CR Advantage Issue 5

in this edition: •CR turns fifteen •A journey to the Holy Land •How we can help you save money on your energy bills • A new range of telecommuications services from Church Resources

issue five february 2013

In this edition Contents > 4 Church Resources turns fifteen > 6 CathNews takes its readers to the Holy Land > 8 Church Resources and NUS helps the Catholic

Archdiocese of Melbourne to save money on their

energy usage

> 10 A new range of telecommunications from Download services the white paper

> 11

> 12

Church Resources

Church Resources Members can learn more about the HR world Church Resources’ Foodservice helps that’s Program right around the corner with free access to NorthgateArinso’s Catholic Homes raise $35,000full white paper on “The Consumerisation of HR”. Visit www.churchresources.com.au/NGA Of ficeMax competition: winners announced! to download the white paper.

> 13 A solution to all your problems!

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It’s our fifteenth birthday!

Welcome to the first edition of CR Advantage for 2013. CR Advantage is your guide to how you can make the most out of your Membership of Church Resources, with great savings ideas from our range of solutions.

In this edition, we’re excited to show case success stories from our Members – how the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne are enjoying big savings on their energy bills and how Catholic Homes raised $35,000 to buy new equipment for their facilities.

Also news of our recent milestone - In December, CR celebrated fifteen years of serving the not-for-profit community in Australia – a fantastic milestone and a great opportunity to reflect on our growth. Turn to page four to read our story so far.

Fifteen years into our journey, we are still covering new ground – literally, in the case of our faith-based publication CathNews, who embarked on their first Pilgrimage in November – read the story on page six.

You’ll also find information in this edition about our, recently unveiled, new range of telecommunications services and our Annual Report from the 2011-12 financial year.

Whether your organisation has just joined us or you’ve been with us from the beginning, I’d like to thank you for your support and helping us to reach our fifteenth birthday. We’ve got big plans for the future and are looking forward to the next 15 years!

With best wishes

Luke Kenny CEO, Church Resources

Share your thoughts At CR, we always want to hear what our Members think of CR Advantage and how we can help you. Send your thoughts to cradvantage@cr.org.au.

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Church Resources turns fifteen In December, Church Resources celebrated fifteen years of serving our Members in the notfor-profit community in Australia.

CR has undergone many changes in that time as we’ve grown to expand our offering and provide greater savings to all not-for-profits.

CR is the brainchild of Fr Michael Kelly SJ, a Jesuit Priest. In December 1997, he founded Catholic Telecommunications – a joint purchasing cooperative that involved 7,600 Catholic institutions.

The aim was to form a voluntary buying cooperative for telecommunications products, establishing the basis for a telecommunications network for the Catholic Church in the internet age.

By early 1998, Catholic Telecommunications had launched its first offers, thanks to a relationship with Telstra - which remains strong to this day.

1997:

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The following year, Fr Kelly launched CathNews a daily Catholic news website and email service, delivering free, daily updates to Catholics in Australia, which continues to be rated among the most visited religious websites in Australia.

By 2001, Catholic Telecommunications had broadened its offering to incorporate office supplies, vehicle leasing travel services, photocopiers, recruitment services, ICT products, utilities, aged care supplies and more.

Reflecting an expansion beyond its Catholic origins to other Church groups, and the not-for-profit sector more widely, Catholic Telecommunications became Church Resources in 2002.

By this stage, our unique model was clearly established: By negotiating on behalf of Australia’s many and varied not-for-profit organisations - from the smallest to the largest - as a single group, we were able to secure preferential pricing for our Members at some of the best rates available in Australia, far beyond what each organisation would be able to negotiate acting individually. By working closely with our Members, we were able to understand their particular needs and develop tailored solutions which closely met these particular needs a model that benefits everyone.

In addition to working with our partners to bring the best solutions at the best possible prices to our Members, CR launched several innovative initiatives of our own - Our

2002:

Greening Communities program kick started a movement towards greater sustainability in the not-forprofit sector, and we collaborated with the Federal Government on the Award-winning ConnectCare initiative, bringing new technologies and new approaches to Australia’s aged care community.

As CR continued to grow, we saw a need to be closer to our Members around Australia. In 2010, we established our first state office in Melbourne and appointed Damian Jardine as our Business Development Manager for Victoria and Tasmania. Following the success our first State office, our next expansion was to Queensland and the appointment of Debbie Yeo taking on the Business Development Manager role for Queensland.

We now employ more than 40 people nationally and believe our staff to be our most important asset – dedicated to serving our Members.

Our offering to Members has expanded in every one of our fifteen years and we now work with more 2004:

than 75 Preferred Partners including household names like Apple, Telstra, Australia Post, Medibank, Qantas, Virgin Australia. AGL, Hertz and Flight Centre.

