About us

Since The Benevolent Society was established in 1813 we have been pioneering social change in response to community needs. Read more about our people, our purpose, our history and our future directions.

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We acknowledge the traditional owners of all the lands in which we live and work

and thank them for their custodianship of country. 


The Benevolent Society works with individuals and communities in metropolitan, regional and rural New South Wales and in South East Queensland.

Each year our 800 staff and 900 volunteers support over 15,700 people, to build on their strengths and lead happy and fulfilling lives. We believe that building stronger communities is the best way to reduce social and economic disadvantage. Find out more about what we do. 

Our purpose is to create caring and inclusive communities and a just society. We also have a proud tradition of creating new lines of thought, activity and methods of intervention to tackle the social issues facing Australia. Read about our research, evaluation and approach to influencing social policy.

The Benevolent Society is Australia's oldest charity, established in 1813. For almost 200 years we have been leaders in identifying the evolving needs of the community and pioneering vital social reforms and services.   Examples include successfully lobbying for the aged pension and establishing Australia’s first maternity hospital. Read more about our history.

Our plans and reports

The Benevolent Society is exploring ways of reporting and providing information on our organisation beyond the formal style of a traditional Annual Report. Instead of an Annual Report, we offer a variety of publications that we hope you will find useful and enlightening:

  • Our Snapshot brochure is a quick way to find out who we are and what we do.
  • Our Organisational Profile describes what we do in more detail, and explains how we go about our work, including some of our partnerships and new initiatives. You’ll find information on our supporters, Board and management team.
  • Our Strategic Plan describes our direction for the three years to 2009, including the activities we’re undertaking that will help us achieve our purpose.
  • If you are interested in the facts and figures, download our audited financial statements below.