Georgia Smith, 16 January, 2024 | Jim Green
Our philanthropy and nonprofit alumni are driving change in the world. Whether they are founding innovative nonprofits or leading impactful philanthropic efforts, they leverage their studies to make the world a better place.
These alumni are just three examples of the positive impact our philanthropy and nonprofit students have in the world how their QUT studies helped them get there.
Fundraising for animals in need
Looking to advance his career and move into the nonprofit sector, Jim Green decided postgraduate study was his best shot. He initially completed a Graduate Certificate in Business (Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies) at QUT and shortly after completing it, Jim moved from a community engagement role in education to the nonprofit sector.
“I was at a crossroads in my career, with limited opportunities to progress without formal qualifications in my field.
“The graduate certificate offered me an opportunity to enhance my knowledge and seek career progression within the nonprofit sector. Shortly after completion, I took the opportunity to join a Riding for the Disabled Centre as Fundraising and Marketing Manager.”
Four years later, Jim decided to return and complete a Master of Business (Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies). During his masters, he landed his current role as General Manager of Fundraising at RSPCA Queensland. Now he leads a team of fundraising professionals to deliver over $30 million in revenue each year to help rescue, rehabilitate and re-home domestic, farmed and native animals across Queensland.
“The masters helped me progress my career and provided a competitive advantage that was attractive to organisations.
“I use the knowledge and skills I gained from my masters every day. For example, the importance of having an evidence-based fundraising plan is something that has remained with me from my first fundraising lecture back in 2014. It’s led me to collaboratively develop and implement a five-year strategic plan for revenue growth at RSPCA QLD.
“Enrolling at QUT was without doubt the best professional decision I have ever made.”
Giving choice back to those with a disability
As disability support workers in a large organisation, Keryn Buckle and her co-worker Brandii saw a lot of things they could do differently.
“Things like accommodation, programs and groups were being allocated based on funding alone, not what the person wanted to do. No thought process or care went into it, it didn’t sit well with us,” Keryn shared.
“We wanted to start something focused on the individual and what they want, so four years ago, we started KB Care.
“For the first two years, it was just us. Now we have nearly 80 staff.”
To keep up with their growing business, Keryn and Brandii needed to upskill quickly.
“The growth journey has been challenging, but extremely rewarding. Brandii and I don't come from business backgrounds, we're disability support workers.
“When an opportunity came up for me to develop these skills, I jumped at the chance to do it,” said Keryn.
Keryn signed up for a short course with the hopes of improving her leadership skills. She got even more out of it than she could have imagined.
“It wasn’t just leadership skills, there were so many surprising takeaways.
“We did empathy training which was amazing and completely different to what I expected. There were sessions on writing and applying for grants that were so beneficial. And the networking was another big benefit. I made connections that I still use to this day.”
Leading others in empathy and social enterprise
Feeling a bit lost, Leanne Butterworth was looking for the next move in her professional journey. Inspired to help people in the mental health space, she wanted to grow beyond the scope of the small nonprofit she was working with.
Looking broadly at the world of nonprofit and charity, she discovered the Graduate Certificate in Business (Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies). It was in a lecture for the graduate certificate that she discovered her purpose.
Up until my first Social Enterprise lecture, I was completely unaware of the concept of social enterprise,” she shared, “we were encouraged to explore why we cared about making a difference, why we were there. That's when my purpose and motivation became clear.”
“A few years earlier I had experienced postnatal depression, I felt dismissed and like no one knew how to empathise, which was a terrible feeling and delayed my treatment. I don't want anyone else to go through that,” says Leanne. “During those lectures, I realised that my personal story had value beyond just learning; it was about understanding how to use it to catalyse my impact.”
Graduating from the graduate certificate in 2018, Leanne now has her own certified social enterprise called Empathy First, where she is an empathy educator, and is a lecturer at QUT teaching the Social Enterprises unit.
Leanne sees her roles as more than just imparting knowledge. To her, it's about guiding individuals to discover their passions and empowering them to make a positive impact on their community and the world.
Discover how you can change the world with our Graduate Certificate in Business (Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies) and Master of Business (Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies).