Who we are
> We’re not just a call centre. Too often, fundraising and engagement is outsourced to corporations and call centres who don’t have a stake in their client’s work. This leads to poor quality calls and donor churn. A big part of our difference is that we understand our clients and we believe in their work.
> Our conversations are built on stories and values. Stories can forge connections, develop trust, and deliver better results for campaigns. At Community Shapers, we use our calls to tell stories about our clients and their work.
> We’re passionate about quality. We are bound by the FIA’s codes and standards, and we have a strong privacy policy. Our complaint rate is well below industry average.
> We only work with clients who share our goals. At Community Shapers, our staff are the members, supporters, and volunteers for many of the organisations we call for. We only take on clients who share our vision for a more progressive Australia.
> We deliver results. Across our work, we’ve been able to deliver above industry average fundraising results and strong returns on investment.
Our Difference
Our Team
Sonya believes good intentions are best complemented with strong action, and is passionate about activating people around their values, through volunteering, donating or political engagement. Sonya has a background in education for sustainability and a Masters in Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development from ANU. In 2014 she combined her interest in social ventures with her background in sustainability education to start a values-aligned fundraising and advocacy call centre; Community Shapers.
Phoebe developed a passion for social change advocacy growing up in Canberra and studying Arts and Science bachelor degrees at the Australian National University. Phoebe was the founding member of the ‘Canberra Loves 40%’ campaign that helped secure the ACT’s nation-leading emissions reductions legislation, and other climate policies. She worked on national climate change campaigns and grassroots youth organising with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. She developed local grassroots organising for national campaigns on the rights of people seeking safety and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth over-imprisonment at Amnesty International Australia.
Stef has extensive experience in youth political engagement and organising young people, both through her degree and in volunteering with UN Youth. She has worked on many issues affecting young people with other organisers in Australia and the Asia-Pacific. Stef brings this experience and passion to her work at Community Shapers where she has been a Change Agent and a Campaign Facilitator before stepping up as an Account Manager in late 2019.
If the people in positions of power more consistently turned their attention to the future, I believe we would have a more progressive and inclusive Australia. It is our responsibility to ensure that this eventuates.
As a student of international relations and environmental studies, Yashi is passionate about youth engagement in politics, and environmental justice. She is particularly interested in researching how these issues manifest in the Indo-Pacific, and how individuals within the region are shaping their nations discourse. Yashi started her career at Community Shapers in 2019 as a Change Agent, transitioned to the role of Campaign Facilitator at the start of 2020, and after completing her degree in mid-2020 moved into the role of Account Manager as well.
Tom brings five years’ experience in youth education and facilitation to the team at Community Shapers in his role as Campaign Facilitator, while also providing member support and administration for one of our client organisations. In every team he has supported, Tom has been passionate about ensuring that everyone has the skills and resources they need to succeed. Joining the facilitation team means he gets to do this while cheering on every Change Agent in having great conversations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts and has exhibited and coordinated shows on Ngunnawal/Ngambri land. His current research project uses the diagram as a method/structure/process for reconfiguring linear thought.
MaryClare started as a Change Agent in 2018 and took on a role as Campaign facilitator in early 2020. MaryClare’s background is in campaigning for climate justice, with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition and the Fossil Free ANU campaign. She believe that peer to peer education plays a key part in organising, and as ANU Environment Officer in 2019, was committed to facilitating constructive spaces for learning, as well as opportunities for students to take direct action. She studies International Relations and Latin American Studies, and will complete Honours in 2020.
Currently studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics paired with Environment and Sustainability at university, I am passionate about progressive issues, especially the need to better manage the environment, climate justice and to create a fairer and more equitable society. Having participated in environmentally-focused grassroots campaigns and worked towards climate justice via educational platforms, I strongly believe in the power of grassroots advocacy and conversation as a major driver of change. Because of this, I am fortunate that Community Shapers provides me with the valuable opportunity to strive for a more inclusive and just Australia.
