Our purpose at work: Serving organisations that do good

ACSI provides a collective voice on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues on behalf of around 40 asset owners and institutional investors. Collectively, ACSI’s members manage over $2.2 trillion in assets and own on average 10% of every ASX200 company. Over two years, Right Lane helped ACSI develop its new strategic plan. This involved a number of strategy and planning interactions with ACSI’s staff, board and member council. The initial focus was on strategic questions relating to ACSI’s long term aspiration and where to focus its efforts – which membership cohorts, asset classes, geographies and services. We brought to these discussions a perspective on best practices in strategy and planning, including within investment organisations and NGOs. We also helped ACSI think through future scenarios – combinations of headwinds and tailwinds relating to policy and politics, regulation, competition, investing and the public discourse – and their implications for the organisation. The exercise culminated in a strong support from the board and member council for a new mission and vision for ACSI, along with a strategy on a page, and a detailed strategic plan.

Miss Betty Amsden was a well known and much loved philanthropist. In 2014 she established The Betty Amsden Foundation to ensure that her support of people and community could continue long after she had passed. The Foundation’s focus areas include fostering community spirit through the arts, improving the lives of children and young people and encouraging leadership development and personal growth for people working in the non-profit sector. In 2019, Right Lane worked with the Foundation trustees to agree on the design and measures of success for the program, and develop a process to monitor and evaluate the program’s outcomes.

Bully Zero is a leading anti-bullying and cyberbullying organisation for children, teens and adults in Australia. Bully Zero develops and delivers programs and initiatives that promote civility, inclusion and equality. In 2018 and 2019, Right Lane helped Bully Zero develop its new five year strategic plan. Right Lane undertook a rigorous process of consultation, synthesising a broad range input from ambassadors, volunteers, staff and the board, to help the organisation address key strategic questions and establish a forward-looking strategic plan. The strategic plan describes Bully Zero’s purpose and the key goals that will be implemented to help ensure Bully Zero delivers on its vision that all Australians feel safe, valued and respected.

ClimateWorks is an independent, evidence-based, non-profit organisation which operates within Monash Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI). ClimateWorks’ mission is to accelerate action to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 within Australia, SE Asia and the Pacific, aligned with the global goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. In 2019, Right Lane is working alongside ClimateWorks’ leaders, through a collaborative process, to set ClimateWorks up to achieve transformational system-level change in line with its mission.

Fairley Foundation was established in 1965 for the benefit of the people and communities of the Greater Shepparton area. It is a placed based funder with a vision for momentous social and cultural change in the region. Right Lane has been a consulting partner for the Foundation over many years. In 2019, the Foundation Trustees committed to growing their commitment to the Heinze Music Program with a view to improving the social and emotional well-being of the children in Greater Shepparton. Right Lane was engaged to undertake a strategic review of the program, including defining the program’s theory of change, and determining the strategic direction of the program over the short, medium and longer term.

Mornington Peninsula Foundation’s mission is to significantly reduce levels of socio-economic disadvantage by supporting education, community connections and economic independence on the Mornington Peninsula. Right Lane has been a consulting partner for the Foundation over a number of years, providing strategic support through facilitation of community summits and board strategy workshops, and providing input, advice and design assistance for the development of proposals to seek donor funding. Right Lane recently assisted the trustees to reconfirm the Foundation’s role and areas of focus, and agree the operating model and capabilities required for the Foundation to scale. Right Lane also facilitated the Board risk workshop to agree the risk appetite of the Foundation and identified key risks, their likelihood and impact, and mitigants. The output of the session was a risk management plan, including governance and review mechanisms.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is the peak body for general practitioners across Australia. The RACGP provides its members with quality standards for clinical practice, education and training, and research into general practice. Right Lane worked with the RACGP membership team to develop its five year strategic plan, articulating a concise strategy statement and goals relating to member engagement, service provision, continuous improvement and organisational sustainability. This strategy has aligned the team on what is most important to its members and provided focus for the ongoing delivery of excellent experiences for practitioners across Australia.

