Auspire reports growth in programs at the 2018 AGM
Auspire – Australia Day Council of WA’s Annual General Meeting was held on Friday 2 November 2018 in the President’s Room at the WACA. Ms Kerryn Batten, Auspire Chair was pleased to report that the organisation had again delivered a solid year of engagement and impact at a community level along with demonstrable growth in programs that encourage and promote active participation and contribution to community.
CEO Morgen Lewis, outlined several new initiatives that were focussed on capacity building with young people and multicultural community groups as well as outstanding engagement growth in the recognition programs Auspire is already well known for, including the Australian of the Year Awards, the Community Citizen of the Year Awards with Local Government and the Aussie of the Month program in primary schools.
Ms Lewis spoke of two significant strategic projects delivered during 17-18, which she believes played a large role in achieving the results. “Addressing the brand confusion that existed with our stakeholders and community was really important for our longer-term sustainability,” she said. “being able to unveil the new Auspire brand and positioning gave us a great reason to re-engage with our members and the broader community and explain who we are and what we do.”
Ms Batten reported that in the last 12 months, Auspire undertook the largest single reform of its constitution in the organisation’s 41-year history, aligning it to a current-day remit and the needs of the communities it serves. “Addressing our branding and our Constitution both played an important role in helping us achieve Tax Concessional Charity status last month.” said Ms Batten. “This not only confirms that our work is considered valuable, it will also assist us in attracting new funding for the future.”
Financial statements, which were audited by BDO, were presented at the AGM. These reported a small surplus for the year and an overall revenue growth of 9 percent, an good result in a challenging funding environment.
Auspire’s strength is its collaborative approach, evidenced by an increase in strategic partnerships during 2017-2018 including Reconciliation WA, Volunteering WA, The McCusker Centre for Citizenship and the UWA Centre for Social Impact.
For a copy of the Auspire 2017 – 2018 Annual Review you may download it here.