About Advancing Communities Australia
Advancing Communities Australia Limited (ACAL) is a Not for Profit organisation established to drive economic and social contributions in regional Australia. We provide a platform for leaders to promote change and increase regional resilience in a social enterprise and sustainability context. As a backbone organisation, ACAL will partner with, not compete with, key stakeholders in regional Australia to promote growth and build capacity.
ACAL facilitates education, tools and support to ensure regional leaders can enhance their competitive advantage. Seeking to empower and amplify current and future partnerships in regional Australia to pilot initiatives, consolidate skills and amplify capacity to become a sustainable, resilient region. In addition, ACAL aims to leverage partnerships with the international community to support the organisation’s key mission and strategic vision.
ACAL is fully staffed by volunteers and relies on donations to provide services to its own volunteers and its partner organisations. There are no paid positions leading to employment or internship; however, we can provide references and/or a Statement of Service.
Support Our Charitable Purpose
Advancing Communities Australia (ACA) is a local charity committed to reducing the incidence of non-communicable diseases leading to death such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes. ACA is dedicated to health promotion activities designed to prevent these non-communicable diseases and limit their impact in our region. After only one years operation, we have already started our work in addressing obesity, prostate cancer and mental health issues. Emerging impacts on health such as climate change are also on our agenda but we need your help in supporting change in each of these areas. Go to our donations page on this website. and contribute to making a difference. Donations are tax deductible and will be working to improve health outcomes for all in our region.
Meet Our Partners/
Join Our Partners
COLLABORATIVE ENERGY TRANSITION PROJECT
Are you interested in coming together as a Community to share Energy? We are looking for organisations, resident, commercial operators to take our model and to form community energy zones across the country.
YACA
YOUTH ADVANCING COMMUNITIES AUSTRALIAÂ (YACA)
This group will look to tackle issues to improve the social, cultural, economic and environmental welfare of communities in Australia, as seen important by young people. YACA representatives will also have the opportunity to become involved in and help to provide insight into the organisation and direction of other ACA projects.
Our Partners (past and present)Â
- Our current relationships with the West Moreton Advisory Group, and the Ipswich community in general, address issues around obesity and energy insecurity for the most vulnerable.
- In keeping with our community-minded programs we have been assisting with the creation of the Dungeel Circle, specifically designed to enhance men’s mental health and well-being primarily for our First Nations people by becoming a vibrant gathering hub for the local community.
- We are also supported the creation and the launching of a portal for the Climate Action Nurses group, which will include a specific portal for healthcare professionals.
- We continue to receive small donations through our Containers for Change program.
- All proceeds of our major public fundraiser [date, photos] went to supporting youth housing and homelessness in our community through the Readiness Program. Our partners, Hannah’s House and Ipswich Community Youth Service are all about helping people who help people with non-communicable diseases, and we will be implementing more programs for them this financial year, also under the banner of Youth Advancing Communities Australia (YACA).
- ACA is excited to be partnering with new projects this year, once again providing essential background support to help their projects along the way. As such, we remain open to requests for support from the wider community, who can reach us via our contact page.
Who We Are
Our TeamÂ
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Troy Schoenfisch
Director
As the developer of “The Crescendo Strategy” for growth & investment, Crescendo provides a ‘boutique firm‘ service, providing agile & accessible support to growing businesses.
Australian “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” finalist & “Young Australian of the Year” nominee.
James Sturges
Director
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Marcella (Marcy) Maria Guerreri
Director
Past Directors
Aletha Ward
Director
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Rod Arthur
Director
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F.A.Q.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a list of questions put together by our current volunteers to guide those of you who may have questions about Advancing Communities Australia and what it means to be a volunteer with us. We hope you will find it useful 🙂
Q. What is a “backbone organisation”:
A. A backbone organisation is an organisation whose purpose is to provide administrative support, research and advice to start-up organisations [citation needed]. Because this support and advice can be costly and it can be difficult to find all this type of support under one roof (as it were), our founders saw the need for such a service to be offered at no cost or for an affordable donation in the Ipswich and West Moreton area to those community groups and nonprofit organisations that could not otherwise implement their ideas. This worked so well, that we decided to expand to be able to support other community groups, even from interstate.
Q. Are there any paid positions at ACA?
A. No, ACA is an organisation run completely by volunteers and funded solely by donations. The more funds we receive, the more opportunities we can offer our volunteers and the better the support we can offer to the groups who request our assistance. However, if you are a volunteer also looking for work, we will be happy to provide you with a statement of work and references upon request.
Q. How do you communicate in your “virtual office”?
A. The main platform we use to communicate is Microsoft Teams, where we hold a weekly catch up and planning meeting during which we provide updates and feedback, ask for support for any tasks we are working on, introduce new volunteers and make announcements for the week and month at hand. We also communicate by email and by SMS or phone (particularly when extra support is needed).
Q. What sort of support does ACA provide to community groups?
A. Different groups require different types of support. For some, it may just be some research into what government assistance is available, for others it may be admin support while a staff member is on leave, for others again it can be assistance in setting up their group or project and following through with administrative support, setting up a database of stakeholders, making phone calls, reports, proofreading documentation to be submitted and/or otherwise liaison with Council and government agencies etc.Â
Q. Do you provide training?
A. Yes, we have an induction and training program to help our volunteers navigate our virtual office and learn any new admin software they may need for their role. Some learning is self-directed or on the job, but all learning is preceded by one-on-one sessions with your team leader and our volunteer support team, who will tailor your training needs to your situation.Â
Even so, some positions require a certain degree of pre-existing knowledge and skills, or specific qualifications. Skills and qualifications needed are always listed on our advertisements.
Q. Can I volunteer just for a few hours or only for a short time?
A. Yes, we are grateful for any time you can dedicate to the projects we support. We have micro-volunteering projects that may take just a few hours of your time, or ongoing volunteer roles that are long term. As a registered charity with the Australian Charties and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC), we are also an approved provider for people who want to volunteer as part of their Centrelink mutual obligations click here to read more.