We work to help not-for-profit organisations in Australia, and we measure our success on the time and money we save our Members.

Today, CR has more than 9,100 active Members taking regular advantage of our Solutions - those Members spendspend more than $254m, collectively with CR’s Preferred Partners. Through CR’s Preferred Partner agreements, our Members save in-excess of $45m per year through cost reductions, efficiencies improvements and time savings – this money can instead be channelled back into the coremission of Member organisations – in schools, aged care facilities, churches, hospitals and welfare organisations.

pleased to have been able to contribute substantial funds to charities around the world, delivering aid where it is needed most.

It is testament to the close relationship we have fostered with our Members and Partners that we have established ourselves as a true Australian success story. Together, we can continue to deliver even greater outcomes for the collective common good.

As a not-for-profit ourselves, we can reinvest all our funds to further support our Members. In addition to helping our Members, we are 2008:

2013:

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CathNews takes its readers to the Holy Land

Church Resources’ CathNews publication brings its many Subscribers news from the Catholic world every day via its hugely popular website, Cathnews.com, and its email newsletters. While this is an invaluable service, Publications Manager Christine Hogan has long wanted to bring CathNews’ readers even closer to a true understanding of Catholicism around the world.

With this in mind, Christine Hogan and CR’s Supply Manager for Travel Solutions, Carolyn McLean, worked with our Travel Partner, FCm, to arrange the inaugural Church Resources Holy Land Pilgrimage: an opportunity for CathNews readers to travel to the Holy Land for a very special, tailor-made tour of the region.

The pilgrimage took place late in November 2012 and lasted for 16 days, stretching across Israel, Jordan and the West Bank. The group of 30 CathNews readers were led by Christine Hogan and ancient historian Dr Brian Brennen,

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who took charge of the content which included arranging day tours and notable guest speakers.

Accommodation was always conveniently located near a chapel for mass. Breakfast and dinner were included most days and there was free time allocated every day. The guest speakers ranged from journalists, CEO’s and a NGO Leader and there was always a quiet drink available after a day of touring the sights.

The tour was described by several of the pilgrims as “life changing”.

Highlights included: ÆÆ Notre Dame Jersulam Centre ÆÆ Notre Dame’s Chapel ÆÆ A walk in the streets of the Old City ÆÆ The mountain fortress of Masada ÆÆ Cable car to the ruins of Herod’s place ÆÆ Dead Sea Scrolls in the Shrine of the Book ÆÆ River Jordan ÆÆ A drive through the “separation wall” to Bethlehem into Palestine

ÆÆ Rachel’s Tomb ÆÆ Israel Museum ÆÆ Holocaust memorial at Yad Vashem ÆÆ Cave of Elijah & Carmelite monastery ÆÆ Bethlehem University FCm Travel Solutions Group’s Team Leader, Kiriana, organised the flights, hotels, transfers, tour guides, dinners, visas and group discounted travel insurance.

Kiriana provided ongoing support throughout the pilgrimage and FCm was available 24/7 in case of emergencies.

CR will be hosting another tour in 2013 and details will be released shortly. Keep an eye out on cathnews.com for details.

If you were like to see the itinerary from last year or find out further information please visit cr.org.au/cra5.

FCm Travel Solutions CR’s Preferred Travel Partner, FCm Travel Solutions played a vital role in organising CathNews’ pilgrimage. FCm Travel Solutions is the corporate division of Flight Centre and has recently been awarded “World’s Leading Travel Management Company” by World Travel Rewards for the second year running.

Being a Member of Church Resources allows your organisation access to exclusive travel discounts and service solutions through the Church Resources consolidated buying power of $7 million.

Carolyn Mclean is CR’s Travel Manager, with over 20 years’ experience in the industry and is your personal point of contact for further enquires.

Visit cr.org.au/cra5 to find out more about CR’s Travel Solution.

CR and FCm Travel Solutions travel program can provide your organisation with an extensive range of benefits and added value including: ÆÆAirfare discounts with Qantas and Virgin Australia ranging from 5% - 20% off the online price ÆÆDiscounts with Hertz hire care and reduced car excess (free to book Hertz online via FCm) ÆÆCorporate, Government and Last Minute hotel rates to provide the best rate of the day ÆÆDedicated team of four highly experienced Travel Managers (minimum experience 8 years) to service all your travel requirements ÆÆOnline booking tool is provided which uploads your travellers profiles, tracks and prompts you to use airline credits, reprints itineraries and invoices and downloads information into your calendar and smart phone. ÆÆExtended hours of operation with the dedicated team 7am - 7pm Mon - Fri & Sat - Sun 10am 4pm (excluding public holidays) ÆÆEmergency After Hours service based in Australia to provide 24/7 personalised service outside business hours ÆÆDiscounts for employees, friends and family for leisure travel, no booking fee and will beat any advertised available price ÆÆGroup travel discounts through FCm’s Group Travel division ÆÆFlexible payment solutions credit card or 30 day account ÆÆOnline reporting andAccount Management for organisations that spend over $500,000 per annum ÆÆNo contract with FCm, you are able to trial the service without being locked into a contract

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Church Resources and NUS helps the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne to save money on their energy usage

Church Resources works with our Members to find the lowest possible energy pricing, helping our Members to generate significant savings on what is a major cost category for many not-for-profit organisations.

