Kate Frost CEO YWCA NSW

Interview with CEO Kate Frost

YWCA NSW is a not for profit organisation led by women for the whole community that supports people at critical times in their lives and delivers programs to help them learn the skills they need to turn their lives around.

YWCA NSW delivers programs concerning a number of issues that affect health and wellbeing, practical support, skills, mentoring and leadership. The focus is on early intervention - getting to those people at critical junctures especially when they're young before they fall through the cracks. Certainly YWCA NSW provides practical support - for people who are homeless, without jobs and in serious financial difficulty, to pregnant teenagers with no skills and nowhere to turn. But the key is providing them with skills and tools so that they take charge of their own future.

YWCA NSW helped 35,000 people during their critical times in NSW last year, delivering dozens of life-changing programs from early intervention to practical support. But it is no ordinary not for profit. Run by an ex-banker as a robust business, YWCA NSW operates two hotels and other social enterprises to help fund its community programs and services. Corporate partnerships are also critical to its business model and YWCA NSW understands that transparency and a tangible return on their investment is critical for these partners.

YWCA NSW CEO, Kate Frost, who worked in the banking sector for 20 years, understands that corporations who partner with charities require proof that their investment is kicking goals. "Every corporation that partners with us or donates their time, talent or dollars wants to see a return on investment. We understand that and provide our corporate partners with proof of results."

"Our programs are created in consultation with communities, they are based on evidence not faith or funding and we are entirely independent in that regard. Our goal is to support people at critical times when and where they need it. Our corporate partners believe in the work we do and the partnership often provides their employees with an opportunity for meaningful involvement or engagement."

This fits exactly what Cavill & Co found in a recent survey. When asking about how they felt about their employer and charities, 85% said the definition of a successful company means giving back to the community, and 73% said fighting for a cause.

A company's reputation for supporting charities can help that company become an Employer of Choice. 88% of Cavill & Co's survey respondents said they felt proud to work for a company that offered significant support to charities and 83% said they'd rather work for a company that supported charities.

YWCA NSW relies on its diversified funding base, including support from local, state and federal government, individual donations and corporate partners as well as the two Sydney hotels and other social enterprises which donate all net profits back into supporting community services and programs.

Adds Kate: "We don't rely on door knockers or street collectors. We have a solid donor base who have been with us for a long time and similarly we would prefer to partner with corporates who are looking for a long term relationship with a not for profit and see a true return on their investment."

Edelman global good purpose 2nd annual study found that 68% of consumers say that in a recession they would remain loyal to a brand if they support a good cause and 76% of consumers globally like to buy from brands that make a donation to worthy causes.

Interview with Kate Frost

Kate Frost is the CEO of YWCA NSW; she joined after 25 years in banking (her most recent role being as Vice President with Citibank).

Tell us about the YWCA NSW:

Kate Frost: YWCA NSW supports vulnerable people all across NSW at times in their life when they need it most, regardless of their age, religion or gender. We help individuals, families and whole communities develop behaviours and skills to not only get through times of crisis but become strong enough for it not to happen again.

Over the past 130 years, since the charity's inception in 1880, we've changed over two million lives for the better and 35,000 in the last year alone. Our 300 employees and over 1,200 volunteers have supported these people through services such as homeless assistance, refuge and counseling for families escaping domestic violence, financial literacy for high school students, a suite of mentoring programs and supporting women recovering from breast cancer surgery.

We have a diverse mix of funding including the profits from the two hotels we operate in Sydney and our YKids Child Care Centre in Paramatta.

And last but definitely not least, we¹re celebrating our 130th anniversary and have just kicked off a campaign to raise $130,000 in 130 days.


Tell us about the differences in working in the corporate world as the Vice President of Citibank to working as the CEO of a not-for-profit organisation?

Kate Frost: In terms of running corporate and not for profit organisations, there's not that much difference! YWCA NSW owns two commercial 3/3.5 star hotels and a childcare center and also does some Government fee-for-service work which provides us with an independent sustainable stream of revenue - in fact over 60% of the money we need to help disadvantaged people in NSW comes from those sources. It¹s rewarding that my corporate and business skills can be used and I work with the most incredibly dedicated and hardworking staff (men and women), volunteers and supporters.

