By Founder, Sandy Murdoch
Last month I spent three days in Brisbane with more than a thousand people who share one purpose: cultivating generosity. They connect capital with solutions and drive change that improves wellbeing, prevents social problems and makes the world a little better.
Philanthropy Australia’s 50th anniversary conference, themed “Mobilising Generosity, Shaping the Future”, brought together private and public philanthropists, corporate leaders, for-purpose organisations, next generation donors, professional advisers and government funders. Alongside thought leaders identifying the trends shaping the sector, many presenters spoke from lived experience across a wide range of communities.
Two themes resonated for me and what encouraged me most is that, at TRACTION, we’ve already built many of these ideas into how we engage our community. There’s plenty more to do and learn, but I left confident we’re on the right track.
Belonging is a catalyst for giving
The Charities Aid Foundation’s World Giving Report recently found that in countries where more than 80 per cent of people feel a strong sense of belonging to their community, giving is roughly three times higher than in countries where that sense of belonging is weak.
We see this at TRACTION every day. Many of our most committed supporters have been actively engaged in our work with young people for years, funding and advocating for our programs along the way. The generosity follows the belonging, not the other way around.
Our BEYOND Cycling Challenge works because riders train, get strong and complete something genuinely hard, while making memories and making a difference together. They come from all walks of life and bring their own networks, ideas and goals. Year after year they tell me the ride is epic, but what brings them back is the sense of belonging and of contributing to something bigger than themselves.
Kennards Hire and the Kennards Hire Foundation first supported TRACTION in 2020, and the partnership has grown far deeper and more hands-on since. Kennards Hire staff have built bikes alongside our young people, managers have taken part in our annual CEO Bike Build, and specialists from across the business and Foundation have worked with our team to co-design our CONNECT pathways to employment program. It goes well beyond a transaction: it’s a genuine partnership that keeps innovating as we evolve together.
The same is true of the Sisters of the Saddle, a community of female cyclists and corporate supporters who have turned an annual fundraising ride into a lasting commitment that has raised more than a million dollars for TRACTION. Camaraderie, purpose and belonging are what keep them coming back.
For me, this confirmed that bringing donors into the community that sparks momentum in our young people isn’t a nice-to-have or just a soft skill. It matters just as much as the hands-on learning and mentoring we deliver through our programs.
The sector is shifting to fund systems change
Many sessions explored a move away from traditional philanthropy towards trust-based, community-led change. There was real curiosity about moving beyond “we funded X services” towards “we helped change the system that was failing people in the first place.”
That’s exactly where TRACTION is right now. Our programs spark potential in young people, but many of the barriers they face sit in the systems around them. Advocacy and systems-level influence don’t fit neatly into a program logic model, yet they’re some of the most consequential work we do. So rather than treating advocacy as a side project, we’re committed to influencing those systems directly. One example is our submission to the Senate Inquiry into Australia’s Youth Justice System, where our message was simple: if Australia wants fewer young people in detention, we need to start paying attention much earlier - long before police, courts or detention centres become involved.
I was particularly moved by speakers who shared First Nations worldviews, in which giving, reciprocity and responsibility are already deeply understood and practised. Australian philanthropy has a real opportunity to transform through relationships grounded in trust, respect and mutual obligation.
Ready to do more, together
I’m optimistic about growing investment in early intervention and systems change. Organisations like ours, with expertise in community engagement, need funders willing to back them. Over the last 11 years, TRACTION has built a proven approach to engaging young people, and we’re ready to scale.
The conference was a reminder that the problems we’re tackling are bigger than any one organisation. Real progress means joining forces, taking well-considered risks and investing together for greater impact.
If you’d like to find out more about our work, or partner with us, we’d love to hear from you.