For Merinda March, leadership in the not-for-profit sector should never be mistaken for charity alone.
Compassion matters, she says, but without commercial discipline, even the most purpose-driven organisations struggle to create long-term impact.
It is a perspective shaped by an unconventional pathway into community services one that began not in social work or government, but in international business, consumer product licensing and high-performance sales environments.
Before becoming the Chief Executive Officer of Communicare and White Ribbon Australia, March built her career working with global brands, manufacturing operations and international markets sectors where growth, accountability and measurable performance were non-negotiable.
“I started my career in consumer product licensing and sales. I’ve always been in a sales environment,” March says. “I worked with international brands, manufacturing overseas and expanding into global markets.”
It is not the background most people expect from the leader of a major not-for-profit organisation. Yet March believes it is precisely that commercial experience that has shaped the way she approaches leadership today.
For much of the past decade, the not-for-profit sector has undergone a quiet but significant transformation. Organisations are no longer simply expected to provide services they are expected to demonstrate measurable outcomes, manage increasingly complex funding environments, diversify revenue streams and operate with the same level of strategic sophistication as the corporate sector.
March understands this reality intimately.
“There is a growing number of people in need, and meeting that requires commercial acumen,” she says. “We are responsible for delivering real outcomes and that means being strategic, data-driven and accountable.”
It is a philosophy that has become central to her leadership at Communicare and White Ribbon Australia.
Under her direction, Communicare has continued strengthening its profit-for-purpose model, reinvesting revenue generated through training, education and accreditation programs directly back into frontline services. Rather than relying solely on traditional funding models, the organisation has focused on building long-term sustainability an approach March believes is essential for modern community organisations.
“When organisations invest in training or accreditation, those funds go straight back into supporting people,” she says. “It allows us to continue delivering services where they are needed most.”
The model reflects a broader shift happening across the sector itself. Increasingly, the most effective not-for-profits are those capable of balancing social impact with commercial capability leaders who understand governance, operational performance, strategic growth and organisational resilience.
For March, purpose and commerciality are not opposing forces, they are deeply interconnected.
Her background in sales and international business taught her the importance of clarity, systems and execution skills she now applies to leading complex organisations focused on behavioural change, prevention and community outcomes.
“You have to be clear on outcomes,” she says. “What gets measured gets done.”
That mindset has also influenced the culture she is building internally one focused on accountability, innovation and ensuring teams remain connected not only to purpose, but to measurable impact.
Yet despite her commercial grounding, March’s leadership style is not defined by corporate language alone. There is a strong human dimension underpinning the way she speaks about the work, particularly when discussing the role organisations can play in changing lives and communities over time.
At the centre of her leadership philosophy is the belief that lasting change begins with behaviour change whether within individuals, workplaces or society more broadly.
“Everything we do is about behaviour change,” she says. “That is how we create a better future for everyone and ultimately, a community that cares.”
It is this combination of business acumen and social purpose that increasingly distinguishes March within the sector. At a time when not-for-profits are being asked to do more with less, her leadership reflects a growing recognition that strong community outcomes require more than good intentions they require strategy, sustainability and leaders capable of navigating both social and commercial realities simultaneously.
For March, the future of the sector depends on exactly that balance and in many ways, her own career has become proof that commercial leadership and community impact are not separate skill sets at all, but increasingly essential partners in creating meaningful, lasting change.
By Hearts and Minds
