Case Studies

Here are some real-life examples of the work I’ve done with organisations and communities. From helping committees recover after disaster to improving disability engagement in large institutions, these case studies give a snapshot of how I approach challenges and create lasting solutions.

Bruthen Arts & Events Council

The Bruthen Arts & Events Council—a volunteer-run group known for delivering amazing live music, arts, and cultural events—reached out because they were struggling to set clear priorities. They needed a hand with developing both a strategic plan and an annual action plan that would keep them on track and prevent burnout.

  • I facilitated a workshop for 15 of their council members, a mix of new and experienced volunteers. The goal was to:

    • Help them develop a shared vision.

    • Take time to celebrate their achievements and review everyone’s workloads.

    • Explore different governance models and how to keep the organisation sustainable long-term.

    • Identify key areas where they should focus their grant efforts.

    • A comprehensive summary of the discussions.

    • A strategic plan and annual action plan that were aligned with the council’s vision.

    • A handy “plan on a page” document to make everything easy to reference.

    • Clear priorities that gave the team a sense of direction without overwhelming them.

  • Volunteers are the backbone of community projects, and by keeping priorities clear, even small groups like the Bruthen Arts & Events Council can avoid burnout and stay focused on what matters most.

Sarsfield Community Recovery Committee

After the devastation of the Black Summer Fires, the Sarsfield Community Recovery Committee was feeling overwhelmed. They needed help reviewing their existing plans and refining their priorities so they could support their community through recovery.

  • I facilitated a creative and interactive workshop with the committee, which focused on:

    • Reviewing and prioritising their tasks and projects.

    • Discussing how to maintain sustainable volunteer efforts and improve teamwork.

    • Encouraging collaborative problem-solving, especially around balancing community expectations and the committee’s workload.

    • A comprehensive workshop summary that later became the foundation for a successful grant application.

    • Secured funding for a project officer to support the committee in executing their recovery plans.

    • Agreed on changes to how meetings and administrative tasks would be managed, making things run much more efficiently.

  • It’s easy for community groups to feel overwhelmed by the scale of their tasks. By fostering a supportive culture and focusing on key priorities, committees like this one can keep moving forward, even when the road ahead seems long.

Educational Organisation (Name Confidential)

A large educational organisation in Gippsland reached out to me for help improving how they engage with people with disabilities. They needed to identify key stakeholders and improve internal engagement around disability support.

  • I ran several workshops to co-design a stakeholder engagement plan with their team. We focused on:

    • Collecting insights from staff about how the organisation could better deliver services to people with disabilities.

    • Running internal workshops to dive deeper into staff feedback on both opportunities and barriers for improving disability support.

    • Developed a stakeholder engagement plan that was co-created with the staff.

    • Engaged over 20 external stakeholders to gather insights.

    • Prioritised six key themes, with two top priorities identified for immediate action.

  • Flexibility in projects like this can lead to unexpected insights. By adapting the approach based on what we learned during the process, the organisation gained a much better understanding of both external and internal challenges, helping them move forward with a clearer focus.