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Combined
Charities Incorporated
Chairman’s Report for 2009/10 Year
It has been
my privilege once again to be Chairman for the 2009-10 financial year. The Board and Executive Officers
provide excellent services and support to members along with supporting the
Chairman. There were no
changes in the Board executive with Stuart Merrylees as Deputy Chair and Andrew
Zeuner as Treasurer for the year.
Each member of the Board and staff team provides support, focuses on
CCI’s purpose and gives significant time to provide the best benefits for our
members.
This year
Andrew Zeuner has decided to resign as Treasurer and Board Member after almost
6 years of significant service particularly in the financial areas. Jenny will also be leaving after
representing the Child Care Centre sector for 7 years. We are grateful for their
contributions, particularly the knowledge of finance and child care that they
have shared respectively.
Three
sub-committees have operated again and each has developed appropriate guidelines
for its involvement the Finance Committee, the Policy Committee and the Legal
& Constitutional Committee
The Board
has continued the appointment of Grant Thornton as both Auditor &
Accountant (different partners) assisting our financial and taxation management
processes. Maria Zito
continues as the administrative assistant who assists Marcia with membership
records, bookkeeping and a variety of other tasks particularly looking after
the office when Marcia is absent.
During the
year the Board has undertaken a range of activities:
A Members
Day was held at the SA Jockey Club in February where suppliers presented their
wares and provided some interesting insights into services that they provide
and that we should be working with.
They also provided a wide range of samples of their goods and CCI
provided lunch. It was a
very enjoyable and useful time for each participant and a busy time for Marcia
and Maria who ensured that it ran smoothly. On the negative side was the fact that not as many
members as we hoped for attended.
At the end of June our membership had increased to 165.
Our
Executive Officer, Marcia Evans, has represented us at various conferences by
providing information on a stand in cooperation with our suppliers. Each occasion has been worthwhile
in introducing members and potential members to the services that we offer and
negotiate for them.
A Suppliers
Day was held in August at the Kooyonga Complex and we were able to share some
learning experiences with them and to share in discussion at the meal
breaks. It is reassuring to
know how much suppliers support CCI and its members through the extra services
that they provide in addition to their products.
This
financial year we have grown our spend by 25%, a considerable achievement that
augers well as we negotiate new contracts with suppliers. All members are able
to benefit through the communal strength and smaller organisations are assisted
to be more viable by the lower prices and the negotiations done through this
congregate process. Our
(relatively) new tender process is state of the art and assures members that
the tender process is vigorous, transparent and can assist those who have
accreditation processes to manage.
This year we
have welcomed new suppliers Crispy Fresh and Barker Boy and re-appointed PFD
and Tip Top.
We continue
to review the Strategic Plan and Business Plan for out future development. These processes ensure that we
will continue to provide members with the best services possible over the next
years as we have tried to do in the past. During the next year we need to significantly work
through the Strategic Plan and its attendant Business Plan and continue an
upgrade of our Website to make it more user-friendly and less work intensive
for the staff.
Our interest
in providing similar services for organisations interstate and the interest
generated by those organisations and our suppliers is encouraging us to work
further in the new year to develop the organisation gradually in other States.
We have seen
the skills of our Executive Officer Marcia Evans, improving the processes of
the organization and therefore
improving its professionalism.
I thank her and our Administration Assistant, Maria Zito, for the
significant work that they contribute and their dedication and keenness in
seeking the best for members in all that they do for CCI.
This is my
last time as Chairman of CCI but I will to remain on the Board for a few years
longer providing that I am able to make a contribution to the organisation! I look
forward to the next year expecting that there will be even greater achievements
likely to benefit members for whom we exist.
Kelvin
Dickens, Chairman, 30th June 2010 |