Resource library

‘Do you know all 17 SDGs?’, United Nations

Videos

This article provides a concise overview of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, promoting prosperity while safeguarding the planet. These goals emphasise poverty eradication, economic growth, social equity, and environmental protection to address global challenges effectively.

‘Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity - Executive Summary’, Earth4All

Reports

Earth4All’s two-year research investigates pathways to achieve global wellbeing within planetary boundaries by 2100. It examines two scenarios: ‘Too Little Too Late,’ continuing current economic policies, and ‘Giant Leap,’ requiring bold decisions and investments. The report identifies five critical turnarounds—poverty, inequality, women’s empowerment, food systems, and energy transformation—and calls for active governments, wellbeing economies, and urgent action this decade. Using system dynamics models, it highlights affordable economic shifts and proposes citizens’ assemblies to overcome political barriers.

‘Expanding Concepts of Scale’, Gord Tulloch

Articles

‘Can you scale your social enterprise?’ is a question often heard. This blog by Gord Tulloch challenges a narrow view of ‘scale’, which usually refers to volume and growth. Tulloch suggests there are five pathways to achieving ‘scale’ or impact, including increasing numbers, changing the rules, changing beliefs, changing norms, and changing the conditions that enable agency and distributed action.

Financial management and governance guide for NFP organisations, CPA Australia

Guides

CPA Australia’s guide aids not-for-profits, including social enterprises, in finance management, governance, risk, compliance, and tax—vital for sustainable operations.

Financial management and governance - resource centre, Institute of Community Directors Australia (ICDA)

Platforms

ICDA supports community sector governance with training, accredited courses, tech tools, free resources, and financial guides for not-for-profits and social enterprises.

First Nations Co-Design Platform (AIATSIS)

Platforms

The AIATSIS First Nations Co-Design Platform supports culturally safe, community-led service design with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. It promotes Indigenous knowledge, participatory decision-making, and co-ownership to ensure services align with local needs and aspirations.

First Nations Governance, Finance, Land and the Climate Crisis

Webinars

This resource is currently being developed. If you would like to be notified when it is published, please email team@understorey.org.au.

First Nations Governance, First Nations Affairs

Guides

This guide explains why genuine Indigenous governance requires real decision-making authority, not just consultation with suggestions for how to embed it. It makes clear the difference between tokenistic advisory roles and legitimate power-sharing structures that respect First Nations authority over Country and culture.

First Nations Principles for Social Enterprise Development

Webinars

Shifting Ground held an interactive webinar with agents of social change representing a cross-section of First Nations social enterprises and businesses. It explored the principle: "If you can get right what you do in relation to First Nations people, your work with all people and communities will benefit."

First Nations Startups Fact Sheets – Legal Guide Australia

Guides

The First Nations Startups Fact Sheets are practical legal guides from HopgoodGanim Lawyers. They help Indigenous entrepreneurs understand key issues when starting and growing a business. The resource explains topics such as business structures, contracts, intellectual property, funding and risk management. It supports First Nations founders to make informed decisions and to access clear, plain language legal information.

First Nations Systems Thinking – Common Ground

Articles

This article explains systems thinking from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. It shows how First Nations approaches view the world as connected relationships between people, land, culture and community. The resource introduces key ideas from Indigenous knowledge systems and compares them with Western problem solving methods. It helps readers understand why Indigenous ways of thinking are valuable for addressing complex Australian challenges.

'Food Relief Good Practice Guide', Centre for Social Impact

Guides

This guide, developed by the Centre for Social Impact (CSI) Flinders, provides food relief organisations with strategies to move beyond emergency provision by integrating dignity, choice, and community connections. It offers practical approaches to improving service delivery, emphasising people-centered practices, community engagement, and collaboration. By focusing on long-term solutions, the guide helps address the root causes of food insecurity and fosters sustainable change within communities.

