As with any organisation, charitable and other for-purpose entities experience financial pressures, technological challenges and issues with their workforce and culture. There are over 600,000 not-for-profits in Australia, of which approximately 10% are registered with our charity regulator, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. That’s not to mention the 20,000 and growing social enterprises in operation across the country. Thinking more broadly, not-for-profits are competing with around 2 million private businesses when it comes to share of voice, allocation of government resources, partners and even customers. The sector is used to crisis for a few reasons. Some organisations work in crisis response, and others partner with those that play this important role. In addition, many of us have experienced crisis as individuals or for our organisations. But not all challenges are created equal. There are times when our everyday issues are both overshadowed and compounded by crisis, be it health, environmental, economic or otherwise.   We’ve identified six key components to consider during disaster preparedness or when crisis strikes.

1. TIMES OF CRISIS: A GUIDE FOR
THE FOR-PURPOSE SECTOR
PART 1/3: SUPPORT FOR LEADERS TODAY AND
HOW WE CAN REIMAGINE THE SECTOR FOR
TOMORROW
A P R I L 2 0 2 0

2. S P A R K S T R A T E G Y P A G E 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
W H A T ' S T H I S P A P E R A B O U T 4
T O D A Y : P R E P A R I N G F O R A N D R E S P O N D I N G T O C R I S I S 5
Y O U R B U S I N E S S M O D E L A N D F I N A N C E S 8
S I X K E Y C O M P O N E N T S T O C O N S I D E R 6
Y O U R S T R A T E G Y 7
Y O U R O P E R A T I N G M O D E L 9
Y O U R G O V E R N M E N T E N G A G E M E N T 1 0
Y O U R C U L T U R E A N D C O M M U N I C A T I O N S 1 1
Y O U R 3 0 - D A Y P L A N 1 2
F R O M H E R E 1 3
W H O I S S P A R K S T R A T E G Y 1 4
A N O T E F R O M M A N A G I N G D I R E C T O R G E O R G E L I A C O S 3

3. S P A R K S T R A T E G Y P A G E 2
A NOTE FROM OUR MANAGING DIRECTOR
GEORGE LIACOS
As this crisis has unfolded, we have seen our sector thrown into
turmoil. We have also seen the amazing generosity, collaboration
and innovation many under state in our sector, come to the fore.
This crisis and the inevitable economic fallout that will follow has
not only created a burning platform for change, but has heralded
a new era in ways we are only just awakening to.
Here at Spark Strategy, we have come to the view that this
timeline will unfold into three phases:
1. Now: Crisis – Survive 0 to 6 months
2. Next: Rebuild into a new reality 6 to 24 months
3. After: Thrive – new economies, social systems, power and ways
of working 24 months +
So, we have decided to produce three papers, one for each phase.
This is the first paper addresses the Now. We are aiming to have
the next two papers out by the end of April 2020. I’d like to send a
big shout out to Felicity and Heather for their authorship of this
paper, and I’m looking forward to stepping up to the plate for
collaboration on the next two.
Looking more broadly, I feel this is so true… “Crisis forces commonality of purpose on one another."
Michelle Dean
We absolutely have a commonality of purpose now. A few years ago I remember being told that we
should move to a place where we can say “I live in a society not an economy”. Today I am feeling that
shift. The shift is about the sense of ‘Together’.
Together we can get through the crisis stage.
Together we can rebuild into a new economic and political reality.
Together we can thrive by unlocking new business models, new ways to engage and designing
impactful interventions to suite this new reality.
Spark Strategy has never been about outputs – strategic plans, business models or otherwise.
We’ve always been about outcomes. Our future is with the social sector and the outcomes we seek is
for it is to survive, rebuild and thrive.
Being ‘Sparky’ is about bringing people, organisations and systems together and giving them the space,
permission, mindset and tools to craft how they will achieve this, how they will survive, rebuild and
thrive… and we do this together, from plan to execution, over time.
We stand ready and determined with the team, the tools and the experience to play our part in helping
the sector to survive, rebuild and thrive, together.
We hope this series of papers is helpful and as always am here for any of your questions.
George Liacos
S P A R K S T R A T E G Y P A G E 3

