Campaspe Cohuna LLEN executive officer Jane Reid with NE Tracks LLEN chief executive Tim Oliver and Goulburn Murray LLEN executive officer Rebecca Costa-Lowe at the 2026 National NFP Summit in Canberra.
Photo by
Supplied - Ben Appleton
I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute our organisation's voice through this column, and I wanted to begin by acknowledging the work happening every day across our communities – often quietly, and often without much fanfare.
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We see it everywhere.
In volunteer-run groups keeping local activities going. In sporting clubs, service clubs and community committees. In Neighbourhood Houses providing a welcoming place for people to connect, learn and access support. In organisations like our LLEN, working across schools, employers, community services and government to create opportunities for young people and reduce barriers to access.
These organisations might look very different, but they have something important in common: they are built around people, relationships and a strong sense of community.
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Amplify Alliance National Not for Profit Summit in Canberra, and it was a timely reminder of just how significant the sector is.
Across Australia, registered charities employ around 1.6 million people – about 11 per cent of the national workforce – and generate $239 billion in annual revenue.
Here in Victoria, 3.3 million people aged over 15 volunteer in their communities. That is almost 59 per cent of the population, contributing more than 732 million hours.
And one statistic I particularly love: 69.4 per cent of young Victorians aged 15-24 volunteer, the highest rate of any age group.
At the Summit, Amplify Alliance launched National Not for Profit Day as a way of recognising the contribution of the sector – not just the organisations themselves, but the staff, volunteers, board and committee members and community leaders behind them.
That recognition is important.
But so is making sure these organisations can continue to do what they do.
Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, speaking at the 2026 National NFP Summit in Canberra. Photos: Ben Appleton
Photo by
Supplied - Ben Appleton
We often hear about funding for a new program, project or initiative, and of course that investment is valuable. But there needs to be an organisation underneath that program – people to coordinate it, relationships to bring partners together, sound governance, administration, local knowledge and the ability to respond when something unexpected arises.
That core capacity can sometimes be the least viable part of the work, but it is often what makes everything else possible.
For a small community organisation, reliable core funding can be the foundation that allows it to attract grants, co-ordinate volunteers, build partnerships, bring additional investment into a town and respond to opportunities that simply wouldn't happen otherwise.
This matters everywhere, but particularly in rural and regional communities where there may not be another organisation just down the road to step in.
Australia's ten-year Not-for-Profit Sector Development Blueprint recognises this challenge, including the need for more sustainable funding arrangements, appropriate indexation and funding that reflects the real cost of delivering services.
One of the things I came home from Canberra thinking about was how easy it can be to underestimate the infrastructure already sitting within communities.
Sometimes it's a building. More often, it is people who know who to call, who can bring the right people around a table and who keep showing up when their community needs them.
That is worth recognising – and worth investing in.
Jane Reid, Executive Officer, Campaspe Cohuna LLEN