Global Footprint Network: Measuring Humanity’s Impact on the Planet

Platforms

The Global Footprint Network is an international nonprofit organisation focused on measuring and tracking ecological footprints. By providing tools and data, it supports governments, businesses, and individuals in making informed decisions that promote sustainability and help live within Earth's ecological limits. The organisation works on ecological footprint accounting, policy support, and public education, offering resources to guide sustainable living and ecological resilience.

'Go-to Market Strategies', Harvard Innovation Labs

Videos

This is a long-form video lecture from Harvard Innovation Labs for conventional start-ups and business, but it provides a comprehensive framework for thinking about and planning 'go-to' market strategies.

Greening Australia: Large-Scale Environmental Restoration

Platforms

Greening Australia addresses key environmental challenges through reforestation, habitat restoration, and climate resilience projects. By combining scientific research, community engagement, and innovative solutions, it works to restore degraded ecosystems. Its efforts include reforestation, carbon sequestration, waterway protection, and collaboration with local communities and Traditional Owners, strengthening environmental resilience and restoring Australia’s natural habitats on a national scale.

Having Better Conversations about Data: Tips for Social Enterprises

Webinars

This resource is currently being developed. If you would like to be notified when it is published, please email team@understorey.org.au.

Health Justice Australia

Platforms

Health Justice Australia integrates legal services into healthcare to address social factors affecting health. Through partnerships, resources, and training, it supports healthcare and legal professionals in delivering holistic care, particularly for vulnerable communities.

'How Communities Awaken', Vivian Hutchinson

E-books

“How Communities Awaken” by Vivian Hutchinson explores active citizenship, community development, and Māori cultural wisdom. Based on the Taranaki Masterclass and Community Conversations, these essays provide insights on fostering connection, creativity, and social change.

‘How social entrepreneurship works’, Sally Osberg and Roger Martin

Articles

This article by Sally Osberg and Roger Martin examines how social entrepreneurs drive systemic change, highlighting Andrea and Barry Coleman’s Riders for Health. By addressing transportation gaps in African healthcare, the Colemans exemplify how leveraging expertise and engaging stakeholders can create sustainable impact. The authors argue that successful social entrepreneurs focus on specific needs while aligning broader ecosystems, enabling transformative change that goes beyond business-driven outcomes.

'How to Be a Super Board Chair', Huggett and Zitter, Stanford Social Innovation Review

Articles

This Stanford article outlines nine strategies for effective board leadership in social enterprises, focusing on building legacy, fostering respect, clarifying roles, and supporting executive success. Key tactics include tailored board experiences, efficient meetings, succession planning, professional recruitment, feedback, and addressing underperformance, all aimed at creating a collaborative, impactful board culture.

‘How To Have Challenging Conversations. Tips From Organisational Science’, Thinking About Teaching

Articles

This resource, adapted from the teaching profession, provides social enterprise leaders with strategies for navigating challenging management conversations. It highlights the ineffectiveness of "hard sell" or "soft sell" approaches in driving change and maintaining relationships. Instead, it introduces the "Open to Learning" framework, emphasising validity, respect, and commitment. Leaders are guided to approach conversations with shared decision-making and an open mindset, offering a practical tool for addressing performance issues and implementing change in dynamic work environments.

'How to revive a neighborhood: with imagination, beauty and art', Theaster Gates

Videos

Theaster Gates, a potter by training and a social activist by calling, tells his story of transforming abandoned buildings to create community hubs that connect and inspire those who live there. A famously inspiring talk, it shows how problems can be reframed as opportunities, how to start with what you’ve got, how to make something out of nothing and how culture can be a catalyst for social transformation.

Human Rights is Our Business

Webinars

This resource is currently being developed. If you would like to be notified when it is published, please email team@understorey.org.au.

Humans of Purpose

Podcasts

The Humans of Purpose Podcast features weekly conversations with purpose-driven leaders exploring impact, purpose and meaningful work. Hosted by Mel Greblo, each episode brings insight into leadership, systems change and community-centred innovation.

ILO Decent Work Agenda

Platforms

The ILO Decent Work Agenda promotes fair, secure, and productive employment worldwide. It provides policy guidance, resources, and best practices to support job creation, labour rights, and social protection.

