Forming organisations

You may find that for some causes you need to form an organisation to campaign effectively for change. Before you do so, remember that in Australia there are over 320 000 non profit groups. First make sure that your organisation is not duplicating another organisation. It may be better to volunteer or join an existing organisation. At Non Profit Organisations Australia there is a directory of non profit organisations in Australia.

It is, however, quite complex to set up a non profit organisation as it requires varying degrees of tax and legal advice. The Australian Government, through the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, has put together a website for community groups wishing to form a non profit organisation which you may find useful.

Create your own ‘organisation’

Form groups and start your own non profit organisation.

  1. Name your organisation.

  2. Design a logo for your organisation.

  3. Write the aim/rationale for your organisation (why do you exist?).

  4. Create a list of members for this organisation. Start with your immediate group as members, and then great creative – having famous people as members can generate media interest.

  5. Create a media report on the group’s first action, perhaps your group might have held a protest, or opened a refuge. This media report can be a newspaper story (.doc 269kB), a podcast or a vodcast.

When selecting other members for your organisation, be sure to select people who will help with and will match the aims of the organisation.

  • Mahatma Gandhi – inspired movements for civil rights in India

  • Al Gore – expert on climate change

  • Tim Costello – CEO, World Vision

  • Michael Moore – documentary film maker

  • Father Chris Riley – started up ‘Youth off the Streets’

  • Martin Luther King – US activist and great orator (speaker)

  • Bill Gates – co-founder of Microsoft and trustee of the Gates Foundation

  • Angelina Jolie – United Nations Goodwill Ambassador

  • Hillary Clinton – US Secretary of State

  • Dalai Lama – religious leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner

  • Malalai Joya – exiled female Afghani politician

  • Bono – musician and co-ordinator of Live 8

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