Strategic Plan2021-2023

For individuals, families andcommunities to live healthy lives,

be financially empowered, socially connected and have

access to universal basic services.

Vision

Healthy living

Financialempowerment Social

connection

At BFFS we think outside thebox and are not afraid to becreative in our approach.Through providing innovativeprograms and individuallytailored approaches, we supportpeople experiencing economicdisadvantage to becomefinancially literate, resilient andindependent. We treat everyonewith unconditional positiveregard and support them toaddress any other presentingissues before we start theirjourney around finances anddebt. We believe that throughfinancial and educationalcounselling, our clients aresupported to develop skills which empower them to achievetheir goals.

To break the cycle of povertyand disadvantage in ourcommunities by deliveringeducation, empowermentand support programs.Providing individual andsystems advocacy on behalfof our clients to challenge thestructural inequalities thatexist within society.

Purpose

Philosophy

"... to challenge thestructural inequalitiesthat exist in society."

We treateveryone withunconditional

positiveregard.

Family means different things to different people. "Family"can be much broader than a biological or nuclear family unit.A family can be the communities in which we live, participatein, or identify with. This includes; online, social goups,sporting, church, school and work communities.

Some people have their families of choice and othersexperience a sense of family by being understood andconnected to others. We deliberately included the word"family" in our name so that we would be seen as providingmore than financial assistance and support, but also socialwelfare support services.

While Shepparton Family and Financial services and BendigoFamily and Financial Services are one organisation – we feltthat it was important for each agency to contain itsgeographical name in order to demonstrate our commitmentto both regional communities and taking into account thatBendigo and Shepparton are unique.

One night in 2006, over a dining room table, Jenny andtwo other like-minded community service workers put in afew dollars each to register the agency.

Jenny envisioned creating an organisation to offer holisticprograms and services to address financial hardship anddistress as well as the consequent social isolationexperienced by the most vulnerable communities in theBendigo region.

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History

Jennyenvisionedcreating an

organisation tooffer holistic

programs andservices to

addressfinancial

hardship anddistress ...

BFFS started as a grassroots volunteer-led community organisation. It wasestablished by Jenny Elvey who is thecurrent General Manager.

What's in a name?

Over the next 18 months, Jenny and others fundraised byorganising sausage sizzles. This allowed BFFS to rent itsfirst office space located in St Andrews Avenue Bendigo,where during the early years, the agency deliveredservices solely based on generous professional volunteerlabour. BFFS has grown from this determined andpassionate beginning into the agency it is today.

BFFS overcame many inevitable hurdles in the early days,but through persistence and a focus on buildingcollaborative relationships, BFFS worked with communitypeak body organisations to clearly identify the need formicrofinance, financial counselling and emergency reliefsupport programs for the region. BFFS identified the needfor clients to have this holistic financial support thatconsidered all aspects of a person needs across the socialdeterminants of health.

BFFS was successful in their advocacy and began offeringfinancial counselling in 2007 and the following year,introduced the No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) programfor the Bendigo region. Over the years, NILS has growninto a national program servicing people in need acrossthe country. Our success was recognised by GoodShepherd Microfinance noting that we provided thegreatest number of loans in Victoria during 2014, 2015and 2016. From 2006 we have grown our loan capitalfrom $20,000 to $1.25 million and continue to grow ourstaffing and program through identified community need.

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History continued ...

Top: In the early days at the StAndrews Avenue office.Middle: BFFS' Myers Streetoffice until the move to thebigger Rowan Str premises inDecember 2020.Bottom: The BFFS team in theearly days at the Myers Streetoffice.

"As a retiree I find it really fulfilling to be part of acommunity organisation that allows me to support thosewho often, through no fault of their own, find themselvesdependent on benefits. The world has not been kind tomany of the people I speak to, whether it be mentalhealth, disability or other disadvantage. NILs loans createan opportunity for them to take back some control overtheir finances and feel a sense of self-sufficiency."

- Les Evans, Volunteer NILs Interviewer

Today we operate as a one-stop community hub with afocus on financial wellness that provides integrated support and referrals based on the client’s needs. We are proud to take a person-centred approach to all our work.Our point of difference is we work with our clients to address their immediate and future needs. We holistically work with clients by providing tailored approaches tosupport the client on their journey to achieve positiveoutcomes. We don’t turn anyone away or leave anyonebehind, and work with individuals and families until theyachieve their goals.

Our Shepparton office In early 2019 Bendigo Family and Financial Services was approached by Community Information and SupportVictoria (CISVic) to explore opportunities to deliver much-needed services in the Greater Shepparton region. A fewmonths later Shepparton Family and Financial Services(SFFS) was born. This service operates under the samecore principles that BFFS was founded on. SFFS provideemergency food relief, No interest loans (NILs) and Financial Counselling to the Greater Shepparton area andare planning to grow its suite of services in the future.