Impact Boom Blog and Podcast

Podcasts

Impact Boom has undertaken 100s of interviews with social entrepreneurs and change-makers from across Australia and around the world. Produced as podcasts and blogs, their platform provides an amazing range of impact insights and stories.

'Impact Investment Playbook', Impact Investing Hub

Guides

The free, self-directed Impact Investing Hub Playbook supports Australia’s impact investing ecosystem, offering modular content on Impact Investing, Impact Measurement, and Revenue Diversification, tailored for investors, advisors, and organisations seeking investment.

Impact Measurement Journeys for Social Enterprise

Webinars

Social Good Outpost hosted a webinar sharing how social enterprises begin and evolve their impact measurement. With insights from TABOO, Echo Impact, and Native, the session explored practical ways to track what matters, centre community outcomes, and embed ethical, meaningful measurement into everyday business practice.

Inclusive Business Playbook, Acumen-EY

Guides

This playbook by Acumen and EY provides a framework and case studies for building inclusive businesses that benefit low-income and marginalised communities while remaining financially sustainable. It offers practical guidance on strategy, governance, workforce inclusion, and impact measurement.

'Inclusive Service Standards', Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing

Platforms

The Inclusive Service Standards provide a framework for culturally safe and inclusive service delivery, particularly in aged care. They offer training, self-assessment tools, and case studies to help organisations embed inclusivity and improve service practices.

‘Indigenous Governance Toolkit’, The Australia Indigenous Governance Institute (AIGI)

Platforms

The AIGI Indigenous Governance Toolkit supports Indigenous organisations in building strong, culturally-rooted governance.

Indigenous Knowledge Centres (IKCs)

Other

Indigenous Knowledge Centres (IKCs), operated by the State Library of Queensland, empower Indigenous communities to preserve culture, share knowledge, and integrate modern technology. They support local leadership, digital access, and cultural innovation.

Indigenous Knowledge Research Publications – Old Ways, New

Other

This collection of research publications from Old Ways, New explores Indigenous knowledge systems and how they inform modern technologies, design, governance and cultural practice. The work highlights Indigenous perspectives on artificial intelligence, patterns of knowledge, equity, inclusion and deep connections to Country. The resource brings together reports, papers, chapters and research outputs that centre Indigenous expertise and guide ethical engagement with complex systems.

Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab – Deakin University

Platforms

The Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab (IKS Lab) is a research and public-facing platform centred on Indigenous ways of thinking, knowing and doing. It brings together Indigenous practitioners and researchers to explore how Indigenous knowledge systems can inform complex global issues, policy, design and culture. The Lab creates space for relational, respectful approaches to research, knowledge sharing and collaboration across disciplines.

Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC): Supporting Indigenous Stewardship

Platforms

The ILSC supports Indigenous communities in reclaiming and managing land and sea Country. By providing funding and fostering partnerships, it helps restore ecosystems, creates economic opportunities, and strengthens environmental governance. Through projects that integrate Indigenous knowledge with modern conservation practices, the ILSC promotes leadership and sustainable development, ensuring the restoration of cultural and ecological heritage for Traditional Owners.

'Indigenous Leadership in Business', University of Sydney

Videos

This video series explores 'Indigenous Leadership in Business,' highlighting themes of collective leadership, stewardship, relationships, community benefit, and cultural responsibility to inspire empowerment and transformative change.

Indigenous Protocols Bundle

Guides

The Indigenous Protocols Bundle is a practical resource created to help people engage respectfully with Indigenous communities and knowledge systems. It offers guidance for non-Indigenous organisations, researchers and practitioners who want to build ethical working relationships. The Bundle explains key protocols for communication, decision making and collaboration. It emphasises Indigenous authority over Indigenous knowledge and encourages users to approach cross-cultural work with care, patience and openness.

