EXCLUSIVE
Staff at Wollongong’s Cancer Council office are facing redundancies after being briefed this week on a NSW Cancer Council plan to restructure its operations.
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The Mercury understands several staff within the Southern NSW region office will be offered redundancies – or forced to take alternative roles – under the plan to be officially announced by the charity late this week.
Cancer Council’s Southern NSW region – which stretches from Helensburgh to the Victorian border – is one of five regional offices throughout the state expected to be affected by the restructure.
A spokeswoman for the charity told the Mercury that financial constraints had led to the changes.
“Over the last year, Cancer Council NSW has experienced a significant decline in fundraising income, which is an issue being faced across the charity sector,” she said.
“Given the tough financial environment, we’ve had to make some necessary changes to ensure the long-term sustainability of our organisation.
“This has impacted a number of roles across our head and regional offices, but we’re confident that these changes will allow us to continue to serve our communities effectively.”
The news comes as Wollongong staff prepare for one of their biggest fundraisers, Stars of Wollongong: Dance for Cancer, at WIN Entertainment Centre on Saturday night.
It’s among a long list of local events – including Relay for Life, Mother’s Day Classic, Daffodil Day and Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea – run by the 14 Southern NSW staff with the help of some 350 volunteers.
Staff also offer practical support, advocate for legislative changes, and work with local organisations and councils to address issues like smoke-free public spaces.
As well, they co-ordinate a range of programs such as the Eat It to Beat It nutrition program which runs at 20 Illawarra schools, and Improve Your Long Game melanoma awareness program supported by five of the region’s golf clubs.
However the NSW Cancer Council spokeswoman maintained that regional events, and services, would not be affected by the restructure.
“Our work in local communities remains an absolute priority for us, to ensure that people with cancer, their carers, and loved ones remain supported at all times,” she said.
“All the changes are designed to minimise impact on our local communities, and their access to the services we provide.”
Fundraising hit by $466k drop: Cancer Council NSW reports
The NSW Cancer Council says it has been forced to restructure due to a “tough environment” and a “significant decline in fundraising income” over the past year.
While the charity’s 2017/18 financials are not yet public, the latest reports show a $466,000 drop in fundraising income year on year across the state.
In the 2016/17 end of year financial report, Cancer Council NSW says it raised $66.9 million from fundraising compared to $67.3 million in 2015/16.
The reports also show the charity spent $566,000 more on its fundraising efforts in 2016/17 compared to the previous year.
In total, for the financial year ending on June 30, 2017 income was $84.4 million, while expenditure was $79.7 million, leaving a surplus of $4.7 million.
The charity’s main sources of revenue include fundraising ($66.9 million), sale of sun protection products ($8 million), interest and investments ($4.5 million) and grant income ($3.2 million).
The main costs are fundraising ($22.5 million), research ($15.1 million), regional program delivery ($10.2 million), information and support ($6.8 million), sale of sun protection products ($7.3 million), advocacy and prevention ($5.9 million), marketing and communications ($3.9 million) and infrastructure and administration ($7.6 million).
In the 2017 annual report, then new CEO Jeff Mitchell flagged possible changes in the charity’s structure.
“We have embarked on a program called Business Transformation, to streamline processes, technology and systems, so that more of our time and effort will be on our core mission,” he said.
Since Mr Mitchell’s appointment in October 2016, there have been a number of changes in the senior ranks of the organisation.
According to the annual report, cancer programs director Kathy Chapman resigned in July 2017, while chief financial officer Peter Taylor and community engagement director Merewyn Partland resigned the following month.