The IDEAS Platform was created out of a need to bring all of the great ideas that exist both within and outside of The Salvation Army into one place. It's the space where ideas, innovation, and impact meet to bring about a greater and wider reach to serve our community. Ultimately we're about assisting you in living, loving and fighting alongside others to transform Australia one life at a time, with the love of Jesus.

We know there are some great, creative ideas out there on how we can better care for people, create faith pathways, build healthy communities and work to address injustice. This platform is designed to serve these purposes and collectively create change.

Our Mission

The Salvation Army Australia is a Christian movement dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus.

We share the love of Jesus by:

Caring for people
Creating faith pathways
Building healthy communities
Working for justice

Our Vision

Wherever there is hardship or injustice Salvos will live, love and fight alongside others to transform Australia one life at a time, with the love of Jesus.

Our Values

Recognising that God is already at work in the world, we value:

Integrity
Compassion
Respect
Diversity
Collaboration

We commit ourselves in prayer and practice to this land of Australia and its people, seeking reconciliation, unity and equity.

Who Is the Innovation Team?

The Innovation Team consists of:

Greig Whittaker - Innovation Manager Australian Territory // The Salvation Army

Greig Whittaker is a passionate generational Salvo that has been utterly transformed by his encounters with Jesus. He has innovated, established and operated several businesses over his 28-year business career. Greig has an ability to understand markets, consumers and the messaging required to see the two meet. Passionate about seeing the Kingdom of God advance in our communities Greig also team leads with his wife The Salvation Army Corps expression in Ryde NSW.

Michael Schrek // Third Party Capital

Michael has been both a c-level executive and investor in start-ups and more established private enterprises both in Australia and throughout South East Asia for almost 30 years. He started his career as a journalist with The Sydney Morning Herald, but quickly moved into marketing with Village Roadshow and Paramount and Universal Pictures.

During this time he devised and established his first start-up that ultimately became a consortium of businesses specialising in both film distribution and cinema exhibition. At one stage, this company was clearly Australia’s largest independent film-and-video distribution company. Eventually, Michael and his partners sold that business and that lead Michael on a path of investing in a range of eclectic businesses.

Also, during this time he spent almost 10 years living-and-working in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and The Philippines.

On returning from overseas, Michael – through his advisory firm, Third Party Capital – has helped to launch more than 50 businesses from conception to launch to listing; including such well-known ventures as the re-launch of Carsguide.com.au (raised more than $130m in cash and in-kind). Michael was also the inaugural CEO of that company (a JV between News Limited and a collection of Australia’s largest car-dealers).

Michael has also been heavily involved in the not-for-profit sector consulting to a range of charities and businesses-with-a-heart such as The Salvation Army (chairing it’s Drive 4 Life campaign), Youth Safe and Alcohol and Drug Awareness Australia Pty Ltd.

John Beckett - Redemptive Design Lab Lead // Seed

John is the Founder and CEO of Seed. Seed uses a distinctive approach to design and innovation to grow people and ideas that show the world what Jesus is like. They help individuals and faith-based organisations maximise both social impact and Christian formation.

Prior to founding Seed, John was the National Director of Micah Challenge Australia, a position he held for 6 years.

John lives in Sydney with his beautiful wife Allie and three daughters. He received his Masters in Theology from Regent College in Canada and loves to teach and mentor, and is known to occasionally relive his glory days on the sporting field. John is passionate about helping Christians identify God’s purpose and then align their own lives, and the change they create in the world, with that purpose.

Neridah Morris - Community Manager // Seed

Neri is the Comms & Marketing Manager for Seed. With a background in events, online retail, comms, and marketing, Neri also owns an ethical online fashion marketplace. Owning her own business and being embedded in the start-up space has given Neridah a deep understanding of the highs and lows entrepreneurs and business owners face. As an alumnus of the Seed Pilot Entrepreneur Incubator Program, Neri is a passionate, innovative businesswoman with a desire to see business used for the good of everyone and by doing so, create and craft entrepreneurial journies that bring heaven to earth. Check out Neri's business: Thread Harvest.

Elisa Calavetta - Innovation Analyst // The Salvation Army

Elise has been working in the not for profit space for over a decade and is passionate about helping those in the community. She brings experience in marketing, strategy, project management and analytics, knowing how important it is for charities to understand markets, consumers and continually innovate. Elise is also an entrepreneur at heart, having started and operated many of her own business. She understands collaboration and innovation are key for success.

Most importantly Elise is a moderator on the IDEAS Platform!

CONTACT US

Have a question? Need some advice? Want to know what the weather will be tomorrow?

Well you've come to the right place!

Simply email us at ideas@salvationarmy.org.au

We'll endeavour to get back to you within 24 hours.

(ps: If you can't wait that long to know what the weather will be tomorrow, might be best to check your phone!)

The Ideas Team