Dear members,

As President of APRA Australia, alongside our dedicated board, I am excited to continue driving our vision and mission forward. Below are the priorities guiding us as we progress beyond 2026, as endorsed by the board on 24 April 2026.

Growing and Strengthening Our Community

We are committed to keeping our members engaged and to attracting new voices into our vibrant community. Expect richer resources, dynamic events, professional networking opportunities, and positive visibility across the Australian philanthropic sector.  We will keep refining our website and building partnerships that support and strengthen our work.

Mentorship program
Our annual mentorship program continues to be a cornerstone of member value, supporting professional growth across all career stages. By connecting experienced practitioners with those seeking to build capability, the program fosters knowledge sharing, strengthens sector expertise, and deepens engagement within our community. We will continue to refine and expand the program to ensure it remains accessible, impactful, and responsive to the evolving needs of prospect development professionals across Australia.

Events

Our annual conference remains a key event for learning, knowledge sharing, and professional connections.

Beyond the conference, we are exploring options to support additional activities – such as city-based meetups, professional networking sessions, and Lunch & Learn sessions, including international Q&As. These initiatives aim to broaden access to learning and encourage more in-person engagement across local networks.

Resources

APRA Aus members benefit from a growing catalogue of tools and reference materials, including membership directory databases, newsletters, and past conference presentations.

We aim to facilitate access to resources in areas … such as recognise the need for further resources in areas such as capacity ratings, portfolio reviews, managing up, ethics, and due diligence.  To address this, we are considering the development of new webinars, articles, and practical toolkits, and will continue to leverage content from APRA University and APRA International.

Networking

Our community provides valuable opportunities to connect with prospect development professionals across Australia and internationally, supporting collaboration, knowledge exchange, and career development.

Professional network

We encourage all members to renew their membership and continue to benefit from these collective learning and collaboration opportunities.

Contributing to Our Community

Lastly, we welcome ideas and contributions from our members.  If you have resources, insights or suggestions you would like to share with the wider community, please reach out to me or any Board member.  Your input plays a key role in strengthening the collective knowledge and capability of APRA Australia.

Thank you for your ongoing support!  We look forward to engaging with you throughout the year and at our upcoming events.

President

Steven Bärwald

Associate Director, Prospect Development, University of Sydney