4. WHAT’S THIS PAPER
ABOUT?
There always have been and always will be
difficult times. And then there was 2020. A
year that started with the devastation of large-
scale bush fires across much of Australia,
followed closely by the confusion and tragedy
of COVID-19. These events have had major and
far-reaching adverse effects on our society,
including loss of life, economic downturn,
social isolation and environmental damage.
The long-term impacts of these crises are not
yet fully understood. However, previous
disasters suggest that the community
members who are vulnerable or experiencing
disadvantage will be among the worst
affected.
In times of major difficulty and disaster, we
can feel as though the ground beneath us is
uncertain. Although crisis brings about real
examples of hope, heroism and humour, as
individuals and as organisations, we can feel
that we’re free falling. With our sense of control
and agency dashed, it’s easy to respond
reactively and to panic.
We’ve written this whitepaper to counter
that. It’s a tool to support for-purpose leaders
to prepare for and respond to crisis. We also
want to go beyond the here and now, and
think about what happens when we come out
on the other side and things return to ‘normal’.
What do we want our new normal to be? How
can we reimagine and reinvent our sector? We
engaged in conversations with change agents
across different sectors to add to this thinking,
and have added key quotes through the paper
to highlight different perspectives.
Over the last decade, we’ve collaborated
with and learnt from hundreds of for-purpose
organisations. We’ve seen their unique pain
points and successes as well as the shared
priorities, challenges and opportunities of the
sector at large. We don’t have all the answers
and we don’t pretend to. What we have
included in this whitepaper is a series of
considered questions, case studies and
insights to focus your attention on what
really matters, build confidence and courage,
and spark ideas. We really hope you find it
useful.
Heather MorecroftFelicity Green
S P A R K S T R A T E G Y P A G E 4

5. TODAY: PREPARING FOR AND
RESPONDING TO CRISIS
The not-for-profit sector is used to difficulty
and competition.
S P A R K S T R A T E G Y P A G E 5
As with any organisation, charitable and
other for-purpose entities experience financial
pressures, technological challenges and issues
with their workforce and culture. There are
over 600,000 not-for-profits in Australia, of
which approximately 10% are registered with
our charity regulator, the Australian Charities
and Not-for-profits Commission. That’s not to
mention the 20,000 and growing social
enterprises in operation across the country.
Thinking more broadly, not-for-profits are
competing with around 2 million private
businesses when it comes to share of voice,
allocation of government resources, partners
and even customers. The sector is used to crisis
for a few reasons.
Some organisations work in crisis response,
and others partner with those that play this
important role. In addition, many of us have
experienced crisis as individuals or for our
organisations.
But not all challenges are created equal.
There are times when our everyday issues are
both overshadowed and compounded by
crisis, be it health, environmental, economic or
otherwise.
We’ve identified six key components to
consider during disaster preparedness or when
crisis strikes. Each of these can make or break
an organisation, particularly in a crisis context.

6. How organisations interact with, influence and access support from local, state and federal
government.
YOUR GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT
S P A R K S T R A T E G Y P A G E 6
SIX KEY COMPONENTS TO CONSIDER
The guiding light of your organisation, which sets out why you exist, who for and what you will
focus upon over the years ahead.
YOUR STRATEGY
What value you provide to customers and other stakeholders, how you provide it, and the
associated revenue and costs.
YOUR BUSINESS MODEL AND FINANCES
The organisational beliefs and behaviours that shape your ways of working, and how you share
and receive information.
YOUR CULTURE AND COMMUNICATIONS
The people (skills and structure), processes (functions and activities) and infrastructure (physical
and digital) required to deliver value.
YOUR OPERATING MODEL
Short-term planning based on a high level organisational assessment and figuring out your
immediate next steps.
YOUR 30 DAY PLAN
To help not-for-profit leaders adapt in times of difficulty, we’ve developed a checklist of critical
considerations for each of these components. It may be useful to run through all six components or
you may have a shortlist that are most important for your organisation’s impact and viability.

7. S P A R K S T R A T E G Y P A G E 7
YOUR STRATEGY
What does a crisis mean for the community you serve and your geographic remit? In light of
this, do your vision and purpose hold true? Why or why not?
Are you well placed to respond to any emerging community needs or sector gaps? This may
not mean working alone and could involve unlikely partnerships. What assets do you have
that might be useful at this time? This could include things like distribution channel, data,
relationships, physical infrastructure etc.
Are your strategic priorities still relevant or do they need to evolve in line with social, political,
economic and technological developments? Consider a short-term pause on existing
strategies, if they need to be superseded by temporary changes.
During and after the crisis, how might you allocate your energy and resources between service
delivery, collaborative endeavours and systemic change? Can your role fundamentally change,
but your impact still be achieved?
Would a strategic review be beneficial? If yes, is this urgent, who should you involve and how
should you engage them?
Who can you learn from? Are there other organisations in your or other sectors who are
demonstrating leadership and innovation, or have managed well in a prior crisis?

8. S P A R K S T R A T E G Y P A G E 8
YOUR BUSINESS MODEL AND FINANCES
From an immediate survival perspective, have you applied for all relevant government
subsidies, and have you proactively re-negotiated any existing contracts that have face-face
commitments that can no longer be fulfilled in this context? It may be helpful reframing
contracts from activities or outputs to outcomes.
Consider how you explained your value proposition before the crisis by asking what
problem do you exist to solve and what benefits do you create for your stakeholders? How
does your value proposition stack up in the current climate?
How will your services, products and activities be impacted over the coming weeks and
months? Will demand increase, decrease or stay the same? Will you be able to market, sell
and deliver them as usual or do your channels need to change?
What revenue streams comprise your income model? What revenue opportunities or risks
will present themselves as the crisis unfolds? Do you have a corpus? Would you secure a
loan or other form of debt? Why or why not?
Considering individual donors and corporate partners may not contribute financially in
these times of crisis, how can you reframe your relationships to in-kind instead of cash
contributions?
If your services are not essential, would you close down for a period of time? Or could you
look to reduce costs such as salaries, rent and subscriptions?
Have you assessed your existing and potential partnerships, both informal and formal? Who
can you help and who could help you? What is your position on merger and acquisition?

9. To effectively respond to the crisis at hand,
what capabilities and expertise do you
need in the short, medium and long term?
Does the structure of individual roles,
teams and the overall organisation need to
change? Can you tap into the large pool of
skilled workers that may be looking for
volunteering opportunities?
Are new processes, policies or procedures
required in light of the crisis? Which of
these are the most urgent?
How does your digital infrastructure
(hardware and software) need to adapt? Is
training or documentation required to
support your staff to use any new
hardware or software?
Will you increase, enhance or minimise
your physical infrastructure, such as
buildings and equipment?
If monetary investment is required for any
of the above, does this align with your
business model and financial position?
Can you apply for capability building
grants, or seek venture philanthropy or
impact investing seed funding for the
research and development of new
initiatives?
S P A R K S T R A T E G Y P A G E 9
YOUR OPERATING MODEL
“The crisis has promoted organisational agility out of necessity. Red tape is gone, as we
are having to mobilise huge amounts of people in timeframes that don’t allow for rigid
processes.”
Mat Fitzgerald, Manager, Innovation, Department of Health & Human Services, Victoria

10. S P A R K S T R A T E G Y P A G E 1 0
YOUR GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT
Can you succinctly and apolitically articulate the role and importance of your organisation in
a crisis, and any direct or indirect support you need from government?
Does your organisation have a dedicated process in place for managing relationships with
elected and other government representatives? If not, have you identified the key
government stakeholders, how frequently you will engage them and through what
channels? If yes, does your approach need to be updated in a crisis context?
Is government engagement embedded across your organisation or is it the responsibility of
one or two people? If the latter, how could it be shared across your Board, Executive and
broader team?
Does your organisation track stakeholder (beneficiaries, clients/customers, members, staff,
Board Directors, partners etc.) and activity data to postcodes? If yes, do you map this data to
electorates and share it with elected officials and others?

11. Is your team committed to your
vision and purpose? Could this
be strengthened?
In comparison with industry
counterparts, how well does your
team live and breathe your
organisational beliefs, values
and/or behaviours? Where do
you stand when it comes to
levels of trust and flexibility?
How does knowledge flow
around your organisation and is
this supporting effective internal
communications? Are internal
communications going both
ways i.e. from your frontline staff
and broader team to your
leadership and back?
Is everyday decision-making
driven by your strategic plan?
What mechanisms support
decision-making and how do
these stack up in a crisis? Does
your decision-making need to be
sped up or slowed down?
What channels do you rely upon
for internal and external
communications? How can you
best communicate the critical
information to your audience?
How will you effectively be heard
through the noise generated by
others?
S P A R K S T R A T E G Y P A G E 1 1
YOUR CULTURE AND COMMUNICATIONS

12. S P A R K S T R A T E G Y P A G E 1 2
YOUR 30 DAY PLAN
Do you have a contingency plan you could roll out? If so, does this need to be tailored to
the specific situation at hand?
How will your service delivery change during and after the crisis? If there are different,
potential scenarios, what does each scenario mean for your services and key activities?
What is your high-level financial assessment of your reserves, and how your income and
cost structures are likely to change?
Based on service planning and your financial position, what are your short-term
priorities to drive community outcomes and support organisational viability?
Would your team and external stakeholders benefit from a one pager that summarises
your organisation, your value proposition, why/if your services are beneficial and relevant
in the current context, and a high-level overview of your revised, short-term plan?
“Our strategic response to the crisis has been led by remembering what is at the heart of
our model. Our impact isn’t necessarily selling solar lights, it’s empowering women
leaders in the community to serve the most neglected. We have reframed how we
achieve our impact, but we have maintained the same core purpose.”
Biheng Zhang, Director of Philanthropy, Pollinate Group

13. FROM HERE
We hope Part 1 in this series has been useful.
Our aim was to shine a light on the critical questions that for-purpose leaders should be considering in
these times.
Parts 2 and 3 will focus on how to prepare for what's next, so that your organisation can continue to
remain viable and deliver your impact, and so that together we can seize the opportunity for change.
S P A R K S T R A T E G Y P A G E 1 2

14. WHO IS SPARK STRATEGY
Spark Strategy is an agency for strategic thinking,
transformation and sustained action. We work
across the triumvirate of ideas,
capability and capital to catalyse social innovation.
With offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Darwin, we
help the not-for-profit, Government, Corporate and
Philanthropic sectors to unleash their potential, to
transform themselves and the societies in which
they live.
S P A R K S T R A T E G Y P A G E 1 3