Good Karma Effect

The Good Karma Effect

"Collaborative problem solving empowers everyone to connect and contribute, improving the efficiency and impact of the community, and the experience of those involved" - Amy Churchouse, Founder

The Good Karma Effect (GKE) is a movement that supports the establishment and maintenance of Good Karma Networks (GKNs). These networks empower connected, supportive and sustainable communities through managed Facebook Groups.

Our online communities are safe, location-based spaces for neighbours to establish relationships, share resources and find positive solutions to one another’s challenges.

Our Networks

Vision

Creating connected, healthy and sustainable communities by facilitating compassionate human engagement and collaboration.

Mission

The Good Karma Effect (GKE) provides the framework and support to enable passionate community members to facilitate positive outcomes through Good Karma Networks.

What is a Good Karma Network (GKN): The tool for accomplishing the mission of the Good Karma Effect. They are location based, safe, online space for neighbours to connect, share resources and find positive solutions to each other’s challenges.

Values

1. Collaboration
Supporting others in times of challenge. Working together, everything can be better.
2. Compassion & Empathy
Everyone is struggling with something. Gaining understanding develops insight, reduces conflict and offers opportunities.
‍3. Positivity
A simple way to help everyone to have a better day.
4. Empowerment & Action
Everyone has the ability to make a difference.
5. Unity & Inclusion
All members of our community have something positive to offer and are valued for their participation.
6. Openness
Open minds can discover new opportunities and create new solutions.

Our Culture of Compassion

The Culture of the Good Karma Effect ensures that our GKNs are safe and accessible online communities and that all community members are embraced and empowered. The values of the Good Karma Effect, our GKN community guidelines and the way our communities are supported by their GKN Guardians (administrators) facilitate our culture.

Where we started

In 2016, the Kensington Good Karma Network (KGKN) Facebook Group was set up to connect neighbours so they could help each other with challenges they were facing.

When people started asking for help and finding solutions to all sorts of problems the KGKN grew. With positive interactions due to guidelines that didn’t allow negativity, and with connection, collaboration, and compassion, the KGKN grew. At the beginning of 2017, people from around the country had heard about the experience people were having in Kensington and decided that they also wanted GKNs in their suburbs and the family of GKNs began to grow. Good Karma Networks have been started across Australia and provide a platform for community members to contribute positively to each others lives. People can reach out to ask for help, advice or household items to prevent them going to landfill, share local community events and even simply to share positive experiences they've had in the neighbourhoods.

Growth of the Good Karma Effect

The Good Karma Effect Ltd was established as a company limited by guarantee, and a registered charity, in 2018. The organisation was established by the founder of the Good Karma Networks movement, Amy Churchouse, in recognition that there had been rapid uptake and growth of the GKN groups across the country since Amy founded the first GKN in Kensington in 2016. Finding resources to support the volunteer Guardians that administer each of the networks was considered important, as well as working with them to minimise the challenges that arise in online community management.

In the following years, the Good Karma Effect grew throughout Australia, and the effort and resources required to maintain this legal entity as a formal structure were then greater than the opportunities it was able to create. Despite this, the Good Karma Networks continued their work on the ground, in their communities, thanks to the effort of all the volunteer Guardians.

In 2024, the Good Karma Effect Ltd as an organisation was wound up.

Moving forward as a movement

The Good Karma Effect, as a movement and interconnected coalition of GKNs, continues on. Guardians will continue to do amazing work for their own networks and communities. The policies, guidelines, modus operandi and training materials that have been developed over the past few years will continue to support the GKNs and their Guardians.

Amy and all the Guardians continue to collaborate and to facilitate the positive experiences and outcomes the GKNs are well known for, and which help differentiate GKNs from other community Facebook groups.

Our networks are safe, location-based spaces for neighbours to establish relationships, share resources and find positive solutions to one another’s challenges.

Every day thousands of people are asking for help and giving others the opportunity to make a difference with whatever they have to offer. The GKNs make it possible for people to be able to feel safe to ask for help. And they allow us to realise that we can actually make a difference, by responding to those requests for help.

Good Karma Effect

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In the spirit of the Good Karma Effect, which embraces and values all humans for the opportunities our diversity offers to everyone, we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.