OUR WORK
The challenge
Karinya House provides valuable support to women who are pregnant, or parenting with new-born babies, and are in crisis. It has successfully walked alongside women in the ACT and wider region for over 20 years.
In a complex service delivery environment, Karinya House was looking to better understand its unit costs so it could accurately communicate the costs of its services to funders and make informed decisions about future operations.
Karinya House engaged us to complete a unit costing study that:
a) determined the unit costs of the suite of services it provides to the women and children it supports, and
b) provided insights about the costs of the services it provides to clients with complex needs and the resulting benefits for the ACT community.
What we did
- Conducted workshops with staff to map all services
and how they were delivered to clients. - Combined these services with the latest financial data to create an Activity-Based Costing Model.
- Produced unit costs for all services and activities that were completed by the organisation.
- Combined unit costs with de-identified client data to provide useful service delivery insights.
- Compared the costs of service delivery with contractual performance obligations to assess the adequacy of funding.
- Developed client personas to demonstrate the comparative costs of supporting clients with different levels of complexity.
The result
Karinya House received an in-depth picture of its service costs and was able to secure additional funding for its service delivery on this basis.
The challenge
The Australian Automobile Association (AAA), and its state and territory motoring clubs, identified a priority need for investment in research to address some of Australia’s contemporary road safety challenges.
What we did
We worked closely with the AAA to design a new road safety research funding program to help stakeholders work collaboratively to design and deliver targeted research proposals to address some of Australia’s most critical problems contributing to poor road safety outcomes (like driver fatigue and distraction).
The project included consultation with a diverse range of leaders in the road safety field.
The project delivered:
- program guidelines
- business processes
- checklists and templates to support delivery
- a guide for assessing research proposals, and
- communications content for the program.
Following the launch of the project, we have designed and delivered the program’s Stakeholder Research Fora which gathers a diverse set of stakeholders with an interest in road safety to collaboratively develop a range of research ideas to address the challenge of fatigued driving.
The result
The AAA’s Road Safety Research Program is funding valuable research across the country that is having a direct impact on road safety approaches across the country.
The challenge
The Australian Partnership for Preparedness Research on Infectious diSease Emergencies (APPRISE) Centre of Research Excellence is an Australia-wide network of experts involved in medical, scientific, public health and ethics research. It develops research and evidence to inform Australia’s capacity to prepare, respond and recover from infectious diseases.
As it was nearing the end of its initial funding term with the NHMRC, APPRISE had to develop a plan for its next stage of evolution that would help it secure ongoing funding support from government and philanthropic partners.
This plan needed to consider APPRISE’s progress to date, its current environment (which at the time was influenced heavily by COVID-19) and its uncertain future landscape.
What we did
Our team led a national consultation process with APPRISE’s internal and external stakeholders to help develop a framework for considering future funding models.
This was supported by a pitch document for prospective funding partners.
The project also involved the facilitation of several workshops with APPRISE leaders to help design a future model for the research network.
The result
APPRISE successfully accessed additional government funding to support its valuable research and networks to inform Australia’s capacity to prepare, respond and recover from infectious diseases.
The challenge
In response to a changing climate and the increasing threat of bushfires on the state’s plant biodiversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens was seeking additional funding for an aggressive expansion of its seed banking and off-site (or ex-situ) conservation program.
What we did
The development of this business case included extensive consultations with a wide range of Australian and international stakeholders to understand the need for action and canvass options for addressing this need.
Our team worked with the Botanic Gardens’ scientific experts and leaders to develop strategies and options to address the need for urgent action.
Options were supported by economic cost-benefit and financial analysis.
We also supported the development of briefings for senior NSW government leaders on the proposal.
The result
The Botanic Gardens received a rigorous evidence-based business case which clearly outlined the need for action and the expected benefits that would result from an investment in its conservation efforts.
The challenge
The Northern NSW Rural Financial Counselling Service is contracted by the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment to provide support to eligible farmers, fishers, forest growers, harvesters and small related rural businesses in the region who are suffering financial hardship, and who have no alternative sources of impartial support, to manage and adjust to the challenges of their industries and climate change.
The RFCS required a new five-year strategy to guide how it could best deliver on its current agreement with the Department as well as best position itself for sustained funding into the future, from this program or alternative sources.
What we did
Our team facilitated a strategic planning project with the RFCS Board which comprised:
- the development of a survey for Board members
- the creation of background reading materials on the state of the rural business sector in the region to prepare Board members, and
- facilitation of two half-day workshops with Board members, and
- development of a draft strategic plan for the organisation.
The result
The RFCS has a clear strategy that highlights its priorities for the current five-year period and how it will work to support its communities with additional programs and support initiatives.
The challenge
Riverina Water is a NSW county council that must comply with the NSW local government Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework.
As a regional water utility, it must also comply with the requirements of the NSW Government’s Best-Practice Management of Water Supply and Sewerage Guidelines.
To meet these dual requirements, Riverina Water needed a new strategic planning framework that would result in the development of:
- a 10-year Business Activity Strategic Plan
- a 4- year Delivery Program, and
- a 1-year Operational Plan.
What we did
The Ponda team worked closely with Riverina Water’s leadership team over several months to identify the long-term strategic priorities for the Council and how these could be implemented in the short- to medium-term.
The strategy development process incorporated:
- a comprehensive program of interviews and facilitated workshops with senior leaders
- development of draft strategy and operational plans
- a briefing session for the Riverina Water Board seeking their feedback, and
- provision of change management and stakeholder engagement advice to support implementation.
The result
Riverina Water’s new ten-year strategy was endorsed by the Council along with its supporting Delivery Program and Operational Plan.
Its new strategic direction is now being implemented by the Council.
A copy of the strategy can be found at its website.