Auxiliarated All Over
Autumn 2013 Message from Sue Hunt Dear Auxiliary Members, This issue of Auxiliarated All Over further introduces you to some of the governance and staff changes that we have been talking about over recent months. I believe that change is good. It means growth, new ideas, strong foundations and a brighter future. The Foundation is deeply committed to assisting donors to fund excellence that continues to support the RCH as one of the world’s great children’s hospitals, and the Auxiliaries form an important part of the family of donors that we support. The contribution made by Auxiliaries is highly valued, and there is huge amount of respect for the work of Auxiliaries over the past 90 years. We have great plans for the future of Auxiliaries.
Goals and vision for the future The overriding goal of Auxiliaries has for a long time been ‘one team working towards one goal – making sick kids better.’ This is as relevant today as it ever was and it will be into the future.
So, how are we going to ensure that our collective vision happens for Auxiliaries? •
•
•
•
We will put our energies into focusing on you, the fundraising groups. We will continue to provide ideas, advice, expertise and support that will help you grow your fundraising. We will keep centralised activities organised out of the office (e.g. merchandise, scrubs) to a minimum, so that costs are kept low. We will ensure that Auxiliary members are recognised for your contribution and that you have the opportunity to get together, have fun and share your experiences.
The Auxiliaries Executive Committee will be constituted as a committee of the Foundation Board, which has many benefits (please see page 5), and means that Auxiliaries are embedded within the larger whole that is the RCH Campus. The team working on Auxiliaries activities will be here to help you grow your fundraising. Along with the full time Auxiliary support staff,
you also have Communications to assist get your message out, and Finance to ensure that you know what you need to know about your funds.
The larger picture of campus identity I know many of you are concerned about identity. I think that when some Auxiliary members talk about ‘identity’, what they may mean is ‘independence’. When Auxiliary members show concern about losing identity, it’s actually about losing independence. With this in mind, it is important to acknowledge that no one is truly independent on the RCH Campus. We are all interdependent. The Auxiliaries have always been a part of a larger organisation, the hospital first and now the Foundation. The RCH Campus is extremely complex, but the larger picture is that the 4 campus partners - RCH, MCRI, Uni of Melb and the Foundation - all accept the identity of the campus as a whole. You are part of one of the campus partners. This is a wonderful thing because the Campus has strength in name, numbers and reputation. The RCH
I would ask you all to consider; who is that one team? For me, it is the Foundation and the Auxiliaries working as one. We are one organisation and we are all working to help make sick kids better. The Foundation’s overarching vision says that we are ‘The Foundation for the hospital’s future, helping the RCH to lead the way’. What else would we be doing than helping sick kids better? It’s what the hospital, the Foundation and Auxiliaries are all about, personally and collectively. Sarah Murdoch speaking at the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Nursing Scholarship lunch. See inside for more photos and results from this successful fundraising event.