Making a heartfelt impact with 1000 Hearts
Kindness is a simple act, but its ripple effects can be profound. For Sarah De Jonge, this simple truth led her from a career in the not-for-profit sector to starting her own social enterprise and laying the foundations to drive its impact further through a Governance for Social Impact course.
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It began as a personal project in 2016 – hand-stitching one thousand pocket hearts to give away at no cost to anyone who requested them. A simple act demonstrating kindness, care and connection, but one which resonated strongly particularly among people dealing with grief, depression, anxiety and separation from loved ones.
From small beginnings, 1000 Hearts began to bloom with Sarah spreading the hearts through word of mouth and online, until in January 2024 she took a leap of faith and left her role as a director at Cancer Council Tasmania to focus full-time on building 1000 Hearts as a thriving social enterprise.
“The ultimate goal is to provide a way for people to build kindness into their culture, whether that be in a workplace or a school or a community group or a bigger community,” Sarah said. “It’s become a global community where people make our pocket hearts that are shared as a tangible token of kindness, a symbol of being kind and connecting with people with compassion.”
The hearts have brought visible comfort to people through healthcare services, palliative care and bereavement spaces, and in schools.
“It's also been really good for people experiencing isolation and loneliness because it really connects people to a sense of community,” Sarah said.
A legacy of love
The power of 1000 Hearts is perhaps best illustrated by the story of Ingrid and her son, Phillip. While waiting with her son during his treatment for an aggressive cancer, Ingrid saw a story about the hearts and felt inspired. She began making them by his bedside, a quiet act of love and hope. As Phillip’s life neared its end, he saw how much these hearts meant to his mother. In a final request, he asked her to make 1000 hearts for every year of his life. Phillip passed away before his 36th birthday.
Ingrid honoured his wish, and then some. To date, she has made over 100,000 hearts. Each one is a tangible expression of the love she can no longer give him physically, and she donates them to palliative care and oncology services, bringing comfort to countless others.
“There’s powerful scientific evidence that shows the mental and physical health benefits of kindness, community and hand-stitching,” Sarah said. “For the people who make the hearts, they are giving them to causes that are that are meaningful to them, and there’s also a very mindful process through hand stitching and focusing on good intentions for the recipient.”
Effective governance to touch more hearts
Navigating the transition from a side project to a full-time enterprise was daunting for Sarah. She knew she needed clarity and a sustainable strategy for the future. That’s when she enrolled in the Centre for Social Impact’s Governance for Social Impact course, completing it online from her home in Tasmania.
“It was amazing for me,” Sarah said. “It was exactly what I needed at that time.”
The course not only gave Sarah knowledge on effectively governing in a complex social ecosystem – it provided a pivotal moment of self-reflection and strategic decision-making.
“It really gave me the clarity around how I can do this in a way that’s sustainable, not only for the business, but for me," she explained. “It made me come back to the realisation that I'm looking to grow impact, but not necessarily grow the business.
“I came away with some mind-blowing learnings. The course was a really pivotal moment for me in making some decisions and bringing things to a different level of clarity for me, which was just a gift.”
“This course really helped me go beyond just ticking the boxes on fiduciary duties. It pushes you to think in a more systems-aware, mission-driven way, and to keep your cause front and centre. The training is really practical and evidence-based, and it gives you the confidence to tackle complex governance challenges."
For social enterprises and non-profits, governance isn’t just about rules and regulations; it's about defining purpose and ensuring that every decision, from day-to-day operations to long-term strategy, serves the mission.
The impact of the course was so profound that Sarah has already recommended it to others in the for-purpose space. Find out more about the Centre for Social Impact’s Governance for Social Impact online course here .
