Wings spread, we’re set to fly
Co-directors Steve Ray and Gini Gough look over the milestones of a big year for us
As we arrive at the end of 2024, we wanted to look back and summarise some of the activity of the year. It’s been massive, challenging and deeply inspiring all at once. What’s playing out globally in the climate change space, together with the geopolitical shifts across the planet, are unprecedented and require new ways of working if we are to tackle them honestly and in ways that have a real impact.
To this end, we have continued on the huge transition journey begun at the beginning of 2023 with the key aim of being able to deliver as an organisation on these very real challenges of the times we are in. These times are characterised by uncertainty and upheaval without doubt but we are also buoyed by the notion that it is in times such as these that real paradigm shifts are possible.
Image via StockCake.
23/24 Transition Plan update
This year brought the culmination of our two-year Transition Plan, initiated in early 2023 by Steve Ray and Virginia Gough. Designed to strengthen our organisational culture, the plan addressed 11 key areas of transformation. The outcomes of this journey were reflected upon in our Stories from the field in October and again during our December retreat up at Commonground, setting the stage for Transition 2.0 - Implementation of our strategy.
Governance and accountability
The Governance Group of 2024 consisted of Tanya Edlington, Nancy Nuñez, Steve Ray and Virginia Gough, with Sarah Norton joining the committee during the year. Key actions included a constitutional overhaul to better reflect GC’s operations, the development of a membership policy and ongoing discussions about the organisation's legal structure. While the current structure as a not-for-profit Association is functioning, future changes may be considered.
Strategy
GC’s Strategic Narrative and Theory of Change (TOC) were finalised, marking a major milestone in shaping the organisation's approach. These documents aim to communicate GC’s vision, reinforce its practices and guide future partnerships.
Culture
In 2023, the organisation underwent significant cultural transformation, moving from fragmentation to a more unified and creative community. Notable initiatives include:
Supervision: All contractors participated in supervision sessions.
Facilitator Practice Circles & Stories from the Field: These opportunities to deepen our practice were opened to all alumni and, where appropriate, members of the public, facilitating valuable learning opportunities and continuing to build the groupness that is starting to become more real within our network.
Internal professional development: Workshops and new offerings focused on stretching us beyond our current work, and included areas like trauma-informed facilitation, overcoming blind spots as facilitators and deepening our understanding of intersectionality.
Our All-ins: these bi-monthly gatherings of our team are critical places to progress our strategic and operational work.
People and structure
Key staffing changes and clarifications of roles were made in 2024, including:
Network Weaver role: this great initiative has been re-cast so that the ongoing work of bringing more alumni and workshop participants into the organisation can continue
Research and development: Carolyn Rundell joined to lead a pilot project for R&D, working on key projects like the development of a Practice Framework.
Practice lead: Over the past year Sarah Norton's role has evolved with much greater clarity as she has worked on the development of our practice framework which has provided a backbone to the design of the Associate role, competencies, learning program and orientation.
New associates: Four new Associates were recruited, Tanya Edlington, Kate Sulan, Janet Rice and Janoel Liddy. A further two, Matt Wicking and Jonathan Bedloe, will also be onboarded in 2025.
Other associate movement:
Jim Buckell is stepping out of the marketing and comms role and pursuing editing and publication work with the organisation. He joins Liz Bishop who stepped out in early 2024.
Marketing and communications:
The great work of existing team members Tom Rowland and Daryl Hergt will continue during the first part of 2025 while Uschi Steedman has formally taken up the Marketing and Communications coordination during this time.
Facilitation and training services
Public courses: These continue to grow and develop with our Facilitator Skills Training (FST) course remaining the most sought-after program.
Workplace training: Significant growth in contract work, particularly in team building and conflict resolution occurred during 2024.
Practice framework: A new framework was developed to standardise GC’s practice and support quality assurance, which will also inform new public learning offers in 2025.
Facilitation Services: We continue to work with organisations when they are working strategically with workplace culture, strategy and planning. We also completed a significant consultation project with State Government by conducting a large number of focus groups online across the state.
Impact and learning
GC implemented new evaluation methods for both public and workplace programs, yielding positive feedback from participants. The next step is to integrate these insights into the organisation’s offerings to demonstrate the real-world impact of GC’s training all of which will feed into our Theory of Change.
Processes and systems
GC successfully transitioned to Google Workspace and integrated tools such as Zapier to automate administrative tasks. This allowed for more efficient operations and enhanced collaboration.
Marketing and communications
Through the dedicated Marketing and Comms team, GC launched a new website, improved social media presence, and expanded SEO efforts, leading to increased traffic and inquiries. The team worked on aligning communications with GC’s strategic goals and developing a more consistent brand presence.
Business development
The revelation that good business development has its foundations in relationship building shifted the focus in this area substantially. This after all is what we do best and has further strengthened our connection with our clients and resulted in new opportunities. Further work is needed to define business development expectations and roles.
Networks and partnerships
GC expanded its network of partnerships:
The Catalyst Network: A key new membership offering valuable learning and networking opportunities.
CERES Park: This exciting new partnership has significant cultural and philosophical alignment. We expect to do great collaborative work with CERES in 2025.
Renewed connections with our roots – Commonground: This resulted in exploring new projects together and resource sharing. We are looking forward to developing a new MOU together in early 2025.
Funding and revenue
We have a renewed commitment to looking after our financial bottom line while ensuring we are focusing on the key priorities connected to our new strategic plan. The financial model we have adopted is more robust, allowing for better budgeting and forecasting, with the goal of achieving a balanced budget in the coming year.
Conclusion
We feel very proud of the many significant strides we have made in strengthening our internal structures, expanding our offerings and building valuable partnerships. The governance, strategy, and cultural changes implemented in 2023 and 2024 set a strong foundation for our growth, the expansion of our network and our impact moving forward. The organisation remains committed to collaborative, community-driven work as it adapts to the challenges of the times.
Acknowledgements
We want to express our gratitude to our many alumni, our associates, Governance Group, and our partners for their ongoing contributions and support. We are so confident that holding true to our principles and commitment to the work we do in these times is our number 1 priority.