The TOM Co is a female founded company that exists to create a positive impact across personal and baby care. Founded by Aimee Marks in 2009 and awarded Australian Organic business of the year in 2017 by Australian Organic, The TOM Co’s signature product was the first ever organic tampon to be available in Australian supermarkets and it is now the leading organic personal care brand in the country. Right Lane worked closely with the highly motivated leadership team to consider key strategic questions relating to their aspiration, scope choices, areas of competitive advantage, and the capabilities required to be successful. We helped to consolidate their thinking on the future of the business and create a clear articulation of their strategic plan to provide a compass for the organisation’s decision making. The strategic plan provides focus for exploring new growth opportunities and for consolidating The TOM Co’s role in female health and empowerment, and the health of the planet.

African Australian Community Taskforce (AACTF) was established from January 2018 – June 2019 to work closely with Victoria Police to address African Australian youth offending and antisocial behaviour. Victoria Police’s Priority Communities Division provided secretariat and administrative support to the AACTF during this period and it became apparent that a long-term entity was required for the AACTF to adequately deliver the support needed for the broader African Australian communities in Victoria on an ongoing basis. Right Lane and ACIL Allen worked closely with representatives from AACTF executive team, Victoria Police, Department of Justice and Community Safety, Multicultural Affairs and Social Cohesion, Department of Premier and Cabinet Victoria and other stakeholders to develop a business case for the transition of the AACTF to a long-term independent entity that supports the needs of the broader African communities in Victoria.

Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) provides training, conferences, policy, research, governance and advocacy to the profit-to-member superannuation sector. Over the past two years, as part of our commitment to this sector, on a ‘low bono’ basis, Right Lane conducted an intensive problem solving program with the graduates of the AIST Super Grads program. Graduates worked in teams to develop and present new, innovative ideas for addressing key challenges faced by super funds. The learning outcomes for the graduates covered data analysis and story-telling, working effectively with colleagues, and presentation skills and practice.

Department of Social Services (DSS), using insights from the Australian Priority Investment Approach to Welfare, has developed the $96.1 million Try, Test and Learn Fund to support trials of new or innovative policy responses to help people live independently of welfare. This $96.1 million fund is unlike standard Government funding. It is driven by an outcome focused, participatory approach to policy development that identifies ways to help people at risk of long-term reliance on welfare move towards stable and sustainable employment. Over the last two years, Right Lane has worked closely with DSS and twelve not-for-profit organisations to co-develop the program logic, delivery models project plans, and business cases for these innovative approaches to addressing welfare dependence in participant cohorts as diverse as children of prisoners, unemployed people over 50 and young Aboriginal people who lack a cultural connection to community.

Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) fights for a fair deal for Australian workers – both at work and in the community. The AMWU offers a range of services and benefits for members, and runs campaigns to advance its members’ interests at a local, national and global level. In 2019, Right Lane supported the AMWU to create a Union Culture Charter which would serve as a central document to guide the decisions, actions and behaviours of its staff. Right Lane leveraged pre-existing consultation work undertaken by AMWU and guided the development of a Culture Charter with clear alignment to the AMWU’s core values through a collaborative and iterative process. The Union Culture Charter has since been endorsed by the AMWU’s National Council and is being showcased across Australia and embedded within the union’s formal processes.

Bank Australia was established in 1957 and exists to provide Australians with a responsible banking alternative. Over 150,000 people and community sector organisations choose to bank with Bank Australia. In 2018, Right Lane assisted the bank to transform its approach to project management to a standardised and streamlined ‘Bank Australia methodology’. Right Lane worked with the client team to develop a governance framework and reporting expectations; create a flexible, fit-for-Bank Australia project management methodology and associated tools and templates; and devise a change management and training plan to roll out the new approach across the bank.

Bureau of Meteorology is Australia’s national weather, climate and water agency. The Community Outreach Program is the Bureau’s operational communications arm, responsible for enabling a deeper and more effective engagement between the Bureau and the Australian community. Over the past three years, Right Lane has facilitated the Community Outreach Program’s annual planning workshops. These multi-day events provide an opportunity for the Program team to come together and reflect on the year that has been, prepare for the year ahead, and build upon their distinctive team culture. We have seen this team grow together from a newly formed team in 2017 to a cohesive and effective operational communications team in 2019.

