Australia’s first and largest online social sector publisher, Pro Bono Australia, today announced its social impact results confirming its status as Australia’s leading hub and resource for organisations and people wanting to do good.
Self-funded social enterprise Pro Bono Australia has created substantial impact and value for the social sector and the economy, according to an analysis by global professional services firm, EY (formerly Ernst and Young).
Close to one million Australians a year use Pro Bono Australia services with a Social Return on Investment found to be 11:1. and the social impact value created by the enterprise has been estimated at $6.5million for 2015.
“We have been the voice for this emergent social sector for the last 16 years. Over that time corporate social responsibility, impact investing, social enterprise and philanthropy have become commonly used terms and the concepts they represent have come of age,” Pro Bono Australia’s Founder and CEO Karen Mahlab AM said.
“The ecosystem surrounding the social economy has become vibrant and varied: a sign of a growing sector. The EY assessment places Pro Bono Australia in the extremely rare position of delivering social impact within a sustainable business model,” Ms Mahlab said.
“Where many media organisations are struggling to be profitable, Pro Bono Australia has become sustainable via a diversified business model.
“Our ability to remain independent in a struggling media landscape, challenged by media reforms and disrupted advertising revenue models is testament to this.”
The EY analysis for 2015 found that Pro Bono Australia’s highly regarded independent online news service created the most value for the sector, estimated at $2.8 million followed by its extensive surveys at $2.5 million.
Pro Bono Australia was launched in 2000 as a for-purpose business to provide resources for the social sector to help activate good intentions. Social impact can be defined as the net effect on a community and the well-being of society.
“We are extremely proud that the EY modelling indicates that Pro Bono Australia creates substantial value for the NFP sector in the range of $6.5 million annually in just four of our service lines,” Ms Mahlab said.
“We set out to examine and validate the impact and success of what Pro Bono Australia set out to do, and we commissioned a report by EY to demonstrate to consumers, funders and the broader society, the impact and value of our services in creating social change.
“At a time when social enterprises are gaining traction and we have reached our second year as a certified B Corporation, EY has developed a performance measurement framework which will enable us to carry out future tracking and measurement of our performance in relation to achieving our social purpose.”
Karen Mahlab received an Order of Australia in 2015 for her services to the community sector and philanthropic innovation.
Ms Mahlab said that in 2015 Pro Bono Australia took a strategic leap into developing its offerings for a growing audience of Not for Profits, charities, social enterprises, philanthropists, government, volunteers and the emerging areas of social business and impact investing and those involved in corporate social responsibility.
“Pro Bono Australia is now one of the most successful social enterprises in Australia. I will continue my mission both within and outside the business while taking on a more ambassadorial role and continuing to network and use my experience to assist with the ongoing growth of the social economy,” Ms Mahlab said.
“Our recent investment in innovation has seen the launch of a new website and the appointment of Matt Betts as our new Head of Business to continue our growth in the coming years. Matt brings with him a wealth of experience from big media publishing, via News Limited, and large corporate roles over the past 15 years.”
Business Manager Matt Betts said: “Since arriving at Pro Bono Australia six months ago I have worked with the team to develop our strategic plan for the next 18 months, a plan that I am confident will continue to deliver both social and financial returns.”
“We have a diversified revenue base, an incredibly loyal audience that have trusted us over a long period of time and our intention is to ensure that we continue to provide leadership and support to our audience, our partners and the social sector more broadly.
“As a business we have played a significant role in ensuring that organisations and individuals who might otherwise struggle to make a ripple in a world dominated by social media fuzz, actually have a podium to stand on and talk about their issues, needs and successes.”
He said that with more than 50,000 subscribers to Pro Bono Australia’s news services alone, its reach, influence and credibility is unrivalled.
“We are the record keeper of all things related to this sector and our news services will continue to deliver outstanding content to a new and established audience, on the device of their choosing and at a time and place of their choice,” he said.
