Our mission.
To empower people with low vision or blindness to actively participate in their communities.
Our vision.
Low vision or blindness will not limit independence.
Our purpose.
We see beyond sight loss:
- Guiding Clients to independence,
- Seeking new ways to prevent blindness,
- Creating connected communities.
Our values
Our values
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Our Clients come first in everything we do.
We believe everyone should have access to the support and tools required to live a free and independent life.
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Lead with head and heart.
Forever focused on our purpose and mission, we combine care and careful planning to deliver successes worth celebrating.
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Never stop exploring.
We’re fearlessly creative. We’ve always asked and answered the tough questions and if there’s a better way, we’ll find it.
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Walk the talk.
The buck stops with us. So we keep our word and keep going, no matter what.
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Lift each other.
From a guiding hand to a high five, we unleash and acknowledge everyone’s potential.
Key messages.
A message from our CEO
A focus on innovation and exploration has been the backbone of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.
A message from our CEO
A focus on innovation and exploration has been the backbone of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.
There is no doubt that the last financial year was a year of hardship for many, and one of the most challenging times we have experienced as an organisation, a community, and a nation. As we find ourselves facing a whole new world to the one we knew before COVID-19, we understand and acknowledge the trepidation and fear this may bring. At Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, however, we are determined to find the new opportunities that we know our new ways of living and working are sure to bring.
This focus on innovation and exploration has been the backbone of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT since our inception. Indeed, for more than 60 years, Guide Dogs organisations across Australia have been in the business of helping people with low vision or blindness overcome barriers. Supporting our Clients to put one foot in front of the other and have the courage to move forward, no matter the obstacles they may face.
In the 2021 financial year, the philanthropic community dug deep, with over $1 million in grants from Trusts and Foundations, Clubgrants and local government grants to Guide Dogs NSW/ACT; a signifant increase on the $650k received in financial year 2019-2020.
This is a true testament to the generosity of Australians, who seek to support those most vulnerable in our communities even during the most trying of times. These very special supporters enabled Guide Dogs NSW/ACT to achieve our mission via various projects, including delivering the Positive Paws Program for disadvantaged high school students, distributing and training our Clients with the latest in assistive technology and low vision equipment, and upgrading our training centre at Glossodia. We are very grateful for this incredible support.
As we work together to accept our “new normal”, we look to our beloved history to create a new framework for how we motivate and support our Clients to keep looking ahead. We look to the innovation and tenacity on which Guide Dogs NSW/ACT was founded, and remain committed to curiosity; to asking the right questions, accelerating innovations, and seeking inspired solutions to create a better tomorrow for those who need us the most.
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT was built on courage. It is this fearlessness that has driven us to invest in new technologies to help us make data-based decisions; that makes us brave enough to recognise where and how we can improve, and to delve into uncharted waters; the needs of our Clients forever compelling us to think smarter, push ourselves harder, and exceed expectations at every turn. Regardless of what life puts in our way.
Dale Cleaver
Chief Executive Officer
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT
A report from our Chairperson
Soaring above and beyond the challenges of the past year.
A report from our Chairperson
Soaring above and beyond the challenges of the past year.
As I wrote this report for Guide Dogs NSW/ACT’s last annual report, I could never have imagined the year that lay ahead, nor the trials we would face. Twelve months on, and I am immensely proud of the agility the entire Guide Dogs NSW/ACT community has shown during the toughest of times.
From our staff and volunteers to our Clients and donors, it has been incredible to watch all of our stakeholders pivot and quickly adapt to each and every challenge the last financial year brought us; without ever once losing sight of our overall mission – to support those who now needed us more than ever before as the COVID-19 situation escalated.
We saw our Clients – people living with low vision or blindness – experience increasing isolation and anxiety as the world seemed to close in around us all. We also saw the determination of everyone at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT as they set aside their own feelings of uncertainty, and set to work finding new and effective ways to maintain the continuity of care our community has come to expect.
We also implemented our Client Advisory Panel (CAP) who have already started assisting us with the design and fit-out of our new premises in St Leonards to ensure the building will be optimised for people with low vision or blindness. Both the Board and the architects Guide Dogs NSW/ACT have contracted for this project have been delighted to have such high-quality and passionate Client input so early in the piece.
