Commencing a new financial year has never been a more exciting time for COTA Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria. There are so many amazing things in store for our valued members, clients, and the broader community of older Victorians we serve over the coming year.
As I reflect on what was a challenging, arduous, and incredibly rewarding first 12-months in my role as CEO for COTA Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria, I can, with humility, look back at the significant changes and achievements within our organisation, some of which are summarised below (though the list is not exhaustive):
- Creation of a positive, supportive, and rewarding workplace culture.
- Confirmation that we are a values-driven organisation here to serve.
- Placement of 7 senior managers.
- Rewriting of our 3-year strategic plan.
- Developing and implementing 23 strategic initiatives.
- Complete redevelopment of our financial management and reporting processes.
- Holistic organisational audit, reviews, and re-development of human resources, customer relationship management, knowledge management, governance, and other organisational processes.
- Holistic and extensive review of our volunteer management processes.
- Developing and implementing a whole-of-organisation marketing, communications, public relations strategy and engagement strategy and process.
- Redefining, from the ground-up, our policy & advocacy strategy and processes.
- Submitting countless policy submissions to the state and federal governments.
- Significantly strengthening our relationship with all tiers of government.
- Confirming our position as the peak not-for-profit and advocacy organisation providing a range of services to people aged 50+, and in relation to combating elder abuse.
- Confirming our position as the only, and peak Community Legal Centre (CLC) specialising in the early intervention into, response to, or prevention of elder abuse across our state.
- Securing 4-years of confirmed funding for both COTA Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria
- Appointment as a Care Finder provider for South-East Melbourne, and
- Recording a healthy surplus for our financial position for the 2022/2023 financial year.
There are so many achievements from my team over this past year, with the valued guidance from our Board, that it would fill many pages. Change is never an easy process; any organisational development practitioner will tell you that.
“Understand that commitment to a major change is always expensive, and that you either pay for achieving it or pay for not having it.” – Daryl Conner
“Organizations are communities of human beings, not collections of human resources.” – Henry Mintzberg
There are still so many pending projects and initiatives to make you all aware of as we continue this exciting journey of profound change and growth. A small, not exhaustive, insight into some of the things either on our radar, or to be implemented in the coming months follows:
- COTA Victoria to take over the running of our membership services function from the nation-wide COTA Membership.
- An entire new Membership Services Framework, with new categories, benefits, and service offerings to be developed and implemented.
- A state-wide, fee-for-service model and service to be introduced to organisations and the public for professional education and training from highly skilled and experienced education staff within Seniors Rights Victoria, focusing on elder abuse.
- Proposed partnerships with several like-minded organisations, with a view of developing and implementing, thought leadership-based, innovative programs.
- A total rebuild of the Volunteer Management Framework, processes as it relates to the way we engage with, and provide coordinated value to our very important community of volunteers.
This is such an exciting time to be part of our wonderful organisation, I can’t wait to provide more information and further details regarding how all the things we have in store will benefit the people who need it most, older Victorians.
Sincerely,
Chris Potaris
Chief Executive
COTA Victoria & Seniors Rights Victoria
