Giving in Complexity
Course type: Short course | Philanthropic professional development and training
Duration: Approximately 21 hours of learning delivered over several weeks
Delivery: Virtual | Hybrid | Custom
Enrolments for Giving in Complexity are now closed. Future scholarship opportunities and course dates will be announced soon. To be among the first to hear when registrations open, we encourage you to join our mailing list.
Transform Your Giving For Complex Systems
In an increasingly complex world, the need for skilled philanthropic leaders has never been greater. This course is for those on the giving side of philanthropy who have come to the realisation that social, environmental and economic challenges don’t exist in isolation but are interconnected, dynamic and resist simple solutions.
This course helps funders and philanthropists develop the mindset and tools needed to work effectively in complex adaptive systems when the path forward is unclear.
Grounded in proven frameworks and action-learning, you will learn to navigate uncertainty, support community-led initiatives and collaborate across sectors to address root causes rather than symptoms.
What you will learn
In the Giving in Complexity short course you will examine how to:
- Strategically direct your philanthropic resources to affect long term, systemic impact
- Challenge conventional approaches and develop strategies for catalysing transformational change
- Address power dynamics and build effective partnerships with communities and collaborators
- Strengthen leadership to work effectively with boards, supporting learning and accountability
- Integrate First Nations systems thinking into philanthropic practice
- Support community-led initiatives and focus on root causes rather than symptoms
Prerequisites for this course: Giving in Complexity is best suited to funders who are working at a systems level and who have the seniority or influence to shape giving decisions.
Who should attend
This course is for funders wanting to contribute to systems level change, who have the seniority or influence to shape giving decisions. Participants may include:
- Philanthropic practitioners
- Foundation staff
- Family offices
- Trustees and board members
- Wealth holders
- Philanthropic advisors and intermediaries
If you are not a funder, you may wish to explore our Effective Giving course.
How is the course delivered?
Virtual format
Our virtual courses are designed to fit around a busy schedule and enable participation from anywhere, while maintaining a rich, interactive learning experience. Each course includes:
- A 45-minute welcome session to connect with facilitators and peers
- Four highly interactive facilitated online workshops (two hours each) with peers, delivered weekly or fortnightly
- Self-paced virtual modules to complete ahead of each workshop
- A two-week window following the final online workshop to complete a practical assessment that will help you put your learning into practice
- A digital badge recognising your completion of the course
Full dates are outlined below.
Hybrid format
Our hybrid cohorts combine an intensive two-day, in-person experience—designed for deep discussion, practical insight and meaningful peer connection—with self-paced online modules completed in advance of the workshop. Each course includes:
- A 45-minute online welcome session three weeks prior to the workshop
- Self-paced virtual modules to complete ahead of face-to-face workshops
- Two full-day, face-to-face workshops held on a Thursday and Friday in Australian capital cities
- A dedicated networking dinner with your cohort on Thursday evening to build trusted peer relationships across the philanthropic ecosystem
- A two-week window following the final workshop to complete a practical assessment that will help you put your learning into practice
- A digital badge recognising your completion of the course
Course dates
VIRTUAL: 22 July - 30 September 2026 ENROLMENTS NOW CLOSED
MELBOURNE: 21 May - 26 June 2026 ENROLMENTS NOW CLOSED
Future scholarship opportunities and course dates will be announced soon. To be among the first to hear when registrations open, we encourage you to join our mailing list.