Our mission and history
Our mission and history
Empowering changemakers with everything they need to make their impact and thrive.
The Benefolk story
Founded in 2018 (then known as The Xfactor Collective), Benefolk is an Australian capacity building and professional services intermediary fiercely dedicated to the social sector.
Our name literally means ‘good folk’. ‘Bene’ reflects the many good things associated with our sector - such as benefit, benefactor, and benevolent – while ‘folk’ speaks to the wonderful people who make up our sector.
We believe all social changemakers should be able to achieve their mission without burning out – which is our raison d’être. In research we undertook in 2020, 45% of sector professionals told us they felt stressed, anxious or overwhelmed or often or always. We’re here to help change that.
Our sister charity, Benefolk Foundation, enables us to work closely with the philanthropic sector and government to address the sector's wellbeing deficit, as well as improve equitable access to services and support.
To help achieve our mission, we connect not-for-profits, charities and impact-focussed businesses to the very best professional services and resources in Australia, and have helped more than 15,000 organisations since 2018.
To do this, we've built a highly vetted and collaborative national network of 100+ independent consultants and professional services with a deep understanding of the sector.
Our specialist network of providers are trusted experts: they deeply understand the social sector, its nuances and what’s needed to build and run a successful not-for-profit, charity, philanthropic organisation, or social enterprise.
Our Concierge team work with you to create tailored, personalised approaches that are a good fit for your organisation. This gives you the flexibility to choose what you want, with a better ROI, quicker outcomes and the right people by your side at every step.
Best of all, you’re procuring services through a certified social enterprise and certified B Corp organisation.
This enables us to invest back in the sector by creating more and better free and low cost resources such as The Community Well for improving workplace wellbeing, the Social Sector Video Library for short helpful organisational tips, and Benefolk Expert Bar which provides support on demand for your organisation, a little like ‘Telehealth’.
Together with our partners, we are building a stronger, more resilient social purpose sector.
The Benefolk story
Founded in 2018 (then known as The Xfactor Collective), Benefolk is an Australian capacity building and professional services intermediary fiercely dedicated to the social sector.
Our name literally means ‘good folk’. ‘Bene’ reflects the many good things associated with our sector - such as benefit, benefactor, and benevolent – while ‘folk’ speaks to the wonderful people who make up our sector.
We believe all social changemakers should be able to achieve their mission without burning out – which is our raison d’être. In research we undertook in 2020, 45% of sector professionals told us they felt stressed, anxious or overwhelmed or often or always. We’re here to help change that.
Our sister charity, Benefolk Foundation, enables us to work closely with the philanthropic sector and government to address the sector's wellbeing deficit, as well as improve equitable access to services and support.
To help achieve our mission, we connect not-for-profits, charities and impact-focussed businesses to the very best professional services and resources in Australia, and have helped more than 15,000 organisations since 2018.
To do this, we've built a highly vetted and collaborative national network of 100+ independent consultants and professional services with a deep understanding of the sector.
Our specialist network of providers are trusted experts: they deeply understand the social sector, its nuances and what’s needed to build and run a successful not-for-profit, charity, philanthropic organisation, or social enterprise.
Best of all, you’re procuring services through a certified social enterprise and certified B Corp organisation.
This enables us to invest back in the sector by creating more and better free and low cost resources such as The Community Well for improving workplace wellbeing, the Social Sector Video Library for short helpful organisational tips, and Benefolk Expert Bar which provides support on demand for your organisation, a little like ‘Telehealth’.
Together with our partners, we are building a stronger, more resilient social purpose sector.
"Benefolk’s Expert Bar is an excellent innovation from Benefolk that shows its deep understanding of the sector and what NFP leaders need now more than ever to succeed. I wish something like Expert Bar was available earlier in my career."
Maree Sidey, CEO, Philanthropy Australia
"It's great to have a quality alternative to the Big 4 advisory firms that also supports the many talented specialist small businesses in Australia".
Tim Jackson, Former President, Volunteering Australia
"Benefolk is a truly remarkable and visionary community of specialists. Through their deep understanding of the sector, they have helped our organisation grow our reach and our impact."
Bernadette Black AM, Founding Director, Brave Foundation and Social Economic Empowerment Department (SEED)
Our impact
We've been proud to work shoulder to shoulder with our national network and partners to achieve the following:
