Behind the Impact • Gabrielle King
Meet Gabrielle King, an Engagement Manager at Sefa, whose work seamlessly blends passion with purpose. Gabrielle's role involves collaborating with social purpose organisations to overcome challenges and discover new opportunities to amplify their impact. Her daily tasks range from facilitating workshops to spearheading the Gender Identity working group within Sefa. With a career that has transitioned from law to social impact, Gabrielle's diverse experiences converge to drive positive change. Let's explore Gabrielle's journey and the meaningful contributions she brings to Sefa.
1. Can you tell us a little bit about your role on the team and what your day-to-day responsibilities entail?
As an Engagement Manager, I work alongside social purpose organisations to address challenges and uncover opportunities that can grow their impact. On a day-to-day basis, that might mean facilitating workshops, conducting interviews, researching industry and market developments and coaching founders. Within Sefa, I lead the Gender Identity working group, which has developed and is implementing a 12-month action plan to embed a gender lens within our organisation.
2. What's your go-to productivity hack when you need to power through a big project or deadline?
Each day I draft a to-do list, broken up into 30-minute blocks and that prioritises the critical tasks at the start of the day when I work better (I am definitely not a night owl!). I have also been using AI to assist with research and drafting content.
3. If you could switch jobs with anyone on the team for a day, who would it be and why?
I would swap with Alice, to check out the innovation work that Sefa Partnerships is spearheading.
4. What's the most interesting thing you've learned or accomplished in your role so far?
Sefa recently spent time travelling around NSW to explore social enterprises in the regions, and the efforts being made to support women experiencing disadvantage. It was interesting to see how important place and local context are in fostering solutions and addressing gender-based challenges. Witnessing women in these areas stepping up to lead and confront community challenges is truly inspiring.
5. What motivated you to pursue a career in this field, and how did you get started in your current role?
I had worked with founders and entrepreneurs in past roles but was inspired to shift to the social impact sector after observing how social purpose organisations tirelessly work on the frontlines to foster positive social change. Like many in this field, my journey wasn't straightforward. I started with a legal career, then moved on to working with female founders, and eventually found my way to social impact.
6. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing your team or industry right now?
We constantly hear how access to reliable funding and developing sustainable revenue streams are a challenge for social enterprises. Increasing expectations around data collection / reporting and the need to migrate to more sophisticated IT infrastructure solutions is also challenging for enterprises operating with stretched resources.
7. What do you enjoy most about your job, and what advice would you give to someone who is interested in pursuing a similar career path?
I love the opportunity to explore a wide range of industries, from regenerative agriculture to hospitality to affordable housing. Every day is different. For anyone keen on working in this sector, I recommend diving in with enthusiasm and strong values to discover where you fit best.
Gabrielle King's journey at Sefa highlights the significance of innovation, dedication, and a deep commitment to social impact. Her experiences underscore the importance of understanding local contexts and addressing gender-based challenges while fostering collaborative solutions. For those aspiring to join the social impact sector, Gabrielle's story demonstrates the value of enthusiasm, strong values, and a willingness to engage with diverse industries. Her work not only supports the growth of social purpose organisations but also reflects Sefa's mission to drive meaningful change through strategic support and collaboration.
