As we wind up what has been another busy and challenging but ultimately highly productive year, I wanted to personally touch base to wish you a very Merry Christmas, thank you for your contributions and to give you a brief insight to the past 12 months.

 

• We hit a significant milestone with $3M+ distributed since we began our philanthropic journey in 2005.  This includes around $564,000 through the Back-to-School Program and $600,000 in community grants this year alone.  It’s worth reflecting on this achievement and the many people who’ve been involved along the way – our Board, sponsors, volunteers, donors and staff who’ve all made it possible.  The positive impact on our community cannot be underestimated and we thank you for your contribution to this wonderful achievement.  A full list of all distributions can be found here.

 

• Our collective Giving Campaign, Give500, was another resounding success with 3 community-based organisations pitching their project to campaign donors, just weeks ago.  If you haven’t come across Give500 yet, I can highly recommend it as a truly connected way of giving.  Each $500 donated = 1 vote at the annual Pitch Night, held in November.  Our 2022 recipient was PCYC Albury for their Free Kinder Gym Program with our two runners up being Petaurus Education Group and The Body Confident Collective.  You can read more about Give500 here and here.

 

• Border Trust is a Community Foundation and a member of Community Foundations Australia.  The annual Community Foundation Forum returned for the first time in 3 years, with a grant from Global Giving enabling 5 Board and Staff to attend.  This 2-day event brings Foundations from across Australia together and is an invaluable time to connect with others working in place-based philanthropy.  We have much to learn and share in our sector which is generously supportive of each other as we all work for the benefit of our local communities.

 

• Through the Global Giving grant, our support of emerging leaders has also increased, with 4 scholarships soon to be announced for the 2023 Alpine Valleys Community Leadership Program.

 

• The Towong Community Bushfire Disaster Relief Fund, established in mid-2021, is providing meaningful support into that bushfire affected community, with 14 community identified projects already funded.  This $2.8M fund was established through Victorian Bushfire Appeal funds and is administered through a Trust Deed.

 

• We have been going through a period of transition both internally and at Board level, with some exciting announcements coming soon.  Our Board is a strategic one, working hard to deliver positive outcomes on an organisational and community level.  Currently, the Board is seeking people with skills in Legal, IT, Fund Development and Grant Writing.  Our website has more if you are interested.

 

• And briefly, we were again chosen as the recipient of the Adroit Insurance and Risk Charity Golf Day; continue to benefit from Hume Bank’s ongoing support and commitment including through the provision of our Olive Street office space;  host the City2CityCommittee within our governance structure and administer a number of Named Sub Funds to help people achieve their giving goals.

 

Our role is to connect people who care to local causes that matter & we hope that you feel this connection.  Many within our community want to give-back, and through Border Trust, they have found a safe and effective mechanism to do so.  We hope by sharing this snapshot of our year, you feel the impact we are able to make, when we give together.