What public administrators can learn from philanthropists
The public and philanthropy sectors can be powerful collaborators in delivering community-focused strategy, IPAA Queensland’s president Samay Zhouand has found.
The origin of the saying ‘to go fast, go alone, to go far, go together’ is disputed, but few would argue against leveraging the strengths of trusted collaborators to achieve the most impactful outcome.
That’s true of strategy delivery and particularly so when a strategic objective is to serve a modern, multi-faceted community, as Queensland’s is today. Some of Queensland Public Trustee’s (QPT) most important collaborators in delivering on this objective are in the philanthropic sector, where our customer bases often overlap and our skills and resources are complementary.
We collaborate not just in our relationship as trustee and charitable perpetual trust, but through QPT supporting the trusts’ aims to uplift the people and groups who selflessly support Queenslanders, to increase charitable donations and to distribute grants as widely as possible.
On the former, as the trustee of the Queensland Community Foundation (QCF) and a long-time sponsor of the Queensland Philanthropy Awards, I hope you’ll alert your own professional networks to the opportunity to nominate a deserving individual or organisation for an award in 2026. There are eight awards that celebrate philanthropy in the corporate, community, environmental and other areas. Nominations close on 11 April, but can be easily submitted online.
Of course, public sector collaboration with philanthropic organisations isn’t new, but QPT’s work with QCF and other charitable perpetual trusts is a great reminder of why we can be a strong pairing, especially when addressing complex community needs.
There’s complementary expertise, for one. Charities often have deep knowledge of specific community needs and can consult with grassroots groups that are hard for government to reach, while the public sector can bring data, policy nous and its understanding of systemic issues.
QCF itself is a fantastic example of that grassroots reach; it supports more than 300 charities each year, with $5.7 million in total funding distributed in 2025, supported by QPT’s stewardship of its capital.
The freedom to innovate, and then scale those innovations, is another upside of public sector-philanthropy collaboration. Charities usually have the flexibility to pilot innovative solutions, which government can then integrate into its programs for wider community benefit.
Importantly, the public and philanthropic sectors also share a common purpose; to work for the betterment of the community. Our collaborations often involve a meeting of likeminded professionals that provides valuable learnings on both sides, as well as better outcomes.
IPAA Queensland members who’ve had the good fortune in their public administration careers to collaborate with philanthropic organisations will recognise the powerful collaborative force I’m describing. If you do, please give some thought to nominating a charity collaborator for a 2026 Queensland Philanthropy Award. They deserve recognition.