“I would like to sincerely thank BFFS, for the wonderful service they are giving to thecommunity. I have asked for help twice this year, as my partner was diagnosed withlifelong condition causing disability making it impossible for him to work. The first pointof contact both times was Craig who is so respectful, caring, patient and he just listened- nothing was a problem for him. Craig arranged for me to have a chat with a financialcounsellor. Tom was extremely professional, courteous, so patient and reassuring. Heprovided a range of help for me and offered suggestions, which have been a great reliefto me and has enabled me to get on top of our finances. We live in a small regionalfarming town with limited services or support for people in our situation. We have had tomake several trips to St Vincent’s Hospital this year which is a 6 hour journey one way.Tom treated me with utmost respect, and explained paper work clearly. I shall be highlyrecommending your services to the people in our town who are in need."

– Older female client living in rural town

Today weoperate as a

one-stopcommunityhub with afocus onfinancial

wellness ...

History continued ...

Client feedback

We offer the following range of programs which can beindividually tailored to the needs of our clients ...

Programs

The foundations that underpin our work ...

EMERGENCYRELIEF

FINANCIALCOUNSELLING

SPECIALISEDPROGRAMS

SAFE,AFFORDABLE

LOANS

SOCIALPROGRAMS

Food parcels,material aid, and

assistance tonegotiate

overdue bills.

Help addressingdebt and otherfinancial issues.

Empowermentprograms forspecific needs

including: FinancialCapacity, Debt

Consolidation, andFamily Violence

Support.

Safe affordablemicrofinance

including: no interest loans,

low interestloans andessentialsinsurance.

Social supportand activity-

based programs.

A holistic approach

Partnership& collaboration

Quality Risk management

Innovationand learning

Financialsustainability

Conduct organisational risk management andgovernance analysis to identify current gaps andimplement an organisational-wide framework. Review administrative, financial, human resourcesand technology systems and create a roadmap toimplement best practice approaches.Review the organisational structure and makerecommended changes based on growth.Build financial sustainability through fosteringrelationships with government, philanthropic andother diverse funding sources. Explore options around developing a socialenterprise to support our clients and help achieveour mission and purpose.Invest in our staff and grow our volunteer base.

Strategic priorities

1 Build organisational capacity

Develop a strategic partnership plan to workwith the organisation’s who share our ideals.

Develop partnerships

Our strategic focus for2021-2023 is as follows:

2

Build financialsustainability

throughfostering

relationshipswith

government,philanthropic

and otherdiversefundingsources.

"If someone is paying up to 60% of theirCentrelink income on a rental property then their inability to afford rising utility bills or foodfor a large family is not because of a personalfailure, but due to broader macroeconomics and structural barriers around access toaffordable public housing, employment, support services and low unemploymentbenefits."

- Rhette Drury, BFFS Financial Counsellor

Develop an organisational evaluation framework tooland set key performance indicators to measure theimpact of our work and programs.

Develop a marketing plan for the organisation –ensure this is staged to align with organisationalgrowth, ability and capacity.Increase community engagement activities toshowcase our work.Present our programs and outcomes at relevantconferences.Be recognised as an industry advocate

Engage our clients and partners in a co-designprocess to explore building innovative programs thataddress their needs.

"When a client walks through the door, it'stheir journey, not our journey. If we can't workwith them to make it about their journey ourclients won't feel comfortable working with us.The first thing we do is listen to their story ...only then can we begin the work."

- Jenny Elvey, BFFS General Manager

Develop more innovativeprojects and programs

Measure impact

Increase community and brand awareness

Strategic priorities (cont.)

3

4

5

Increasecommunity

engagementactivities toshowcase our work.

BFFSGood Shepherd Australia New Zealand

Department of Social Services, AustralianGovernment

Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions,Victoria

Department of Health and Human Services,Victoria

Sidney Myer FoundationMerlyn Myer Fund

Helen Macpherson Smith TrustCity of Greater Bendigo

Fosterville Gold Mine

BFFSLa Trobe University Bendigo

Community Information & Support Victoria Mind Australia

Bendigo Senior Secondary CollegeLoddon Campaspe Community Legal

CentreSt Vincent de Paul Bendigo

Bendigo Community Health ServicesBendigo Health, HOPE program

ARC JusticeVictims of Crime, Bendigo

Lisa Chesters MPCentre for Non Violence

Annie NorthUniting Bendigo

Salvation Army Bendigo CorpsAnglicare

John Bomford CentreHaven; Home, Safe

Bendigo & District Aboriginal Cooperative Services Australia

Bendigo Volunteer Resource CentreBendigo Advertiser

Beechworth Bakery Bendigo

Our Funders &Community Partners

Funders

Community Partners

The Frances and Harold Abbott FoundationThe Flora and Frank Leith Charitable Trust

The Alfred Felton BequestANZ Seeds of Renewal

La Trobe University Bendigo

SFFSGood Shepherd Australia New Zealand

Department of Social Services, AustralianGovernment

Helen Macpherson Smith TrustThe Ross Trust

Greater Shepparton City Council

Coles BendigoBute Utes

Share the DignityKnit one Give OneFoodbank Victoria

Bendigo Foodshare

SFFSFamily care

Community Information & Support Victoria Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative

Shepparton FoodshareWellways

Greater Shepparton FoundationFoodlink Shepparton

Foodbank VictoriaEthnic Council of Shepparton & District Inc.

Salvocare Shepparton CorpsBeyond Housing

St. Vincent De PaulUniting SheppartonMarian Community

The Bridge Youth ServicePrimary Care Connect

Shepparton South Community Centre