Professor David Gilchrist has worked in and around the human services sector for 30 years. He has held executive roles in, consulted to and been part of the governance team of various charitable human services organisations including in disability services, aged care and child protection. In all of these areas, David has contributed to policy and practice. Prior to joining the Academe, he was assistant auditor general for Western Australia and has taught at London School of Economics and Portsmouth University in the UK, and Curtin University and Edith Cowan University here in Australia. He was national associate dean of the business school at Notre Dame where he was also adjunct professor of Not-for-profit leadership.

David has researched in the areas of nonprofit sustainability, economics and governance and has written over 100 industry reports and papers focusing on key issues related to the sector. He has written, edited or contributed to eight books, is currently chair of Paraplegic Benefit Fund Limited and Primary Focus Limited. David was co-founder and co-director of the NPO Research Unit at Hebei GEO University, People's Republic of China where he is a visiting professor. David is also a visiting fellow at Queensland University of Technology's School of Accountancy and visiting professor Airlangga University in Surabaya, Indonesia. David was made a Fellow of the Parliament of Western Australia in 2021 and received a Meritorious Service Award from Chartered Accountants Australian and New Zealand in 2024.

Visiting Fellow, Queensland University of Technology, School of Accountancy

Visiting Professor: Airlangga University, Surabaya, Republic of Indonesia

Member: Asian Centre for Civil Society Research, 2021 -

Total Research Funding Achieved: $8,066,288

Recent Funding & Major Projects

2022

Australia New Zealand School of Government

Project: Governance and Smaller Statutory Agencies

Funding: $98,000

Funder: Institute of Community Directors Australia

Project: Australian Nonprofit Accounting Standards Research Program

Funding: $170,000

Funder: Tasmanian Council of Social Service

Project: The Tasmanian Human Services Indexation Project

Funding: $20,000

Funder: Queensland Council of Social Service

Project: The Queensland Human Services Indexation Project

Funding: $20,000

Funder: Parliament of Western Australia

Project: The Parliament of Western Australia History Program

Funding: $60,000

Funder: Port School

Project: Port School Capital Project Review

Funding: $6,500

2021

Funder: Australian Research Council

Project: The Economic and Social Contribution of the Western Australian CME Sector

Funding: $395,790

Funder: LotteryWest

Partner: Western Australia Council of Social Service

Project: Human Services Index Project

Funding: $20,000

Funder: Western Australian History Foundation

Project: Western Australian Colonial Blue Book Digitisation & Public Access Provision

Funding: $7,580

Funder: Institute of Community Directors Australia

Project: The Australian Nonprofit Accounting Standards Research Project

Funding: $10,000

Funder: Queensland Council of Social Service

Project: The Economic Contribution and Sustainability of the Queensland Not-for-profit Human Services Sector

Funding: $25,000

Funder: National Disability Services (WA)

Project: NDIS Readiness Program

Funding: $8,500  

Funder: Otago University, New Zealand

Project: Australian and New Zealand Charities in Crisis - Artificial Intelligence & Block Chain Effective Solutions

Funding: NZ$15,481 (AUD 14,744)

Calculating the Descrepency Between Funding and the Real Cost of Delivering Social Services

Funder: Catholic Social Services Australia

Focus: this project is developing a set of case studies examining the funding policy impacts on financial sustainability of a set of geogrpahically diverse community service providers in Australia and will use deep evaluative methods to analyse the principal financial challenges being face by these organisations.

The Australian Nonprofit Accounting Standards Research Program

Funder: Community Directors Australia

Collaborating Universities:

Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (QUT); University of Western Sydney; University of Newcastle; Swinburne University

Focus: The development of proportionate and appropriate financial reporting standards for Australia's charities and nonprofit organisations.

Stewarding Thin Markets

Funder: Australian Reserch Council, Department of Social Services & National Disability Services

Focus: The methodological development in idnetifying thin markets within the NDIS.

Research Team: Professor Gemma Carey (CI); Professor David Gilchrist; Professor Helen Dickinson; Professor Anne Kavanagh, Mr Gordon Duff, Professor Satish Chand, Dr Damon Alexander, Ms Eleanor Malbon

WA Human Services Data Collaboration Project

Focus: Building Data Assets for Comprehensive WA Human Services Research

Universities: University of Western Austraia (Professor David Gilchrist, CI); Centre for Social Impact WA (Professor Paul Flatau), Curtin University (Professor Kirsten Holmes), Murdoch University (Dr Megan Paull), Edith Cowan University (Professor Stephen Teo), WA Council of Social Service (Mr Chris Twomey), UWA Law School (Assoc. Professor Ian Murray), Curtin Business School (Dr Nigar Sultana), Not-for-profits UWA (Mr Tom Emery), and WA Council for Social Service (Mr Graham Hansen)

Economics of Human Services in Australia

Focus: Developing an understanding of the economic underpinnings of the human services sector in Australia in order to build greater understanding for policy development and evlauation.

Team: Professor David Gilchrist (CI), Professor Satish Chand (University of New South Wales) and Mr Tom Emery (Not-for-profits UWA)