Page 6 - Palms Annual Report 2019_20

MESSAGE FROM

THE EXECUTIVE

DIRECTOR

Roger O'Halloran

Executive Director

“Adaptation rather than resistance allows us to be strengthened by change and

builds the resilience to cope with future change.”

The mutual development in which Palms Mindful that sustaining the extra capacity

Australia engages with overseas would require ongoing income growth, in

communities means that we learn from one December 2019 our plan to employ Palms’

another. Striving to achieve solidarity with first dedicated fundraiser came to fruition.

the local community organisations with However our adaptive capacity would be

which we work is an organisational cultural challenged dramatically in two different

heritage that assists Palms to develop directions across the following four months.

resilience. In FY 2019-20 this privilege has

enabled us to embrace and adapt to the As news of COVID broke Palms drew on solid

disturbance and upheaval presented by risk management processes, born out of
previous experience with significant political
COVID and grow powerfully in the process.

and health evacuations. Partner

communities, those on assignment and their

Just looking at financial targets shows families, were assisted to consider options.

Palms to be so much better off than our With our generous donors responding to an

2019-20 budget imagined. It projected a appeal for support, all who made the

bottom line deficit more than six times that decision to return to Australia were

which we arrived at on June 30, 2020. One repatriated. We also continued giving extra

might need to be reminded why we were support to those who after extensive

budgeting to spend $231,000 more than the deliberations decided

expected income of $435,386. Again it is it was best to stay in placement.

about resilience. We adapted to the

change that a generous legacy provided in In April 85% of the budgeted deficit was

2017 with a plan for steady growth in wiped away by a substantial donation. A

the number of requests we would meet over Palms’ supporter had promised for some

the subsequent seven years (2017-24). time to introduce me to the donor, but

resilient organisations don’t count unhatched

This allowed us to add and reassign chickens, so the budget had not anticipated

personnel in Marketing, Communications, it. Directors’ initial COVID consternations

Networking and Events that saw us achieve faded and staff spirits were ignited in again

placement growth targets of around engaging our flexibility and resilience to

20% pa. adapt and make the most of this shot in the

arm.

Annual Report 19/20