Cbus Super is the leading profit-for-members super fund for the building, construction and allied industries. As one of the country’s largest super funds, Cbus provides superannuation and an income stream for more than 755,000 members and manages over $54 billion of member money (as at 30 September 2019). Cbus is undergoing a step change in its growth and identified a need to work on a way to enable the executive team, heads of and other groups to make decisions more effectively. In 2018, Right Lane Consulting supported Cbus to develop a new decision making framework to support their strategic and operational decision making, which included principles for making decisions, categorisation of decisions and tools and processes to support effective decision making.

City of Yarra is an inner metropolitan municipality that is home to a diverse community of about 94000 people. Right Lane worked with the City of Yarra’s Family Youth and Children’s Services branch after an internal realignment to connect the roles of team members to their purpose. During this process, Right Lane worked with the team to articulate a shared purpose and team goals. Right Lane also worked with the people leaders to develop their workplans using an approach that provides clarity and focus and links the priorities of the individual with that of their colleagues, the branch and the wider organisation.

McCallum is a disability services organisation that provides supported accommodation, supported employment, day programs, and lifestyle options services. Following the development of the 2019–2021 strategic plan, Right Lane worked with the CEO and executive team to co-develop a new organisational structure that supports their customer-centric focus and positions the organisation to deliver on its strategy. Right Lane also worked with the Customer Experience Manager and program staff to co-design a detailed customer journey map and identified opportunities for improving the customer experience in each program area.

Walter+Eliza Hall Institute of medical research is one of Australia’s leading biomedical research organisations, with a national and international reputation for performing highly influential basic and translational research addressing some of the major health challenges of our time. Its major research and translation themes are cancer, infection, inflammation, immune disorders, development and ageing. Following a restructure, the Institute formed a Strategic Cabinet comprising leaders from across the organisation who collectively contribute to the strategic decision making of the institute. Right Lane worked with the newly formed Strategic Cabinet to clarify the role and purpose for this group and develop a shared vision for what it would achieve. In addition, we co-developed a ‘team charter’ to define how the group would operate including the behaviours that would underpin high performance.

Centre for Social Impact (CSI) Swinburne is part of the CSI network working toward a stronger society for all, through research and scholarship that engages the wider community at all levels of society. CSI Swinburne advances knowledge about the people, systems and practices that produce positive social impacts. In 2019, Right Lane was engaged by CSI Swinburne to facilitate a strategic growth workshop with the CSI team and senior stakeholders to consider growth options for the Centre and to help design a business model to achieve their preferred strategic growth pathway. This growth pathway will help the Centre to maximise its positive impact on the growth trajectory of the Australian social economy.

Our Watch uses evidence-based research to lead Australia’s work to stop violence against women before it starts. Its vision is an Australia where women and their children live free from all forms of violence. All State and Territory governments have joined Our Watch in the collective primary prevention effort. In 2019, the Commonwealth Government committed $20.9 million of funding for Our Watch as part of the Fourth Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children 2010–2022. Through a series of staff consultations and collaborative working sessions with the leadership team, Right Lane helped Our Watch define its national leadership role to support the organisation’s next phase under the Fourth Action Plan and a new strategic plan.

Teach for Australia (TFA) are an innovative non-profit organisation that is part of a global movement dedicated to ensuring that all children can achieve their potential. The TFA vision is of an Australia where all children, regardless of background, attain an excellent education. TFA recruits, trains and places top graduates from non-teaching backgrounds in disadvantaged Australian schools. In 2019, Right Lane worked with TFA on two important projects. Through a collaborative process Right Lane supported TFA to develop ideas for leadership development for teachers in disadvantaged schools. Subsequently Right Lane supported two core teams to develop their strategic plans for 2020, identifying trends, developing goals, initiatives and measures for success.