Compassion Australia is a Christian not-for-profit (NFP) organisation committed to breaking the cycle of child poverty by meeting children’s right-now and long-term needs. For over seven decades, Compassion has sustained partnerships with local churches to deliver Christ-centred, church-based, and child-focused support.
As child poverty persists, Compassion Australia is expanding its staff and supporter base nationwide, establishing a strong presence in Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and the Sunshine Coast. With this growth comes the need for robust technological support to streamline collaboration and reinforce governance.
Driven by this imperative, the organisation sought a digital solution to centralise document and meeting management. According to Jenny Hastings, Executive Assistant to the Board, Compassion Australia needed a safe, secure, and intuitive platform — which they found in Convene.
For years, the organisation has benefited from Convene’s user-friendly interface, advanced security features, and tailored pricing for NFPs. This has simplified document sharing and modernised collaboration processes among C-suite executives and executive assistants.
With Convene’s support, Compassion Australia has improved its board operations and governance in the following ways:
Seamless and Secure Meetings from Agenda to Action
One of the smart features of Convene that the NFP board members are truly leveraging for meetings is the agenda builder. Its drag-and-drop functionality enables meeting organisers to quickly construct agendas and upload relevant files. This has significantly reduced agenda preparation time, strengthened file and meeting security, and ensured consistent meeting structures across the board and its committees.
Convene also streamlines post-meeting follow-ups for Compassion Australia. Meeting organisers can instantly export minutes and action items after discussions, promoting greater transparency and accountability among task owners. Jenny shared, “I love that I can export all the actions from meetings that are to be completed. This makes for easy distribution for staff who have to be included in the actions”.
Enterprise-Grade Document Management for NFPs
Beyond the boardroom, Convene empowers NFP board members and executives to drive seamless decision-making with features like Review Rooms and Resolutions. By facilitating secure, remote approvals and voting, leaders can manage partnership agreements, review budget proposals, and update sponsorship guidelines without friction. Moreover, Convene assists Compassion Australia with compliance by notifying board administrators when directors’ Working with Children Check (WWCC) permits and police clearances are nearing expiration.
Ultimately, safeguarding board documents and data is a priority for Compassion Australia, which they are achieving with Convene. The platform’s advanced document management guarantees that confidential information remains protected at every stage of the meeting process. With enterprise-grade security measures, including document encryption and role-based access controls, boards can be confident that only authorised individuals can view, edit, or share specific files. “Using Convene, I have peace of mind around the security aspect of the documents”, Jenny added.
Reliable and Prompt Support Services
Along with strengthening security and optimising meeting processes, Convene assures Compassion Australia of reliable customer service. Sharing her experience, Jenny said, “Nicole and her team have been incredibly prompt in responding to questions and queries. We had several instances where a director couldn’t access the app on one of their devices, but a quick call to the team resolved the issue”.
Convene’s tailored solutions for NFPs exemplify the transformative power of strategic technology adoption in improving board governance and effectiveness. By powering efficient and secure board operations, Convene helps Compassion Australia reinforce its commitment to its mission of releasing children from poverty.
Maximise your nonprofit’s impact like Compassion Australia. Connect with our team to schedule an app walkthrough.