The CAP has also participated in the development of our next organisational strategy, as well as playing a significant role in informing the development of new Client policies and processes, including Client access to vaccinations, Client position statements and our overall Client communication strategy. It has been extremely valuable to work with such a dedicated team of Clients, and I look forward to our continued collaboration.
The Board of Directors and I have also taken great pride in following the achievements of our newly-established Dog and Fundraising Centres of Excellence; which see the Dog Services and Fundraising Teams across Guide Dogs NSW/ACT and Guide Dogs Victoria working together towards shared goals.
Our first Centre of Excellence – the Marketing and Communications Centre of Excellence – was formed back in late 2019 as part of our commitment to maximising our impact and getting the most out of every donated dollar, and the responsibility we have to our generous supporters to think commercially and sustainably. Since its inception, the Marketing and Communications Centre of Excellence alone has delivered close to $1 million in savings, giving us the evidence we needed to move forward with our Dog and Fundraising Centres of Excellence.
These Centres of Excellence will allow us to create more efficiencies, achieve economies of scale and reduce duplication, strengthen our national presence through local knowledge and on-the-ground support, lift performance and innovation levels and develop emerging leaders across both Guide Dogs NSW/ACT and Guide Dogs Victoria to deliver the highest impact for the people we support.
While we have seen the benefits of working collaboratively through the Centres of Excellence, we are also reiterating to staff that we don’t need to be part of a Centre of Excellence to strive for excellence in our work, or even to collaborate. The social media consolidation project we undertook in 2020, the recent launch of our new national brand, and our online Client Community Hub are all prime examples of how much can be achieved when we collaborate with Guide Dogs organisations across Australia.
By taking a more collaborative approach across all states and all teams – not just NSW/ACT and Victoria, and not just those teams that have taken on the title of Centre of Excellence – we get ever closer to our ultimate goal of providing a consistent and reliable service for Clients regardless of where in Australia they may be located.
Another hugely positive part of the last financial year was the sale of our Chatswood office. This unexpected surplus, in addition to an extremely strong last two years of fundraising and the commitment of all staff to continue utilising our supporters’ generous contributions as responsibly as possible, have given us the vital safeguard we need to head into this new era of opportunities, exploration and technological advancements.
We are unsure yet what the financial implications of COVID-19 will be on Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, but I am confident our planning to date will set us in good stead to handle any challenges we are yet to face. We will also still be looking to the generosity of our amazing supporters to deliver our day-to-day services and supports and can now take greater strides than ever towards adapting this assistance to the anticipated increased demand and ever-changing needs of those with low vision or blindness – in the ever-changing world in which we now find ourselves operating.
On behalf of the entire Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Board of Directors, I commend Dale Cleaver and his Executive Leadership Team for the leadership and strength they have demonstrated this year. I also wish to extend my sincere gratitude to my fellow Board Directors. Over the last financial year, we bade farewell to Director Preeti Bajaj – and we thank her for her dedication throughout her time on the Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Board – and this financial year, we welcomed our newest Board Director, Liz Ward.
To staff, volunteers, and donors, I simply say “thank you.” Thank you for not only rising to the challenges of the last 12 months, but for soaring above and beyond each and every one of them to ensure our Clients had the support they needed during the most difficult of times.
Mr Kieran Maurice Lane LLB Hons, LLM
Chairman
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Board of Directors
A message from our Patrons
A message from the joint Patrons of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.
A message from our Patrons
A message from the joint Patrons of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.
As Patrons, Dennis and I are delighted to continue the long relationship between the office of the Governor of New South Wales and Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.
While we dearly miss being with the Guide Dogs NSW/ACT community in person, we have remained steadfast admirers of the work we have seen over the last 12 months. With you, we have celebrated the achievements of staff, Clients, and volunteers. We have been humbled and inspired by the dedication of donors and the wider community who have helped to create life-changing Guide Dog partnerships.
Thank you for prioritising the health and wellbeing of the Guide Dogs NSW/ACT community and for using the challenges of the last year as motivation to achieve even bigger and better outcomes for those living with low vision or blindness, enabling them to maximise their independence.
We look forward to the time when we can once more welcome Guide Dogs NSW/ACT to Government House.
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC
Governor of New South Wales