Recently, the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne was one such organisation who was able to gain significant benefits.

Due to their existing relationship, NUS Consulting were able to take the lead with all the data required for analysis, and conducted a market assessment to present the Archdioceses with a series of pricing options. Ultimately a two year deal was chosen, with no price increase, except for the 2% increase associated with the carbon pricing scheme introduced on 1 July 2012.

Following a period where the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne had enjoyed substantial savings on their energy spend under a CR arrangement throughout a three year contract, it was time again to negotiate their arrangement.

When questioning Adrian as to why this deal was chosen, aside from the opportunity to retain highly competitive pricing levels and mitigate any price increases over the next two years, it was clear that there were a series of non-price benefits which helped with their decision.

Considering the success of their previous energy contract, Adrian Klep, Director of Finance and Operations, was keen to see what CR and their Preferred Partner, NUS Consulting could again do to preserve their saving in a market that had changed quite substantially over the past three years.

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Mr Klep explains “we were provided with advanced warning to our expiring contract, and were given an early insight into energy market pricing expectations along with some guidance as to the best time to strike the new arrangement.” Without the resources

to monitor the market movements, exercise the tenders and negotiate with providers, Mr Klep explained “to know we have Church Resources operating with our best interests at heart, and in trusting this process for second time, we felt protected in a volatile market”.

Procurement experts will advise that negotiation is not always about price: all the anticipated savings from a low price can be quickly eaten up if an organisation fails to identify and capitalise on non-price benefits.

Subsequently now, for the next two years Adrian and his team know they are supported by CR at the highest level. NUS and their new energy provider, ERM, are supporting their parishes and schools with any of their enquiries and opportunities, without having to expend their valuable resources on activities they continue trust the CR model to manage.

CR’s 2011/2012 Annual Report available now

annual report 2011/12 enabling outcomes for the collective common good

NUS Consulting NUS Consulting use their vast experience, and detailed understanding of Australia’s energy sector to analyse your organisation’s requirements, and the current pricing and trends from Australia’s energy providers to establish the lowest possible rate for your power bills. To find out more about how NUS Consulting can help your organisation save money on their energy usage, please visit cr.org.au/cra5.

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years

You can read more stories about how Church Resources works to help organisations save time and money on a wide range or procurement solutions in our latest Annual Report.

Click here to read the Annual Report online.

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A new range of telecommunications ser vices from Church Resources

Research conducted in 2011 shows that Australians are not getting the best telecommunications deals available because they are confused and frustrated by the amount of information available to them relating to telecommunications.

CR’s Information Communications solution aims to take some of that confusion away by providing our Members with help and support in relation to telecommunications choices, and access to Telstra’s carrier services, enabling our Members to benefit from Telstra’s unrivalled network at very competitive pricing.

Now, with the growing complexity and number of opportunities in the field of telecommunications, we are delighted to be able to extend this service providing a wider range of

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telecommunication and information technology services than ever before.

In addition to the normal carrier services available from CR and Telstra, you will now be able to access a full raft of data services, including internet access, high speed networked connections, a range of cloud based services, PABX replacements and access to the latest unified communication technologies.

We will also be able to provide a range of solutions that will enable your organisation to support a ‘Bring Your Own Device’ model for your employees’ smartphones and tablets, reducing the cost, and enhancing the flexibility of your organisation’s communications infrastructure.

These services will build on CR’s long standing, trusted relationship with Telstra, but will also take advantage of other technology companies that CR has partnered with. This complete telecommunications offering will provide you with access to the most advanced and highly featured services available in today’s market.

For more information about the complete range of telecommunications services available to you from Church Resources, simply visit cr.org.au/cra5 and fill out the form.

Church Resources ’ Foodser vice Program helps Catholic Homes raise $35,000 Catholic Homes is one of Victoria’s leading not-for-profit providers CR’s foodservice program Supporting our Members’ fundraising activities is of course not the only way that CR’s Foodservice solution helps our Members.

Foodservice is one of the largest cost categories for our Members, and is also the category with the greatest quality and service concerns for many not-forprofit organisations. Our foodservice solution provides a no cost, obligation free program which can assist you to realise significant Foodservice savings and efficiencies through consulting and analysis.

