Benefolk Workplace Wellbeing Summit 2025

BENEFOLK WORKPLACE WELLBEING SUMMIT 2025
'Prioritising People Alongside Purpose'

Whether you're just beginning your workplace wellbeing journey or looking to strengthen your current approach, discover simple ways to meet your work health and safety obligations while building a thriving, supportive work culture. 

• 12 sessions including a free thought-provoking launch session 

• Hear from specialists across law, organisational psychology, WHS, leadership, governance, HR and more. Access free tools and templates, and actionable insights to support your leadership

• Customise your learning experience by choosing individual sessions or upgrade to a Summit Pass for 12 months of unlimited access to session recordings. All sessions include Question Time segment
  

Who will benefit from the Summit?  

• Organisations: Established charities, social enterprises, not for profits and community service organisations

• Roles: Directors, CEOs, People Managers, People & Culture team, or people taking an active role and interest in wellbeing

• Organisation Size and Stage: Relevant to organisations at all stages and sizes 

Ticket options (ex booking fees)

• Individual sessions $40 each (Except the Launch Session which is free for all to attend)

• Summit Pass: Sliding scale from $159 - $359 (depending on your organisation size) Summit Pass includes access to all recordings and presentations.

• Expert Bar online consult: Add a 60 minute Expert Bar consultation to follow up 1:1 with presenters. You can also book the presenters at anytime direct via Benefolk Expert Bar.

Grantmakers / Funders - Gift or Subsidise a Summit Pass

Interested in buying a Summit Pass, or subsidising passes for organisations you care about? Please get in touch with our Foundation Manager annette@benefolk.org.

Thanks very much to The Ian Potter Foundation for supporting the Summit.

2025 PROGRAM

Friday 29 August 2025 - FREE SESSION

Wellbeing Summit Launch: ‘Sector Wellbeing Deficit – Where to from here?’

Join us for a thought-provoking session where we look at the state of our sector in 2025. Are we succeeding, lagging or failing to improve the mental health of the people that turn up to work and volunteer everyday? 

What are the promising signs of progress, and what do we need to start and stop doing to truly shift the wellbeing dial?

• Hear from Hon Andrew Leigh MP, Assistant Minister for Charities from his vantage point in the Federal Government

• See results of latest wellbeing research from the Institute of Company Directors Australia

• Hear from a panel of sector leaders on questions posed by Sarah Davies, Chair, ACNC Advisory Board including:

  • Denise Cheng, Co-Chair, Pay What It Takes and National Manager, Active Philanthropy, Equity Trustees

  • Adele Stowe-Lindner, Executive Director, Institute of Community Directors Australia

  • Ryan Ginard, Head of Sector Development and Innovation, Minderoo Foundation 

  • Ben Vasiliou, CEO, The Man Cave Project and winner inaugural Wellbeing Governance Award 2023 

  • Julia Keady, CEO/Founder, Benefolk (MC/ Host)

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Tuesday 2 September 2025

Workplace Wellbeing Resource Hub tour

Join this exclusive tour of The Community Well resource hub, expertly brought to you by the two people that designed and built it. Annette and Leanne will show you how to find what you need in the most efficient way possible and what tools are there for you, including the Organisational Health Check diagnostic. 

The Community Well is a sector-first mental health and wellbeing resource hub, built by Benefolk Foundation. Since it launched more than 10,000 changemakers have accessed resources! Come see practical examples of how to use the 100+ resources, tools and templates, and bring along your questions! The session will be run by Leanne Hart, Workplace Wellbeing Specialist and Annette Herschtal, Foundation Manager, Benefolk Foundation.

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Wednesday 3 September 2025

Workplace inclusion: Designing for belonging

Grounded in emerging best practice and lived experience, this session supports leaders to stay aligned with their values while building inclusive and effective organisations that ‘walk the talk’ by:

• Demonstrating how to embed inclusion into everyday decisions and systems, not just policies or training

• Equipping leaders with tools to build safer, more connected teams that can navigate change with confidence

• Providing a clear, practical roadmap for shifting culture from intention to action, and from optics to real impact

This session will be delivered by Lyndal Hamwood and Ash Chand, of specialist agency Lote.

