Board scholarships awarded to directors of charitable organisations

Eight directors of charitable organisations from across Australia will receive scholarships to attend director and board development programs, the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and Australian Scholarships Foundation (ASF) announced today.

The training programs awarded to the eight charity directors include: two full scholarships for the Company Directors Course; two full scholarships for the Foundations of Directorship suite; and four full scholarships for The Not-for-Profit Board (an In-Focus program).

Primarily reliant on fundraising to achieve their social objectives, charitable organisations often find it difficult, if not impossible, to allocate a budget for their board’s professional development.

The governance of charities is complex, however, and developing the knowledge required to address the challenges confronting charity boards (such as balancing stakeholder interests and understanding legal risks) is a necessity.

Amy Lyden, Chief Executive Officer of ASF, said that the scholarships awarded supported ASF’s mission to build the capacity of not-for-profit organisations and were an important expansion of ASF’s portfolio of scholarships.

“We are delighted to partner with the AICD and help address the growing recognition by the non-profit sector of the need for more professional board leadership,” Ms Lyden said.

John Colvin FAICD, Chief Executive Officer of AICD and Chairman of CanAssist, said the directors of Australia’s charitable organisations play a vital role in our community and AICD is committed to supporting them.

“Many people depend on charities to participate in society. Effective charity boards are critical to the ongoing survival and future development of our charities that are supporting those most in need,” Mr Colvin said.

The successful scholarship applicants come from a variety of backgrounds, including community health and welfare, provision of support for disadvantaged people, as well as international aid & development and sustainability. A complete list of scholarship recipients can be viewed in the PDF below. Recipients will participate in their respective programs between August and November 2009.

The scholarships have been funded equally by AICD and ASF; they range in value from $870 for The Not-for-Profit Board one-day program to $8,200 for the five-day Company Directors Course.

To download the PDF and list of scholarship recipients, click here

Media Contacts:
Juliet Chandler, Communications Advisor, AICD, (02) 8248 6624 or 0412 580 402
Amy Lyden, Australian Scholarships Foundation, 0414 745 289

The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) provides education, information and advocacy for company directors Australia-wide, with offices in each state to cater for over 24,000 members. AICD members work in diverse corporations such as small-to-medium enterprises, the ASX top 200 corporations, public sector organisations, not-for-profit companies, large private companies and smaller private family concerns.

The Australian Scholarships Foundation is solely dedicated to providing scholarships to help board members, managers and the senior staff of non profit organisations enhance their knowledge and skills, and to improving the management and accountability of not-for-profit organisations. www.scholarships.org.au