Inner Development Goals (IDGs): A Framework for Personal and Collective Growth

Other

The ‘Inner Development Goals (IDGs)’ framework outlines 23 essential skills and qualities to foster personal growth, leadership, and systemic change, enabling individuals and organisations to better address global challenges like the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

Intellectual Property Australia (IP Australia)

Platforms

Protecting intellectual property is essential for social enterprises. IP Australia offers info on patents, trademarks, and more, including registration support.

'Interview with Sally McGeoch discussing inclusive employment', Room for All – Inclusion in Hospitality Podcast

Podcasts

This podcast episode features Sally McGeoch from the Westpac Foundation, discussing her journey, social enterprise challenges, and opportunities. The conversation covers funding, collaboration, and impactful initiatives supporting meaningful employment for marginalised groups.

‘Introducing the Impact Economy’, Griffith Centre for Systems Innovation

Articles

This article introduces the 'impact economy', a model integrating social, environmental, and economic outcomes. It explores its definition, relevance in the Anthropocene era, and components like impact-driven business, investment, and trade. Key topics include political leadership, innovation, impact measurement, and challenges such as inclusion and new economic indicators. A valuable primer for understanding how reshaped economic systems can address global challenges and better serve people, places, and the planet.

Introduction to Theory of Change from NESTA's DIY Toolkit

Videos

A Theory of Change articulates the link between intentions, activities, outputs, and outcomes. It presents a hypothesis of how we think we can create change in the world. This short video uses an example to explain how to use the tool to define goals and the pathways to reach them.

'Investing in your community: A guide to managing community funds', Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Guides

This guide, supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, helps communities manage funds from renewable energy projects and other sources. It covers fund management models, practical steps for distribution, case studies, governance, and long-term sustainability. By providing best practices and real-world examples, it equips communities with the tools to reinvest in local initiatives, ensuring transparency, resilience, and long-term benefits.

'Is Your Program Suitable for the Outcomes Fund?', SVA

Guides

This guide by Social Ventures Australia (SVA) helps organisations assess program suitability for the Australian Government’s $100 million Outcomes Fund. It outlines key funding criteria, evaluation methods, and practical guidance for securing outcomes-based contracts and social impact bonds (SIBs).

Landcare Australia: Community-Led Conservation

Platforms

Landcare Australia empowers local communities to take action on environmental issues through conservation and sustainable agriculture. By supporting land restoration, revegetation, and sustainable farming, Landcare fosters community engagement and provides funding, training, and resources. The organisation also focuses on biodiversity conservation through collaborative projects that protect native species and ecosystems, ensuring long-term, sustainable environmental solutions.

'Leadership in Social Enterprise: How to Manage Yourself and the Team', Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

Reports

This report by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship supports social enterprise leaders in tackling unique challenges like balancing social impact with commercial goals, managing diverse teams, and meeting stakeholder expectations. Grounded in global insights from interviews, case studies, and surveys, and developed with input from experienced social entrepreneurs, it offers practical, stage-specific guidance. Designed as a collaborative tool, it fosters knowledge sharing and equips leaders with strategies to drive mission-driven organisations effectively.

'Legacy: how to build the sustainable economy', Dieter Helm

Videos

Dieter Helm’s video lecture series examines the steps needed for a sustainable economy, addressing polluter responsibility, resource maintenance, and investment, with detailed insights, downloadable slides, and an accompanying book.

Legal Structures for Social Enterprises – a nationwide conversation on law reform

Articles

On Monday 17 August 2020, the Australian Law Reform Commission co-hosted with the University of Melbourne a webinar with a panel of experts discussing the potential for a future ALRC inquiry into legal structures for social enterprises.

'Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System', Donella Meadows

White papers

This foundational paper by Donella Meadows introduces 12 leverage points within systems where small interventions can drive significant change. It highlights the potential of paradigm shifts in addressing complex challenges, while acknowledging the resistance systems often present to such transformations.

‘Lights, Camera, Action: How to Craft a Compelling Pitch Video’, Indiegogo

Guides

Crafting a compelling pitch video can provide you with an excellent (and multi-use) resource. This guide shares tips for creating standout videos, different story arc models and advice for working with production agencies.