Coming from the banking world I have ability to understand the corporate and business needs of a large company whether the need is to engage staff, build brand, add to the community capacity or simply enable people to feel good about their generosity - my job is to translate that need into what the not-for-profit world requires.


How did you decide to make the career change?

Kate Frost: My husband, a foreign exchange dealer, and I were in senior banking roles with international banks. We travelled a lot, entertained a lot and generally had a very privileged life. In early 2000, he had a sudden heart attack. It knocked him around both physically and from a confidence point of views. He'd always been so bulletproof.

We decided to take a year off work and re evaluate. So we bought a round the world ticket and spent the next 12 months together 24 hours a day- visited 13 countries in a year - everywhere from Cairo to Memphis, from Barcelona to Vietnam. Whilst we were away, we rethought our lives, priorities and decided to look for a sea change.

Well, of course, all good plans are made to be flexible and my husband went back to dealing (albeit shorter hours) and after a year long stint in consulting, I met with my previous director at Citi to talk about his new role at The Smith Family. He shared with me that one of the organisation¹s challenges was to grow their revenue streams within the corporate market and become more professionals. The rest is history.


Is it easier being a part of an organisation led by women?

Kate Frost: I don't think there¹s really a difference. We have a fantastic team of skilled people in all roles at YWCA NSW and everyone is there because they are good at what they do. In fact, half our Executive Team I made up of men. We're very lucky as not only is the team dedicated and hardworking, they're also extremely easy to get on with and they are part of the reason the job is so rewarding.


What inspired you to become a part of the YWCA NSW team?

Kate Frost: Being part of the solution. At YWCA NSW we help people through so many tough situations. Everyone can experience critical times in their lives whether it's struggling as a new parent, dealing with a difficult teenager, going through a divorce, recovering from an illness or losing a job. I was and continue to be inspired by the variety of ways in which our staff and volunteers help people every day.


Which industry do you prefer?

Kate Frost: I have a real passion for fundraising and it gives me enormous satisfaction to watch someone turn his or her life around with the help of one of our programs for me, that feeling cannot be matched


Do you believing working at YMCA NSW is more rewarding than previous positions? How is your job rewarding?

Kate Frost: It's rewarding in different ways. I feel like I am part of the solution and the work YWCA NSW does appeals to both my heart and my head.

We give people the chance to learn and change their behaviours so they can succeed and try to prevent them from falling through the gaps... We also are there to catch them (if they do fall) and help them get up again by providing practical support (housing, money and more workshops) so they can continue to grow and learn.

I find the thought that we support 35,000 people every year remarkable and inspiring.


What is a typical day like as CEO of YWCA NSW?

Kate Frost: Like any organistion there's no real typical day. I could be working strategically, looking at things with my corporate head on or I could be at a fundraising function getting out there and meeting our supporters.


What are your plans for the future? Do you have short/long term goals in regards to business?

Kate Frost: We want to inspire the next generation to act locally and engage younger people to play a bigger role in their communities. As part of our 130th anniversary activities we commissioned some research to really help us understand Gen X and Y attitudes to charities.

Interestingly we found that Gen Y likes to be actively and visibly involved with a charity taking part in social events or changing something about their appearance while Gen X prefers a more discreet involvement and a need to feel valued and appreciated by a charity.

This is useful to us (and other charities) as it will aid us in our communication with different generations and how to work with them so that both the YWCA NSW and our supporters and donors get mutual benefit.

As well as encouraging younger people to get involved with YWCA NSW, we're also appealing to business. Despite the global financial crisis, we hope businesses can demonstrate their support because now more than ever people need assistance. Now's the time to show what you¹re made of!


What can business do to help support YWCA NSW?

Kate Frost: Australian businesses have an enormous contribution to make in assisting some of NSW¹s most vulnerable people.

Corporate partnerships are critical to us and there are a number of ways that businesses can support our work. These might be integrated corporate partnerships, which allow employees to actively get involved with us; cause related marketing, which could include on-pack promotions, in-store merchandising and trade promotions; sponsorship of our events; corporate volunteering or simply making a donation!

Increasingly, many companies see the value of aligning themselves with a specific cause or not-for-profit organisation on an ongoing basis. These partnerships are based on mutual benefit and help the company with staff engagement, morale and retention as well as demonstrating their commitment to communities.


For more information on YWCA NSW and how you can help support your communityvisit www.ywcansw.com.au

Interview by Brooke Hunter