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 Tirtajaya
Sonya TirtajayaManaging Director
Having spent the last ten years leading major community building campaigns for local government and not-for-profits, Sonya co-founded Community Shapers in 2014. Sonya’s strengths lie in project management, as well as community education, outreach and mobilisation around progressive issues. Sonya has worked for Manly Council, the Canberra Environment Centre, Greenpeace, AusAID, and GetUp!. She holds a Masters of Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development from the Australian National University.
Phoebe Howe
Phoebe HoweBusiness Manager
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.
Miriam Adams-Schimminger
Miriam Adams-SchimmingerBusiness Operations and Support
Miriam previously worked at Community Shapers as a Change Agent, and is now back on board after spending some time working as a volunteer engagement officer at Conservation Volunteers Australia and then as a field organiser in the Community and Public Sector Union. She cut her teeth on community organising while volunteering with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, then with Fossil Free ANU. Miriam currently volunteers with #StopAdani Inner North. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in geography and landscape system science from the Australian National University and has published on returning paddock trees to farms in south eastern Australia. Miriam is passionate about building community, and empowering people to critically question inequality and begin to articulate answers that work for their communities.
Clancy Barnard
Clancy BarnardAccount Manager & Campaign Facilitator
Clancy developed a passion for social change while moving between an undergraduate in Philosophy and Politics, protests in Melbourne and positions with the Red Cross in Dominica and Institute for Resource Governance and Social Change in Kupang. Upon completing a Masters in Public Policy and Management they became heavily involved in campaigns for environmental justice, and came to realise the central role civil society groups plays in holding government to account and articulating a positive vision for the future. Clancy loves working for Community Shapers because they know we are helping make the future a reality, as well as the amazing team of passionate young people who care about the future of our planet and the people in it!

Campaign Facilitators

James Atkinson
James AtkinsonCampaign Facilitator
James began working with Community Shapers in 2015 and is one of our newest additions to the facilitation team. James’ key passions in the progressive space are tackling education inequality and empowering young people to engage with the political system.

He has experience in media and campaigning for a number of youth-led and non-government organisations, informing his work at Community Shapers and his appreciation for the inclusion of youth voices in political decision making. He is currently completing a double degree in Political Science and Development Studies at the ANU.

Stef Roberts-Thomson
Stef Roberts-ThomsonCampaign Facilitator
Having spent the last four years volunteering with the youth not-for-profit UN Youth Australia, I have worked on conferences and events with young people from across Australia and the Asia-Pacific. The issues that affect us are diverse, and having seen the extraordinary capacity that the youth have to create change, I am passionate about giving young people a platform to voice their passions and concerns.

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.

Vanessa Sporne
Vanessa SporneCampaign Facilitator
Vanessa currently studies law and environment, which has helped her to further her passion for access to justice for groups affected by climate change. She has always had a passion for social justice, having volunteered for the gender equality organisation Country to Canberra for four years and having been a member of the AYCC social media team. She has also interned with Environmental Justice Australia, and is excited to continue building her experience in the environmental law sector. She is especially concerned about the corporate influence in governments around the world and how that is effecting our natural ecosystems and subsequently the people living within them. She joined Community Shapers because she saw it as an opportunity to become more informed about this issue and have an impact upon it through grassroots campaigns.

Some of our Change Agents