Our Annual Report 2020-2021 Highlights
Communities at Work is proud to present our 2020-2021 Annual Report.
The past year was anything but normal, with all our lives affected by the impact of COVID-19. Communities at Work has proudly played a leading role in supporting the Canberra community throughout the pandemic. The support of our community partners, support from the government, support and collaboration with our community sector partners, and the support of individuals and families in the Canberra community, has helped make many of our achievements possible and allowed us to have an even greater impact on the lives of our clients and our local community.
We invite you to join us on our journey of reflecting on the year that has been, celebrating the wins and appreciating the hard work of everyone in the organisation and the broader community who pulled together through 2020-2021.
⦿ To download a pdf version of the report, please click here.
Key Highlights from Annual Report 2020-2021
⦿Download the Highlights document here (pdf).
Our Impact
⦿ Kept our children’s services open throughout COVID-19 lockdowns to support those families of essential workers.
⦿ Froze our children’s services fees and childcare subsidy levies to support families struggling due to the impact of COVID-19.
⦿ Doubled the size of both our community food pantries, allowing us to support even more clients and provide them with a wider range of food options and improved crisis support services. During the year clients accessed our pantries over 6,000 times.
⦿ Provided 2,634 food hampers to vulnerable Canberrans through a partnership with the Canberra Relief Network.
⦿ Worked closely with residents and developers in the new and emerging community of Denman Prospect, helping build neighbours’ connections to each other and to their new environment.
⦿ Opened a Senior Secondary College at Galilee School to enable students struggling in mainstream schooling environments to attain their Year 12 Certificate.
⦿ Assisted over 1,100 people in need with gifts and more than 1,000 food hampers through our Christmas Appeal, thanks to the generosity of individuals and over 70 local organisations.
⦿ Won industry awards for excellence in training development and service delivery, including the Large Employer of the Year at the ACT Training Awards for the third consecutive year.
⦿ Partnered with 16 early learning and care organisations in a national recruitment campaign, ‘Big Roles in Little Lives, in response to the ongoing workforce crisis in Early Childhood Education and Care.
⦿ Launched our fourth Reconciliation Action Plan, to guide our Reconciliation journey.
⦿ Launched our Sustainability Action Plan and reduced our carbon footprint, including switching our transport fleet to hybrid vehicles and saving over $11,000 in petrol in the first six months. Partnered with the ACT Brumbies as its 2020 Major Charity Partner, to expand awareness of our community services and provide opportunities for the team to support our local community.
“Communities at Work has been proud to play a leading role in supporting the ACT community throughout the pandemic. As Canberra’s largest not-for-profit community organisation, we have an important role in protecting and supporting Canberra’s most vulnerable. This is at the heart of what we do.”
– Alan Greenslade, Board Chair (Extract)
Our Financials
Communities at Work reported a surplus $3,967,808 (2020: $2,300,991 ) from ordinary operations in conjunction with COVID-19 Government stimulus packages. In response to our Strategic Plan 2019-2022, the surpluses will be committed to capital projects including the Galilee School expansion, the improvement of many of our children’s services, and the ongoing investment into our staff.
The major change to our revenue streams came in the form of government assistance during the onset of COVID-19 and the “free childcare” period in place at that time. On a percentage basis, expenses were broadly in line with previous years. The Company remains in a strong financial position and is adapting well to the changing conditions involving COVID-19 restrictions and the subsequent economic downturn.
⦿Download our detailed financial statements here (pdf).
Looking Forward
As COVID-19 continues to impact our community – economically, socially and psychologically – exacerbating current issues and producing new and different challenges, Communities at Work has never been more essential.
We have been investing in our social infrastructure and will continue to do this in 2022 – for both the health of the economy and the wellbeing of our community. This will include developing new and innovative partnerships with local business, community and government to create and deliver social impact for our community.
Here is a sneak peek of just two of the projects we’re launching in 2022:
⦿ Partnering with Capital Estate Developments to launch Denman Prospect’s new community centre, which will provide important community facilities in the Molonglo Valley.
⦿ Launching the next phase of our Senior Secondary College expansion, with Year 12 students joining Galilee School for the first time, providing a pathway for vulnerable young people to attain their Year 12 Certificate.
Notable Snapshots from our Annual Report 2020-2021
“With all of the events of the past few years, testing us all at every level, our resilience and commitment to providing the Canberra community with the care and respect they deserve did not relent. Year after year I commend all of our staff, and volunteers for the hard work and loyalty and this year is no different. Thank you to you all.“
– Lee Maiden, Communities at Work’s CEO (Extract)