To find out more about how our Foodservice program can save your organisation time and money, please complete the form at cr.org.au/cra5, and a member of our team will get in contact with you.

of accommodation, residential care, community care and retirement living choices for seniors.

Like all not-for-profit aged care facilities, raising funds to maintain and improve the quality of life of residents is of paramount importance.

Church Resources were delighted to assist Catholic Homes in the running of their annual Charity Golf Day, helping the organisation raise $35,000, an increase of 40% on the previous year.

We worked with our extensive network of Foodservice Manufacturers to provide catering for the Golf Day, meaning attendees could eat for free, and ensuring that all funds contributed could be channelled straight towards the event’s surplus, rather than covering costs for staging the event.

Joan Donoghue, Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Homes said that the funds raised will be distributed amongst Catholic Homes’ nine aged care facilities and two Community Respite Houses to enable items of equipment to be purchased that will improve the quality of life of the more than 580 residents and respite service users.

CR are grateful to our foodservice partners who contributed to the Golf Day including Heinz, Goodman Fielder, Lion, Mrs Macs, Bidvest Foodservice, Bidvest Hospitality and M&J Chickens.

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OfficeMax competition: winners announced!

In the previous issue of CR Advantage, we brought you news of how you could win one of OfficeMax’s fantastic ICT prizes for your organisation, by completing a survey to better understand your technology needs.

We had an overwhelming response, and we’re delighted to unveil the lucky winners of the prizes donated by OfficeMax.

Prize winner

Prize winner

Prize winner

Carol Allison Director of Nursing Kurrajong Nursing Home

Vivienne McDonald General Manager Diversicare

Jennifer McMillan, Administrator Trinity Anglican College

Prize: Samsung Galaxy Tab (OMAX Code 2401800)

Prize: Lenovo ThinkPad E520 (OMAX Code 2403943)

Prize: Canon Ixus (OMAX Code 2403595)

If you’re not one of the lucky winners, don’t worry! You can still take advantage of OfficeMax’s great prices and special offers for CR Members. Visit cr.org.au/cra5 to find out how you can save on the vast range of OfficeMax products.

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A solution to all your problems!

At Church Resources, we aim help you with any problem you may face in the running of your organisation.

We have developed, with the help of our Preferred Partners, eleven unique solutions, tailored to the not-for-profit sector, and scalable to make them ideal for all organisations, from the smallest to the largest. Contact us to find out more.

The Information Communications Solution CR offers the highest quality telecommunications, technology and video conferencing at prices enjoyed by Australia’s largest corporate organisations.

The Office Supplies Solution CR helps save money, while improving product and service quality, on office stationery, paper, furniture, computer equipment, uniforms and printing supplies.

The Energy Solution CR provides access to dynamic market prices, normally available to only the largest energy users, and consultancy services to reduce usage and increase sustainability.

The Foodservice Solution CR provides significant Foodservice savings and efficiencies through consulting and analysis with the no cost, obligation free continuous improvement program.

The Education Solution CR helps deliver the finest education outcomes for students, at the most competitive prices available and with the very best resources, equipment, stationery and furniture.

The Travel Solution CR offers confidence, efficiency and savings on business flights, car hire and accommodation with a dedicated travel agent.

The People Solution CR helps Members attract, recruit and keep the right people by enhancing and simplifying payroll, HR systems and employee benefits.

The Clean and Sanitise Solution CR offers confidence and savings in cleaning supplies, laundry and linen services, hospital and clinical-grade sanitation and safety disposal.

The Property And Facilities Solution Planned and reactive maintenance, planning, construction and compliance services, and experts to analyse and develop your fitout with whitegoods, furniture, and beds.

The Logistics Solution CR can help you with special rates on Courier and Parcel services.

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Make us your first resource If you would like to know more about Church Resources and how we can help your organisation, we would be happy to assist you.

Email info@cr.org.au Web www.cr.org.au Phone 1300 CHURCH (1300 248 724) or 02 9439 2622

Fax

02 9439 2802

Mail PO Box 1522, Crows Nest NSW 1585 Australia

www.cr.org.au

Catholic Resources Trust – operating as Church Resources – is a charitable trust, the trustee company being Catholic Resources Limited.

The directors of Catholic Resources Limited are the members of the Central Commission of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. The Trust operates in cooperation with the leaders of Australia’s religious orders (ACLRI). The Beneficiaries of the Trust are the institutions and members of the Catholic Church, other churches and not-for-profit organizations in Australia.

Head Office: 4th Floor, 504 Pacific Highway St Leonards NSW 2065 Registered Company: Catholic Resources Limited ACN: 080 995 044 Registered Business Name: Church Resources