Investing in Rural Community Futures Victoria

Coming Up: Community Roadmapping Workshops

Colac, Maryborough and Swan Hill NFP groups and local leaders are invited to join a Community Roadmap Workshop in their area. These workshops will consider the four key capacity building pillars of the IRCF program and identify local goals and priorities for the NFP sector to work towards over the next five years. 

What can we achieve together?
  • Create a shared vision for community organisations;
  • Identify agreed goals for the NFP sector over the next five years;
  • Develop a map of community assets (knowledge, organisations, networks);
  • Prioritise next best steps for FRRR’s IRCF program in each region.

Colac

  • Date: Wednesday 14 May 2025
  • Time: Arrive 9:15am for tea & coffee, Workshop 9:30am-2:30pm (including lunch)
  • Venue: Salvation Army, Colac Corps (51-57 Dennis Street, Colac)

Maryborough

  • Date: Thursday 15 May 2025
  • Time: 9:15am for tea & coffee, Workshop 9:30am-2:30pm (including lunch)
  • Venue: Salvation Army, Maryborough Corps (27 Wills Street, Maryborough)

Swan Hill

  • Date: Monday 12 May 2025
  • Time: 12pm-5pm (including lunch)
  • Venue: The Grain Shed Church of Christ
    (2-8 King Street, Swan Hill)

Who should attend the workshops?

Staff, committee members, and volunteers from not-for-profit organisations and community groups, as well as other interested stakeholders such as local Council, business chamber, and First Nations organisations.

If you know of any key people or organisations not represented at the Community Workshop held in February (as part of the program selection process) that would benefit from participating in the Roadmapping process, please personally invite them to attend. 

Note: Representatives from smaller nearby townships connected to the three communities through services and other means are very welcome to attend.

Explore the Community Roadmaps for our NSW partner communities, as well as other shared resources on the FRRR IRCF hub.

"Experiencing elements of the IRCF program first-hand gave me a deeper understanding of its potential impact on our community and how we can truly make the most of this opportunity."
Colac Participant
"This community is in real need of a sector development program like this. Today's workshop showed us the value of expert facilitation in guiding and strengthening local community-led responses to the issues that need our attention."
Maryborough Participant
"The workshop opened up a new world of possibilities for our area. Thank you for showing us how capacity-building and collaboration can be approached in a whole new way." 
Swan Hill Community Member

I have a question, who can I talk to?

If you have a question about the program or Community Workshops, please don’t hesitate to reach out:

Jo Kemp, Program Manager j.kemp@frrr.org.au or 0448 990 800
Emily Duffield, Program Officer e.duffield@frrr.org.au or (03) 5430 2339

How IRCF works

IRCF offers a combination of a locally based Community Facilitator, community-led and informed grants (approximately $600,000 per community), participatory planning processes, skill building workshops to support individual and community capacity, local networking and collaboration on shared objectives.

The approach focuses on small to medium sized NFPs and is intentionally flexible, progressing at the pace of the community over five years. IRCF can support a range of priorities for NFPs, including but not limited to, governance capability and strategic planning, volunteerism, organisational systems & processes, and local partnerships.

Community-wide conversations are facilitated to identify and activate shared goals based on local priorities. This process creates a Community Roadmap that is revisited on annual basis and is readily accessible on the FRRR website alongside other relevant resources and program information. An evaluation partner helps track progress and guide next steps.

You are welcome to explore the Community Roadmaps for our NSW partner communities as well as other shared resources on the FRRR IRCF hub.

Program elements

These are the important program elements that together can strengthen NFP organisations in rural areas to achieve positive change in their community. The program provides an opportunity to explore each element with engagement from across the NFP sector, building towards a shared vision for the future and activation of ideas.

The Four Pillars

These four pillars guide the program and are the focus areas for investment to help strengthen organisational capacity, activate ideas, and achieve community-led change.

Some examples of the projects funded under each pillar in NSW communities are:

  • Systems: Cooinda Court Aged Care received $68,992 to modernise their systems installing new technology to improve the management of medication systems, clinical care records, and communication.
  • People: Mujaay Ganma Foundation Aboriginal Corporation received $38,443 to engage trainee coordinators and mentors to kickstart the Mujaay Ganma’s Yuraal Garden Project.
  • Strategy: youth organisation Shoretrack received $36,300 to develop a Management Operational System to build capacity and develop a strategic plan.
  • Efficiencies: Junee Community Power received $87,458 to introduce a circular funding model to allow local NFPs to install solar power on their premises, reducing their operating costs. They also accessed equipment to complete energy assessments on buildings which has become part of their service model.

Many more funded projects can be found on FRRR’s website.

Insights from our NSW partner communities

Recording the stories and voices of local people and leaders involved in the program is a fantastic way to share their experiences about what it’s like to be a partner community and what’s possible through the program.