The session will reframe Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) from something seen as fraught or performative, to a powerful strategic lever - crucial for addressing today’s toughest organisational challenges, including fostering innovation through inclusion, engaging stakeholders meaningfully, and 'walking the talk' when it comes to your values-driven brand.

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Thursday 4 September 2025 

Psychosocial Hazards and your Legal Obligations 

For this session, a lawyer from Justice Connect will provide guidance on:

• Your organisation’s duty of care.

• What psychosocial hazards are, and how to identify them

• Practical steps your organisation can take to protect your workers and meet your legal obligations

• Upcoming Victorian changes and where to find relevant information for your state or territory

The session will also include a range of tips and additional resources.

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Friday 5 September 2025 

Attracting and retaining a great paid and volunteer workforce 

What truly drives people to engage, perform, and stay committed?

This practical and insightful session explores the core human needs that influence behaviour and how to create an environment that truly satisfies your people’s needs. 

Choice Theory facilitator and counsellor Jeff Steedman will help you understand the needs that drive our behaviour, and what a ‘needs-satisfying’ workplace looks like. 

You will gain a deeper understanding of what motivates workers, learn strategies to build a positive and productive workplaces, and improve retention across both paid and volunteer teams.

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Monday 8 September 2025 

Governing for Wellbeing: Calling all boards and committees!

With so much at stake in our social impact work, and with our staff and volunteers facing a confluence of barriers, Wellbeing Governance is a protective measure.

It helps our people stay well and supports them to thrive in their work, ultimately avoiding HR costs associated with staff turnover and / or mental health injury costs.

Wellbeing Governance is a success strategy above and beyond compliance.

For this session, we are delighted to be joined by Adele Stowe-Lindner, Executive Director of the Institute of Community Directors Australia, and Jon Staley, trainer and wellbeing governance lead, who will provide guidance, advice and insights. We’ll also share the Wellbeing Governance Checklist and Wellbeing Lens tools from The Community Well resource hub. 

Come and learn simple ways to make Wellbeing Governance the new normal way of doing business for good.

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Tuesday 9 September 2025 

Developing your emerging leaders: So they know how to avoid burnout

Burnout isn't just about workload—it's about leadership. In this session, we’ll explore the often-overlooked role leaders play in burnout, both in themselves and their teams.

Michelle Maugueret, Founder and Director of the Growth Collective, will unpack:

• The role that leaders unintentionally play in burnout (for themselves and others)

• How lack of role clarity and feedback are key drivers in burn out

• Why setting clear expectations and giving regular feedback helps to avoid burnout

• Top tips for setting clear expectations 

• How to give effective feedback in 90 seconds or less

Designed for current and aspiring leaders, this session will equip you with essential leadership skills to keep your people healthy, engaged, and performing at their best.

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Wednesday 10 September 2025 

Build, or improve your Workplace Wellbeing Strategy 

Workplace wellbeing doesn’t need to be complex—but it does need to be intentional. In this practical session, you’ll learn how to build a strategy that’s grounded in what your people actually need and focused on what will make the biggest impact. We’ll explore how to:

• Assess your organisational health to identify key focus areas

• Bring your workplace wellbeing strategy to life—quickly and simply

• Create a practical action plan to prevent harm and support long-term resilience

Workplace specialist Leanne Hart will introduce the Workplace Wellbeing Strategy Toolkit, a free resource available through The Community Well resource hub, This toolkit provides a step-by-step guide to help not-for-profit leaders move from good intentions to real, sustainable action.

Whether you're starting from scratch or refining what’s already in place, this session will give you the structure, clarity, and tools to embed wellbeing into the heart of your organisation. Perfect for leaders who want to move beyond wellbeing "initiatives" and embed real, lasting care into the way their teams work.

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Thursday 11 September 2025 

Peer debriefing skills: Combat workplace PTSD and compassion fatigue 

Frontline work in the not-for-profit sector often carries an emotional toll. This practical, skills-based session - led by psychologist and trauma trainer Adam Blanch - equips teams with simple, effective tools to support psychological safety, manage vicarious trauma, and prevent burnout.

