expertise, marketing opportunities, good publicity. There is a whole number of things Australian charities need help with – help that can come via corporates and corporate workers."
David said: "And this where Generation Y is clued up. Baby boomers, like me, will give money and expect corporates to do the same but Generation Y expects much more of their corporates. They want corporates that are socially responsible. Generation Y wants – and wants corporates –to contribute to society in a meaningful and sustainable way – a way that goes beyond handing over a cheque. Generation Y questions what success is, whereas baby boomers tend to see success as having money and standing within society."
David explained: "It's these differences that make for an interesting mix in the not-for-profit sector today. We've baby boomers set to inherit a whopping $600 billion from 2001 to 2021, so 'they've got the cards' but then we've also got Generation Y pushing for these socially responsible outcomes. Generation Y will fuel a trend towards not-for-profits – even the small ones – becoming more business savvy and proficient, more involved in cross-marketing and, in return, those not-for-profits will invite local corporates to contribute more on a community level. Corporates will go with this because they'll get better staff – if staff are involved in bettering the local community. In turn, the community will be better off for corporate staff involvement and expertise."
"I don't believe in corporate philanthropy – I believe in personal philanthropy. Corporates need to make personal connections with the people involved in a charity and vice versa. It's about relationships. That's why corporate volunteering can work so well – people from both sides of the fence actually meet each other and form a relationship. What comes from that relationship is usually good …"
Below is a list of David Gonski’s current and previous involvements:
- Chancellor of the University of NSW
- Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sydney Grammar School
- Chairman of Investec Group in Australia
- Director of Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd
- Director of ING Group
- President of the Board of Trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW
- Director of Westfield, ANZ and Singapore Airlines Ltd
- Former Chairman of NIDA
- Former Chairman of Morgan Stanley
- Immediate Past Chairman of the Australia Council For The Arts.
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