Our Mission to “strengthen choice and life opportunities in an open and inclusive community” remains at the heart of our daily work. In the 2024 financial year, we have ensured we can continue to meet our mission in the long term by:
• Focusing on our workforce to ensure they are supported, skilled, engaged, and happy
• Engaging more effectively with our participants, communities, and supporters
• Implementing and achieving agreed performance targets against the strategic plan
• Growing our services and increasing our footprint across the region
• Integrating our services to provide better opportunities for our participants and workforce
• Continuing to address and meet the needs of funders and regulatory bodies
• Delivering a positive financial position enabling us to invest in our people, services and indeed the future.
Yumba Bimbi is pleased to report a robust financial performance for the 2024 financial year. Financial stability and resilience have been central to our NDIS transformation strategy. We have prioritised significant reinvestment in our organisational capacity, aiming to translate the benefits of prudent financial management into enhanced services for our participants. Our continued commitment to business efficiency and information security has led to significant investments in new technology systems which strengthens data security, streamlines operations, and improves decision-making.
Another focus through the year has been a review of the organisation’s visual identity and digital communication strategy. This review was aligned closely with the International Guidelines for Inclusive Design. By prioritising inclusive design, Yumba Bimbi has been able to achieve greater accessibility and an improved, user-friendly digital experience. We launched our inaugural Gala in the Garden in August 2023 with the objective to advocate for “changing the landscape” of disability employment and creating more accessible and inclusive work environments. With disability advocate and comedian Wayne Herbert as our guest speaker, and the charismatic Koi Boys entertaining attendees well into the evening, the Gala proved to be a wonderful success.
With a strategic goal to be an employer of choice, we continue to be strong advocates for the employment and training of people with disability. Results of the Yumba Bimbi 2023 Diversity Survey revealed that 33% of our workforce and Board identify as a person living with a disability.
The inaugural Living Our Values Award was introduced in Quarter 2. The award recognises the contributions of our employees and board members who demonstrate excellence in their service which strongly aligns with the vision, mission and values of Yumba Bimbi. The 2023 Living our Values Award recipient was Fleur Ormond who has worked with Yumba Bimbi for close to 17 years as a Support Worker, Senior Support Worker and more recently, the Coordinator of rostering. Fleur embodies the ‘the YB way’, and this honour is well deserved.
In September 2023 Yumba Bimbi was announced as the winner of the Central Highlands Business Excellence Awards – Business of the Year. This award is a wonderful recognition of the work of our organisation and the high professional standard we hold ourselves to. Receiving this accolade validates the organisation’s commitment to our customers, operational excellence, financial sustainability, and social impact. Our commitment to quality has regularly been tested through external auditing against the NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators. We are particularly proud of our long history of full conformance. This year was no exception with a final report detailing full conformance against all indicators with 5 Best Practice results in the areas of Support Planning, Human Resource Management, Quality Management, Risk Management and Emergency and Disaster Management.
The result reaffirms that Yumba Bimbi is a high-quality organisation and is testament to the commitment and dedication of our workforce and Board to it values and mission. Yumba Bimbi has for many years, been in a situation where our capital infrastructure can no longer effectively accommodate our business needs and is a barrier to the expansion of services and future growth. As the financial year ended, we celebrated the actualisation of a long-term strategic goal – the purchase of a block of land located at 89 Esmond. This exciting milestone marks the beginning of a new era as we work toward the realisation of new building development which will consolidate the organisation’s services currently held between Anakie St, Theresa St, Opal St and other community venues.
With suitable infrastructure to accommodate service provision needs now and into the future, it is envisaged that the new community hub will also become a venue with social impact benefiting the people of our community and region.I have often said that our people are our most valuable asset, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each and every team member who has contributed to the success of Yumba Bimbi this year. The depth and breadth of skills and experience together with a shared and united vision has reinforced performance and enhanced our mission to strengthen choice and life opportunities for people with a disability in an open and inclusive community.
Organisations like Yumba Bimbi require strong governance of its Board. I would like to thank the Board Chair Renee Barlow, Treasurer Simone Parker and all other Board members for their unwavering strategic leadership over the past year. A strong and united vision for the future together with an absolute commitment to ensuring that Yumba Bimbi has the capability to continue to thrive in delivering on its mission and vision.
Particularly I’d like to acknowledge outgoing Board Members, Lyn Brown, Carmel Marshall and Brad Stallard and express our deepest gratitude for your invaluable contributions to our organisation over many years of service. Your dedication, wisdom, and steadfast commitment have been instrumental in shaping our success. Your legacy will continue to inspire us as we strive to achieve our mission. I’d like to acknowledge the Senior Leadership Team who have worked at pace to ensure the goals of our strategic and operational plans are achieved. Our diverse skills set, professional experience and collegial spirit works in great synergy. I am deeply thankful for their ongoing dedication and determination to realise organisational success.
I extend our deepest gratitude to our Partners, donors and supporters. Your commitment and generosity have been instrumental in making a significant impact on Yumba Bimbi Support Services. As Yumba Bimbi moves into it’s 25th year, we look forward to continuing to serve our customers and community, optimising our ultimate goal to strengthen choice and life opportunities in an open and inclusive community.
