Improve my Group
Our Community has developed a wide range of resources to help community organisations be as effective as possible.
Click below to view the available resources to help you improve your group:
- Grants & Fundraising
- Boards, Governance & Leadership
- Finance, Insurance & Risk Management
- People Management
- Strategic Planning, Review & Revitalisation
- Information Technology
- Community Engagement & Advocacy
- Marketing & Media
What's the one thing that every community group needs more of? Money. Our Community recognises this and in pursuit of a more viable community sector in Australia, we offer advice on grants and fundraising so that you can become a healthier, more viable community group.
- How to Find Grants
- Approaching Major Donors
- How to Ask for Donations
- Setting up a Membership Scheme for your Organisation
- Writing a Sponsorship Proposal
- What are Special Events and Why Run them?
- Finding the Best Community-Business Partnership Model for your Group
- Attracting Bequests - the Basics
- Running the Perfect Fete
- Australian Fundraising Legislation and Auspicing Rules
- More ...
- Australian Giving Centre - free online donations service
- Fundraising Wizard - check your fundraising capacity
- Australian Fundraising Legislation
- Top 10 Free Fundraising Ideas
- Samples of Grant Winners
- Expert's Advice - read what successful fundraisers have to say
- EasyGrants Database - search Australia's most timely and comprehensive grants database (subscriber service)
- Community-Business Partnerships Wizard
- Community-Business Partnerships Case Studies
- Community-Business Partnerships Matching Service
- Ideas Bank
Fully functional boards and committees are critical to the success of community organisations. We have a range of resources relating to mangaging meetings, completing a role effectively or making sure your constitution is still relevant.
- Modern Governance & Community Groups
- Overview of Your Board Responsibilities
- Overview of Board Meetings
- Keeping your Board Fresh
- Top 10 Mistakes in Recruiting New Board Members
- Becoming a More Transparent, Accountable and Consultative Board
- Handling Conflicts of Interest
- Board Committees
- 20 Common Characteristics of a Dysfunctional Board - and How to Avoid Them
- Who Does What? Board and Staff Relationships
- More ...
- Policy Bank - template policies and procedures you can adopt and adapt for your group
- Board Matching Service - find new members for your board/committee
- Diversity on Boards - find out how to make your board/committee more friendly to newcomers
- Great Australian Leaders - read interviews with some of the great Australian leaders
- Great Leadership Speeches
Many community groups tread warily around this topic but by putting proper processes in place and ensuring that the right people are involved the benefits to your organisation are immeasurable. Getting the right balance between proper reporting, managing your risks and making sure you have the right mix of insurance for your group are key components of organisational sustainability.
- What's Involved in Being a Treasurer for a Not-for-profit Group?
- Keeping the Books
- Budgeting for Treasurers
- Cash Flow for Treasurers
- Auditors & Assets
- Risk Management for Treasurers
- Reporting to the Board (PDF)
- Tax Facts & Legal Structures
- Why Implement a Risk Management Program?
- What Types of Insurance Cover May I Need and Why?
- More financial help sheets & articles...
- More insurance
& risk management help sheets...
- Community Banking Solutions
- Minimise Your Bank Fees & Charges
- Australian Giving Centre - free online donations service for Australian community groups
- Fundraising Wizard - check your fundraising capacity
- Risk Management Checklists
- Australian Fundraising Legislation
People - whether paid staff or volunteers - are the key to the success of any community organisation. Managing relationships with staff and volunteers is imperative which is why Our Community have produced the following to help you.
- Who Does What? Board and Staff Relationships
- The CEO and the Board
- Recruiting a Great CEO for your Community Group
- Getting your Organisation Ready to Receive Volunteers
- Involving Young People in your Community Group
- Online Volunteering: A New Way to Increase your Reach
- Recruiting Volunteers
- Managing Volunteers
- Screening Volunteers
- Valuing Volunteers
- Putting in Place a Volunteer Orientation Process
- More...
- Good News Newsletter - advertise jobs/board vacancies
- Board Matching Service - find new members for your board/committee
- Policy Bank - download sample policies on human resources management
- Volunteering Help - information to point prospective volunteers in the right direction
No matter how good their intentions, community groups that fail to plan are planning for failure.
- Social Audit Cookbook
- Strategic Planning Overview
- Undertaking a SWOT Analysis
- Identifying your Stakeholders
- Building a Corporate Memory
- Putting in Place a Risk Management Program
- Performance Indicators for your Not-for-profit Organisation
- Business Planning for Not-for Profit Organisations
- Conducting a Once a Year Grease and Oil Change
- Tips for Developing and Using Policies
- Compiling a Board Manual
- More ...
No modern community group can afford to stay on the wrong side of the digital divide. Just by being here, you have already taken the first steps in mastering the internet. In practical terms, you already know most of the things you need to know. The fact that you're here also means that someone -you or someone else - has sorted out the right computer, paid for an account with an Internet Service Provider, and wired you up. In case it wasn't you, we have these matters covered in more detail.
- Introduction to the Internet
- The A-Z of Technology Terms
- Word Keyboard Shortcuts
- Some Rules for using Email as a Communications Tool
- Choosing an Internet Service Provider for a Community Group
- Online Volunteering - a New Way to Increase your Reach & Impact
- Using the Internet to Recruit Volunteers
- Internet Advocacy - The Basics
- Internet Advocacy - Tactics
- More ...
No community group is an island - you need your stakeholders as much as they need you.
To help community groups improve their community engagement and advocacy efforts, Our Community has developed a range of resources.
- Starting a Community Group
- Consulting the Community
- Mobilising the Community into Action - The Basics
- Tactics for Mobilising and Developing Grassroots Action
- Government Relations - Local, State and Federal
- Collaboration - Advantages and Disadvantages
- Identifying and Using Support Networks
- Advocacy & the Media
- Advocacy for Legislation & Regulation
- What is a Community-Business Partnership?
- Approaching a Business for a Partnership
- Community-Business Partnership Models
- More Advocacy help sheets...
- More Community-Business Partnerships help sheets...
- Links to your Representatives
- Media Contacts & Other Media Help
- Advocacy Tools
- Communities in Control Conference - read the speeches from Australia's biggest annual gathering of community
- Community Manifesto (PDF)
- Community-Business Partnership Wizard - find out if you're ready for a partnership
- Community-Business Partnership Matching Service - register to find a partner
- Community-Business Partnerships Ideas Bank
Marketing and media are central to any attempt to change hearts and minds, to raise money and find regular donors, and to influence, organise and lobby. It's a task no community group can afford to avoid or leave to chance.
- What is Marketing?
- Marketing Your Group for Free
- Developing a Marketing Plan
- Marketing your Image
- Marketing Your Group Online
- Introduction to Direct Mail
- Getting the Most from your Database
- Building a Media Team
- Writing a Media Release
- Managing a Media Crisis
- More ...
- Images, Ideas and Layouts - library of pictures and document templates
- Media Contacts
- Research on Mail Marketing & Communications
- Tools & Resources - including a Special Event Planner, Mail Acquisition Model, Creative Brief for Advertising Agency, and more