Adam will be sharing what causes vicarious trauma, how we can protect ourselves against it, how to spot it and intervene, and simple debriefing questions.

Adam will share an example of a financial counsellor working in a disaster-affected area, who was showing signs of burnout and vicarious trauma. With support, she developed stronger boundaries, adopted self-care strategies, and re-engaged in her role without re-injury.

Ideal for NFP leaders and managers focused on creating safer cultures, supervisors and frontline staff preventing and responding to psychological harm, and frontline workers equipped to spot and debrief their colleagues. Also relevant for organisations not officially on the frontline but finding themselves on the 'accidental frontline' due to disasters, or increased demand.

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Friday 12 September 2025

Mental illness and injuries: Healthy work, recovery at work, and return to work

How can you be sure someone is fit to work? What can you do if you’re worried about their health or behaviour? In this session, we’ll explore how leaders can effectively support mental health in the workplace, enable recovery, and foster successful return-to-work outcomes. This practical session with workplace psychology specialist Julianne Rose will unpack:

• What ‘early intervention’ options exist for mental health concerns

• Why mental injury compensation claims arise, and what improves recovery and resolution of claims

• Case studies and practical guidance, including where things most commonly go wrong

• How to build confidence in supporting team members experiencing mental illness

• Obligations around work-related and non-work-related mental health concerns

Designed for people leaders, HR managers, business partners, injury management and RTW coordinators, this session will equip you to support recovery, reduce risks, and create mentally healthy workplaces.

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Tuesday 16 September 2025 

Individual Wellbeing: How to feel good while doing good 

Grab a cuppa and join a fireside chat with fundraising specialist, wellbeing evangelist and The Well Business podcast host Amy Efstathis, and Summit host/MC Julia Keady.

Together, we’ll walk through everyday strategies that support wellbeing—without needing extra hours in the day. We’ll explore:

• How micro-breaks, breathwork, and rest can restore clarity and calm

• The importance of reconnecting with purpose and presence in your daily work

• Simple, mindful habits that help you stay grounded in high-pressure environments

• Real-world practices to build emotional resilience and avoid burnout

This conversation is grounded in rich insights from The Well Business Podcast, wellbeing research, and wisdom from those working at the intersection of purpose and mental health. Come with an open mind and a willingness to try a few simple practices that may feel unfamiliar—but could quietly shift the way you move through your day.

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Wednesday 17 September 2025

Thriving Workplace Cultures: How to Combat Dysfunction & Toxicity

Even purpose-driven teams can slip into patterns of dysfunction and toxicity—where people avoid hard conversations, tensions simmer, and collaboration stalls. This session is designed to help leaders recognise and address the hidden dynamics that quietly erode trust and impact performance.

You’ll learn:

• Why “good people” still get stuck in toxic dynamics – and how to spot dysfunction early

• The 5 silent killers of team culture

• How to turn tension into traction – using conflict as a catalyst, not a crisis

• Practical tools for leading with clarity and cohesion

• How to build a resilient culture rooted in purpose and shared ownership

Leadership specialist Simon Benjamin will lead the session, sharing the internationally recognised Five Dysfunctions of a Team model, along with other evidence-based approaches to build the capacity of individuals and teams to work together more effectively. You’ll walk away with real strategies and fresh confidence to lead a healthier, more united team — no matter how complex the challenges you’re facing.

THEN ...
GET ‘CHANGE-FIT’ WITH US FOR 2026!
Over October and November, we bring together our change, culture and leadership specialists Elise Sernik and Jo Smyth on being Change-Fit for 2026 and Beyond! There will be lunches in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and a webinar option. Read more / register here.

WELCOME TO BENEFOLK COMMUNITY 
We’re glad you’ve found us and are here to support you and your organisation’s wellbeing. Benefolk is a community for social changemakers to achieve their impact without burning out. Benefolk has a pre-vetted national network of consultants and professional services, helps connect organisation leaders with services, and provides free resources through its sister charity, Benefolk Foundation. We're also a Certified Social Enterprise and B Corp! More here: www.benefolk.org