CCI Giving Community Partner event, a joint celebration of support

Mid-November 2022, CCI Giving hosted a Community Partner event in Melbourne. Over forty people, representing previous and current grants recipients and other Community Partner organisations, convened for an afternoon of sharing and learning.

Chair of CCI Giving Jeremy Yipp officially welcomed everyone and spoke about the origins of CCI Giving.

“In 2017, we launched CCI Giving with the purpose of helping our community. Our focus is to support grassroots, less ‘well-known’ charities and initiatives, whose access to financial assistance and donations is more difficult than their larger counterparts.”

“Communities Taking Steps is our small grants program, one of three streams we offer, along with Impact Grants through our partnership with the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR), and matched donations to partner charities through Catholic Church Insurance staff and the community in general.”

Jeremy went on to recognise the vital role charities played in the crisis phase of the pandemic, and the new and ongoing challenges now faced across the sector. He also acknowledged the need for immediate financial support to help communities experiencing hardship or disadvantage, maintaining that helping build resilient communities benefits everyone.

Joshua Lourensz, Executive Director of Catholic Social Services Victoria, continued the theme for the afternoon, moderating a panel discussion on the topic of vulnerability and resilience in the charity sector. Panellists Dalal Smiley, CEO of Wellsprings for Women, Stephen Barrington, CEO of Foothills Community Care, and Rachel Connor, General Manager of Saltbush Balnarring Beach, discussed and explored issues facing small charitable groups, with particular focus on challenges derived from the past few years.

Volunteer challenges was one theme to emerge from the conversation. Wellsprings for Women is an organisation dedicated to supporting women from various cultures with a particular focus on domestic violence, mental illness, and financial disadvantage. CEO Dalal Smiley explained their need to rebuild their pool of volunteers, which had been over 100 prior to the pandemic. Saltbush Balnarring Beach provide low-cost holiday retreats and holiday programs for disadvantaged groups and carers. When looking for volunteers, Rachel Connor, General Manager of Saltbush, emphasised the importance of speaking up and not shying away from asking what type of help is needed, with many of their volunteers sourced through existing connections. While Stephen Barrington, CEO of Foothills Community Care, a grassroots organisation operating in the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria, explained that they have been fortunate to retain volunteers, he stressed the importance of connection. “We really want regular volunteers as [the work] is relational, it is about connection. A lot of volunteers have fun doing what they are doing, and it is our job to help them feel connected. [Foothills] has done a lot of work around our onboarding of volunteers, that is a massive thing.”

Following an insightful conversation, panellists were asked a final question about what gives them hope and helps them keep motivated as leaders. For Dalal Smiley it is seeing the resilience of women, children, and the community with whom they work at Wellsprings for Women. Dalal mentioned Wellsprings had interviewed people recently with one participant describing their experience through the Covid-19 restrictions as, ‘this is nothing, I have dealt with so much more tough things in my life than Covid’. Her comment offers insight and builds empathy for the daily challenges that many need to overcome.

“We have survived – we’re fine, we’re getting on with our lives and are going from strength to strength at Wellsprings. The women are coming back with such vigour, they want to learn, they want to get a job, they want to get on with their lives, they want the best for their children. There is an eagerness to embrace life’s opportunities.”

Dalal Smiley, CEO Wellsprings for Women

Rachel Connor, General Manager of Saltbush, finds inspiration in seeing community groups really mobilising to support their communities after the last few years, as well as school groups showing an increased appetite for community service. She loves that kids are learning about empathy, understanding, and how to help your community, and demonstrating real faith in action.
Stephen Barrington, CEO of Foothills Community Care, talked about the sense of shame that often accompanies people needing to ask for help. However, what gives him hope is seeing the same people helping others in their community once they’ve managed to get themselves back on their feet.

“We all need a bit of a help at some point in our lives. But that is how good community works, we all support each other, and then you pay if forward down the track. There is good will out there, and people really wanting to make a difference in their local community. To be a part of that, to be a conduit for that, is really special.”

Stephen Barrington, CEO Foothills Community.

Lauren Clair, CCI Giving Foundation Program Manager, called the event a great success with extremely encouraging feedback.

“It was very inspiring to see everyone come together to share their work efforts and experiences of the past few years. It reminded us that we are no longer working in pandemic-driven isolation. Organisations working to support communities have had to endure and overcome Covid-19 restrictions, requiring significant adjustments to how they operate while absorbing costs associated with business disruption.”

“The Community Partner event has absolutely been a highlight for CCI Giving this year, enabling us to give back in addition to our regular grant programs. One of CCI Giving’s aspirations is to strengthen connections across the broad spectrum of groups working for positive social change, and I’m confident this event has contributed to achieving this objective”.