CE's report
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What can you say about the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind?
Here are a few statistics:
- Founded in 1890, it's one of the oldest and most trusted charities in New Zealand
- Its approximately 11,600 members are all individuals, ranging in age from newborns to 113 years old, each with unique needs and desires
- Approximately 320 staff and some 2,200 registered volunteers serve this amazing organisation and are committed to giving our members the best services possible.
What these facts don't show is how remarkable this organisation is. And I really wanted to make that point in this, my last Chief Executive's column. After eight years with the Foundation, including four as CE, I resigned in January so that I could devote more time to my family and to pursue some personal goals. I was pleased to continue leading the Foundation until the end of this fiscal year, and to provide a seamless transition to new CE Sandra Budd, who brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the role.
As Don McKenzie and I wrote in this Annual Report's introductory letter, the Foundation was at a crossroads in 2006/2007. The year included many challenges, a lot of hard work, and significant achievements.
In addition to management changes, including myself and the departure in September 2006 of the incomparable Geoff Warne, our Chief Financial Officer, we significantly changed the way we do our business planning.
Business planning
A huge effort was devoted to consultation with hundreds of members, nine consumer organisations, 43 community committees, and many other stakeholders as we developed the 2007-2010 draft Strategic Plan (which remains a work in progress, to allow new CE Sandra Budd time to add her input). This huge consultation effort is perhaps the best proof of all that we are the Foundation OF the Blind.
Some of the main achievements this year included: strengthening our business planning; starting a new three-year national Ministry of Health contract that included a 5 percent annual funding increase; completing enormously important pilot projects for digital talking books and centre-based service provision; and strengthening our relationships with consumer organisations.
By improving our annual business planning process, we more clearly tied strategies and actions to outcomes, and we determined outcomes for not just one
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fiscal year but three - the life of the new (draft) Strategic Plan. This may sound like a basic change, but in effect it was an enormous task for our Senior Management Team, their managers and staff, who also had to simultaneously devote their efforts to the day-to-day work of the Foundation.
Thanks in large part to the expertise and talent of new Chief Financial Officer Gerard Rahman and new Head of Planning, Policy and Research Ruth Bijl, we have made significant efforts to project further ahead and to make research-based decisions. At the heart of this effort is "sustainability", which is a buzzword in business but even more applicable to a service organisation like the Foundation. Gerard covers this critical area in our financial results starting on page 43.
Pilot projects
To ensure future sustainability, we must continue to look for efficiencies, and this leads us to our two critical pilot projects of 2006/2007.
The first one proved that we could deliver digital talking books over the internet, to a new player that we helped develop with HumanWare, and that the process and new player were suitable for older members with no computer literacy. This pilot ran from August 2006 to February 2007 and was managed by Mary Schnackenberg, Divisional Manager Adaptive Support, and Clive Lansink.
Independent research showed that the 40 "trialists" in the pilot - all but one of whom were over 60 - were thrilled with the faster internet delivery and the much improved sound quality.
The "Seeing the Possibilities" pilot programme run in Dunedin, Christchurch and South Auckland featured "centre-based" rehabilitation and information about Foundation services. New members were assessed, received basic rehabilitation services, and even tried out equipment on the spot. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive. (See pages 23 and 26 for more information on these pilots.)
Key successes
There is never enough space in a report like this to mention every important bit of news from the year, but I especially want to mention these key successes.
Our twice yearly Consumer Consortia have evolved into a forum for positive and challenging debates and discussions that we must have to ensure that the Foundation makes the right decisions for the "greater good" of the whole blindness community.
The Volunteer Services review was completed and an implementation plan approved by the Board, pending clarification around the role of volunteers, which are significant steps forward. Volunteers are truly the lifeblood of this organisation, and we must continue to attract the best of the best.
Plans were virtually completed for stage two of the Guide Dog Services building development programme in Manurewa. Our staff have been struggling for years with cramped quarters. The new breeding centre will allow us to implement the very latest techniques in puppy breeding and training.
The Foundation has devoted great time and resources this year to lobbying in Wellington. It simply is not acceptable that the Government only funds one-third of the annual cost of Foundation services. We have continuously met with Ministers and officials within the Ministries of Health, Education, Social Development and Disability Issues. We are seeing the fruits of this effort in some areas. Other areas, like the sector-wide effort to gain additional funding for the Blind and Low Vision Education Network New Zealand (BLENNZ) and our own Children's Services, are more like running a marathon … but our team will keep running until we win the race.
Adaptive Technology
Love is important, but technology makes the world go round nowadays, and it is critical for blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people seeking an education and employment. Our Mobile Adaptive
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Technology Training Units are now delivering AT training in community centres and even members' homes in rural New Zealand. We still offer a range of courses in Wellington and Auckland classrooms. The mobile units are opening up the AT world to many, many more members. (See page 28.)
Another superb example of AT success involved teaming with Vodafone to deliver mobile phones equipped with TALKS technology to members at an affordable price. Members young and old are now texting away, and even surfing the internet with their phones!
Employment is considered a "circuit breaker" by the Government, and so it should be. Our Employment Services staff placed 49 members into employment this year and helped another 140 members retain their jobs, even as they experienced sight loss.
The Foundation's community committees are in many ways the unsung heroes of this organisation. They are critical for delivering many local services, and for ensuring that the Foundation hears exactly what local members are saying. All community committees are now contacting members who have not been in touch with the Foundation for over 12 months. This has been enormously well received by members.
Highlights and challenges
Other successes that I want to touch on include: a superb effort by the Fundraising Team, which included rebranding Guide Dog Appeal to the hugely popular Red Puppy Appeal; celebrating 70 years of talking books in New Zealand; and strengthening our relationships with eye professionals.
We have also continued to benefit enormously from our relationships with Bayleys Realty Group, principal sponsor of Guide Dog Services, and Vodafone, our lead partner in Adaptive Technology. Over the course of the year, Bayleys raised approximately $300,000 for Guide Dog Services, which brought their total contribution to $1.6 million. They have also named 44 guide dog puppies, including Stella, who "starred" in the Red Puppy Appeal. The Vodafone NZ Foundation provided over $300,000 in support of our Adaptive Technology programme.
But life is not just a bed of roses, and I must also mention one of the most difficult challenges we've faced this year. The Foundation, like virtually every organisation in the health and disability sector, is suffering from a significant and ongoing shortage of specialist staff. This has prevented us from meeting some of our service delivery goals, and this staffing challenge is likely to be with us for years to come due to New Zealand's tight labour market.
I'd like to end on a personal note. A highlight for me this year was serving as a member of the World Blind Union Asia-Pacific Board. I was also Regional Chair of the Women's Committee and co-chaired the Women's Forum at the mid-term assembly in China. It was inspirational and important. By taking an active role in organisations like the WBU and International Guide Dog Federation, New Zealand is able to share our expertise with the world, and to learn from others as well. We have especially tried this year to strengthen our relationships with Vision Australia and the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB). This will pay dividends for years to come.
Working at the Foundation for eight years, including the last four as Chief Executive, has been an honour and a privilege. I wish everyone at the Foundation and in the disability sector all the best.
Paula Daye, Chief Executive