Read the full annual report - Queensland Council of Social Service

Communications and
member engagement
Supporting our members
The QCOSS vision was supported by 642 members during the year.
We focused on delivering timely, high-quality information through our weekly eNews
and our quarterly member magazine FQ.
To further improve member access to information we revised and re-launched the
QCOSS website in June 2011. The website now gives us greater capacity to be
interactive with members – using social media and newsfeeds. Over 86 per cent of
respondents to our satisfaction survey accessed the website during the year.
Getting our message across
At our annual budget breakfast were the
Director-General of the Department of the Premier
and Cabinet John Bradley with Minister for
Community Services and Housing and Minister for
Women Karen Struthers, QCOSS President Karyn
Walsh and Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser.
19%
Members’ fees ($201,278)
were invested in:
3%
6%
6%
66%
Policy advocacy (66%)
Leadership governance & management (6%)
Combined voices campaign (3%)
Sector development (6%)
Community and member engagement (19%)
Our ‘end poverty’ messages were communicated through an increasing number of
channels – events, social media, launches and video – and we generated significant
interest in the mainstream media.
In July and August 2010 we focused on regional awareness and action around poverty
and disadvantage, with our Cairns regional conference receiving excellent coverage in
local radio and print as well as in Indigenous print media. (see also page 11).
In September and October we participated in the organising committee for Anti-
Poverty Week and developed our annual poverty statement. The media coverage
achieved exceeded previous years and also exceeded the coverage achieved by all
other states.
In November we launched our Pre-Budget Submission at Parliament House where
we screened our Fair Qld video and showcased international early intervention
expert Christine Davies. QCOSS members were able to network and directly
advocate with several government and opposition MPs and numerous policy
advisers (see also page 8).
To support our submission, we stepped up our long-standing campaign for a
Fair Qld with community interviews asking what Queenslanders thought a fair
Queensland would look like. The resultant Fair Qld video was uploaded onto
YouTube and received 300 views. Our FaceBook and Twitter presence increased
awareness in the broader community.
December through to February focused on disaster-recovery communication
through QCOSS eNews. Our special edition of FQ Magazine incorporated an extra
four pages of recovery stories and lessons from the Victorian bushfires. This edition
also reflected the voices and stories of 18 community organisations across 25
different regional locations.
Across March, April and May we developed and launched the QCOSS Cost of
Living: Ensuring low income households a basic standard of living report resulting in
our largest media coverage on a single product (see also page 10).
In June the Queensland Treasurer and three government ministers spoke at the
QCOSS annual budget breakfast held in conjunction with our sector partners. This
year more than 200 people attended the breakfast. They all benefited from receiving
QCOSS’s analysis of the state budget that highlighted areas of interest for the sector
and for people experiencing poverty.
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Annual Report 2010-11