Click on the picture to watch a short four-minute video.

If you’d like to learn more, we have recently launched an Impact Report sharing insights from Leeton, Junee, and Nambucca called Lessons and impacts from Investing in Rural Communities Futures pilot.

Read the report.

“Participating in the program helped us understand our mission, how we work as a business, how we need good governance to tell our story and be involved in the community.“ “The most significant change for our organisation is stronger partnership with other NFPs involved, and the ability for us to work from a place where we are all on the same page.“
NSW Community Partner
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Amy Crawford

Amy Crawford has an extensive career in complex public policy and its intersection across government and communities.

Amy is the Chief Executive Officer at the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), representing 537 councils across the nation. Amy holds over 20 years’ experience in the Australian Public Service. She has a deep understanding of federal government policies and structures, with over 10 years’ service in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and has worked for the federal Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories. Amy has shaped a wide range of policies and programs including regional development, telecommunications, immigration, emergency management, social policy and pandemic preparation.

Amy is a Board Director of Austroads and represents ALGA on the Public Skills Australia Industry Advisory Group, and the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee. She is also a Board Director for the Canberra Youth Theatre which provides voice for Canberra’s youth through intelligent and challenging theatre.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Laws (honours) and Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) from the University of Queensland, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an alumnus of the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership. Amy was appointed to the FRRR Board in January 2025.

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Kylie Hansen

Kylie brings leadership and management experience from across academic, corporate, not-for-profit, social enterprise and impact investment sectors, having deep dived into a myriad of specialisations and systems. Her six tertiary qualifications are equally as diverse and complimentary, covering commerce, politics, international development, community development, project management and law. Her breadth and depth of experience enables her to draw on a number of disciplines and innovative ways of working and thinking, and she is well recognised as consistently delivering work and services of a high quality.

Kylie uses her strong background in sustainability, governance and impact measurement to support collaborative initiatives across sectors oriented at improving social outcomes, and to support socially conscientious businesses to articulate their social impact. As founder and director at Impact Seed she has been instrumental in developing the impact measurement, evaluation, learning and ESG practice which advises numerous corporates, and is passionate about supporting First Nations empowerment particularly in the context of regional economic development.

Kylie is also a Director of the WA Social Enterprise Council, a member of the B Council (B Lab Australia and New Zealand), and a Governor of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

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Hon. John Anderson AC

The Hon. John Anderson AC is a sixth-generation farmer and grazier from NSW, who served in the Australian Parliament from 1989 to 2008.

He was a senior Cabinet minister in the government led by John Howard (1996 to 2005), including six years as Leader of the National Party and Deputy Prime Minister.

In the latter role, Mr Anderson played in important role in FRRR’s history, working closely with Baillieu Myer AC and others on a proposal to establish a philanthropic organisation to benefit rural Australia. The concept was discussed at the National Regional Summit in 1999 and FRRR was established shortly thereafter.

Mr Anderson currently hosts a regular podcast, where he is in conversation with thought-leaders from around the world, and is a regular media commentator.

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Regina Cruickshank

Partnerships Specialist (WA)

Regina supports FRRR as the WA Partnerships Specialist. With over two decades of experience in partnerships and marketing, she has a deep understanding of Western Australia’s social impact landscape. She brings a strong passion for leveraging purpose-built networks to create positive change.

Regina previously worked with Playgroup WA and founded a Health Promotion Charity dedicated to supporting Social Emotional wellbeing for underserved communities. She’s excited about the opportunity to connect with partners and explore ways to make a meaningful difference in WA.

She lives in Perth with her family and enjoys mindful moments of connection to Country, whether on horseback, on foot or underwater.

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Anna Palmer

People and Culture Manager

Based in Central Victoria, Anna is a senior Human Resources, Organisation Development and Industrial Relations professional, with significant private and public sector experience across every facet of people and culture leadership.

Her most recent roles have been with Don KR in Castlemaine and Mount Alexander Shire Council. She has also held senior HR roles with Victoria Legal Aid and the TAC among many others.

From Mildura originally, Anna has postgraduate qualifications in Change Management and a Masters in Organisation Dynamics.

Anna is currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts to balance her creative pursuits and work as an HR professional.

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Philippa Twaddle

Management Accountant

Carolyn joined the FRRR team in March 2017, and is responsible for providing executive support to the CEO, effective coordination of the FRRR office and general administrative support to the management team. A key responsibility is supporting the administration of FRRR’s Donation Account Services.

She has over fifteen years’ experience working in local government in the Tourism and Arts Sector, Civic and Event Management and Community engagement.

Carolyn has a Bachelor of Arts in Librarianship, majoring in psychology, and grew up on farming communities in Cohuna and Echuca and currently lives in Bendigo.