Starting on as a Change Agent in 2019, Rohan has come on as a Campaign Facilitator in late 2020. Rohan’s experience studying criminology has made him passionate about social justice and the necessity of education and conversation in achieving progress. Rohan is always excited to engage with Change Agents and provide any assistance he can to ensure that they have the right tools in the toolbox to have great conversations. Rohan has performed and organised concerts, theatre performances and seminars on Ngunnawal/Ngambri land during the duration of his bachelor’s degrees in International Security and Criminology, which he completed in 2020.”
Henri began working as a Change Agent in 2018 and as of late 2020 has taken on a role as a Campaign Facilitator. Henri’s organising background is in the broad labour movement, working with UnionsACT’s Young Workers Centre on hospitality organising, and campaign managing a candidacy in the 2020 ACT election. He believes in the power of collective action and grassroots organising in winning a fair, just and sustainable Australia and world. He is working towards dual bachelor’s degrees in law and arts.
Some of our Change Agents
I have been a keen activist since I knew what the word meant and I bring my passion for social justice and human rights to the workplace at Community Shapers. As a musician in the local Canberra music scene, I use songwriting to share personal experiences to raise awareness about social inequalities, climate change and mental health. I believe that strong community is crucial to changing attitudes at a local level. I completed my degree in Arts/International Security Studies in 2019 and my major in Human Rights highlighted the need for compassion and solidarity in today’s society. Through continuing respectful, inclusive and brave conversations, I believe we can create change to move Australia forward towards an equal, sustainable and caring post-pandemic world
I’m a student and a political activist, passionate about building empowered, inclusive communities and campaigns for environmental and social justice. As an organiser, I have extensive experience volunteering and working with progressive NGOs, unions, environmental groups and political parties. I’ve been a big believer in the power of community to create powerful social movements and progressive change.
Currently I’m studying environmental science and sustainable architecture at university. I first started pursuing sustainable change while working in the hospitality industry. The amount of waste I witnessed being generated triggered an interest in excessive resource use and sustainability. After looking into waste reducing techniques and learning more about the bigger impacts that seemingly small actions had, being involved in environmental change through grassroots campaigns was almost non-optional. I felt that the best way I could contribute was to become part of the solution
I spend my time studying International Security and Arts at university and volunteering in climate justice grassroots organisations. For much of my life, I have been passionate about social justice and making meaningful change in my community, and I firmly believe in the strength of grassroots activism to create change.
I’ve just completed my Bachelor of Environment and Sustainability from the ANU, where my passion for sustainable development and climate justice grew. I think it’s crucial that we reassure people that the fight for social equity and environmental conservation isn’t a lost cause. The most important thing we can do is believe wholeheartedly that we can make a difference. I’m excited to help Community Shapers push the momentum on so many important, progressive causes.
I am a passionate individual currently studying a bachelor’s in International Relations and Commerce at the Australian National University. Issues regarding environmental sustainability, corporate social responsibility, human rights and politics are all very close to my heart. I have experience working with NGOs internationally and locally. Due to this, I am a strong believer in the power of change that organisations such as Community Shapers can have. I am really excited to be working as a Change Agent with Community Shapers to tackle issues regarding politics and environmental sustainability. I know that together we can strive towards building a better Australia.
I’m a philosophy honours student who specialises in social structures and justice. Having worked with the federal Greens and the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, I’m aware of the extent of racial, environmental, and socio-economic injustice in Australia. I’m committed to and enthusiastic about progressive grassroots action, as it is the most effective and egalitarian way to achieve positive change. I am therefore incredibly fortunate to have the privilege of working at Community Shapers, an organisation which allows me to engage with a diverse range of passionate people to galvanise support for progressive causes.”
I’m currently studying a Diploma of Sustainable Living with a focus on Environment, Ecology and Planet, and I bring a background of environmentalism to Community Shapers. Social justice is the foundation for my studies and political engagement. My passion for community informs my collaborative and inclusive approach to outreach. My activism and advocacy through my personal work as an artist have focused on climate and racial justice issues in Australia. I believe that direct action is the driving force that will bring us to a more equitable and sustainable future.