Joanna Josephs

• Led strategic direction for grant-making across a region of Western Australia, focusing on impactful initiatives and community needs.
• Engaged and worked developmentally and supportively with organizations to develop grants of various scales and complexities to achieve positive community impacts.
• Cultivated strong knowledge of metropolitan, regional, and remote communities to enhance stakeholder collaboration.
• Mentored and developed team members.
• Promoted an inclusive environment by supporting grassroots initiatives and innovative societal solutions.

• Contributing to governance and strategic vision of the organisation
• Supporting development and implementation of fundraising strategy and future funding model
• Assisting with marketing, communications and grant applications

• Leading multi-disciplinary teams in WA & SA to development and implement innovative state-wide mobilisation strategies that drive how Red Cross inspires communities to take voluntary action
• Working with Senior Leadership Teams in WA & SA to build the capacity of the organisation to embed best practice models of volunteer and member engagement

• Program Management: responsible for oversight of Client Services Program - providing welfare and advocacy support to 100+ people seeking asylum, Volunteer Program with over 400 volunteers providing ESL/Employment Support, Detention Centre Visiting and Community Outreach and Social Enterprise Program (Food Truck proving employment to people seeking asylum)
• Team Leadership: management and supervision core staff, social enterprise staff, volunteers and students
• Financial Management and Fundraising: completing grant applications, managing organisational budget and completing reporting, auditing and acquittals
• Governance: reporting to the board, attending monthly board meetings, working collaboratively with the subcommittees, supporting governance and implementing the strategic plan
• Marketing and Communications: creating content and managing teams responsible for social media, mailouts, newsletter, website and collateral
• Policy Development and Implementation: engaging in policy writing, stakeholder consultation, implementation and review processes
• Office Administration: supervising administration processes to ensure accurate and confidential record keeping and launched new, robust business management software system
• Stakeholder engagement: Meeting with members of parliament, participating in stake-holder forums and developing networks and partnerships to coordinate service provision for asylum seekers, refugee and detainees
• Media Engagement: participating in television, radio and newspaper interviews

Accomplishments:

• CARAD finalist for the Community Organisation Award - Australian Human Rights Commission 2019
• I was the recipient of ‘Emerging Women in Leadership Award’ for CALD services - Perth Business Women’s Alliance 2019
• Worked to increase CARAD’s annual turnover from approximately $180,000 per annum in 2015 to over $1.1 million in 2021/22
• Presented at the Refugee Council of Australia annual conference in 2018

• Managing recruitment, training and placement of 400 volunteers
• Providing ongoing coordinating and supervision of volunteers
• Developing best practice, client focused, volunteer program model
• Delivering educational workshops and training to schools and community groups focused on understanding the journey and current situation for asylum seekers, refugees and detainees coming to Australia

• Facilitating training and debriefing session for people selected to be deployed or had recently completed assignments with the Australian Volunteering International program (formerly funded through AusAID), focused on: best practice International Community Development strategies, cultural competence and reflective professional practice

• Providing critical case management support to asylum seekers living in the Perth community by completing assessments, administering welfare assistance and completing appropriate referrals
• Engaging in multi-level advocacy with clients to ensure their rights are upheld and clients have fair access to services Coordinating a group of 40 volunteers who provide advocacy and social support to asylum seekers in the Yongah Hill and Perth Immigration Detention Centres

• Developing and implementing workshops focused on positive mental health and suicide prevention to school, volunteer groups and community organisations
• Participating in events and activities to promote the service and recruit new volunteers
• Developing and distributing marketing materials
• Networking with other community stakeholders an organisation in order to collaborate between services and develop partnerships

• Working with young people who are dealing with issues relating to drug and alcohol misuse and providing case management and emotional support through their recovery
• Facilitating educational workshops for young people
• Completing verbal and written assessments
• Conducting case-conferences and family meetings
• Providing drug and alcohol counselling
• Running a peer- support group
• Coordinating recreation activities and managing logistics for outings
• Networking, liaising and making appropriate referrals with relevant organisations

• Working in a cross-cultural community development role predominantly with socio-economically marginalised women
• Conducting community consultations though home visits, semi-formal interviews, surveys, community meetings, focus groups and evaluations
• Establishing a women’s micro-finance group that doubled its membership within three months and averaged a 100% microloan repayment rate
• Facilitated the development of a women’s livelihood cooperative and partner with relevant organisations to access training and resources
• Sourcing funding and completing grant applications for livelihood and microfinance projects (Direct Aid Program grant awarded)
• Facilitating the development of a business plan, marketing strategy, production centre and product distribution network for livelihood cooperative
• Conducting program evaluations

• Working with a diverse client group including: asylum seekers, refugees and people experiencing significant issues such as: mental health, substance abuse, intellectual disability and domestic violence
• Working with clients towards long term housing goals by completing housing applications, developing independent living skills as well as supporting clients in transitional housing and moving into permanent housing
• Employing a case management framework completed assessments, case plans, referrals to appropriate services

• Developing and facilitating an alternative education and public speaking course for youth volunteers in a low socio-economic community and writing a training manual that has been published by the organization
• Developing and facilitating therapeutic workshops for victim-survivors of human trafficking in the organization’s safe house
• Documenting best practice intervention models utilized with stakeholder organizations

• Managing a case load of patients on the Acute Aged Care Ward and Palliative Care Unit
• Utilising a case management approach working collaboratively with a multi-disciplinary team developing case plans, discharge plans and completing appropriate referrals