Kathryn Akre, Chief Executive Officer at Bathurst Community Transport Group, which covers a vast area in regional NSW, has appreciated how the Next Dimension difference has enhanced the NFP’s operations.
The team from Next Dimension provides an on-Demand CFO service. It is responsible for financial reporting to the CEO and Board, liaising with the auditors, and, when required, providing short-term bookkeeping services.
INTRODUCTION
Bathurst Community Transport Group (BCTG) is an NFP that provides community transport around Bathurst and to the regional centres of Orange, Lithgow, Dubbo, Katoomba and Sydney in NSW.
BCTG has been operating since 1978 and actually operated the first ever Community Transport buses – Australia now has Community Transport services in every Local Government Area.
Currently, BCTG has 7 staff members, as well as a keen force of regular volunteers. From its South Bathurst premises, the NFP deploys a fleet of 13 vehicles.
SERVING THE COMMUNITY
“We transport the elderly and vulnerable people. It could be to Orange 55km away or to Sydney, more than 200km away,” says the organisation’s CEO, Kathryn Akre.
This much-loved Community Transport organisation is powered by volunteer drivers. Its subsidised services for elderly and vulnerable residents include medical, shopping and social trips, with local residents transported from door to door.
About 10 years ago BCTG began the special ‘Radiation Bus’ service. Each weekday it commutes from Daffodil Cottage in Bathurst to the Department of Radiation Oncology at Orange Base Hospital. This special service helps support clients together as they go to and from their regular appointments for radiation treatment. The BCTG Radiation Bus service relies solely on donations as it receives no Government funding.
THE CHALLENGES FACING COMMUNITY TRANSPORT SERVICES
For 46 years BCTG has risen to meet the challenges it has faced. “We’re a small organisation; however, we punch above our weight,” says Kathryn with pride.
Covid-19 represented a huge challenge to community transport organisations, and more recently the cost of living has made its impact. “Funding for community transport services has not kept pace with rising prices, including increases in fuel, insurance and rent,” Kathryn points out. However, responding to increasing operating expenses with a hike in the prices charged for services is difficult. “We know that our customers are struggling”, says Kathryn.
The organisation needed to take strategic measures to become more resilient. “I’m not an accountant but I knew we needed analysis and top level advice, from someone who is an expert in the industry.” That’s where Next Dimension Accounting came in.
NEXT DIMENSION’S EXPERTISE
BCTG looked for outsourced accounting services that could help strengthen their operations. “We needed to know where we were at, and what levers we would need to pull in order to grow and thrive – but I had neither the time nor the skillset to do this,” says Kathryn.
“We interviewed four people and clicked with Brendan Lucas from Next Dimension Accounting.” Next Dimension’s established track record of working with Australian Community Transport organisations ensured a positive start.
“Next Dimension are experts in Community Transport. They know Community Transport thoroughly, including reporting requirements and the rules,” says Kathryn.
Brendan, supported by the Next Dimension team, acts as the organisation’s CFO. “He provides the ability to look at an issue and offer good advice quickly. It would take me much longer,” she adds.
NEXT DIMENSION BOOSTS EFFICIENCIES
Since Next Dimension Accounting was appointed as an outsourced accountant for BCTG in November 2023, the NFP has seen numerous benefits arise from the arrangement. “Brendan’s team has been able to make such a difference since they came on board,” says Kathryn.
The external accounts services have been beneficial for analysing costs, budgeting and planning for the organisation’s future development. “It helps to have someone who is outside the organisation but knows the Community Transport issues challenging us, and can support us in our decision making, ” says Kathryn.
Access to a whole outsourced accounts team can provide a timely advantage. “Recently our office bookkeeper left and while we started looking for a replacement, Next Dimension was able to ‘flick a switch’ to provide temporary bookkeeping within about 12 hours,” recalls Kathryn. “It was such a relief.”
Reporting and presenting to The Board is also part of the services provided. “The Board really values the input of Next Dimension Accounting,” says Kathryn. “Brendan presents at Board meetings and provides a clear, thorough analysis of the figures. He is able to highlight the risks and identify where we need to spend money, and where we could make money. A Board member with many years of experience told me at one point that it was the best explanation of finances he had ever received.”
Kathryn says, “For me the value is having an advisor who understands the quirks of Community Transport.”
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Next Dimension has also provided assistance with technology that makes the BCTG office operate more efficiently. For example, they set up Xero to be more automated than it was. Staff can phone the Next Dimension team to get tips on how to do something with the bookkeeping or accounting software.
“I don’t know what I don’t know – or have the time to sort out how to change the set-up,” says Kathryn. “It’s just nice to have a team who knows Community Transport supporting you.”
FUTURE GROWTH FOR BCTG
In the future, BCTG hopes to provide more community transport services by expanding the tour company it runs. “We have been running the company Bathurst Tours for two years now, which helps to cover some of the community transport service costs,” explains Kathryn. Operating the tour company helps to offset the considerable expenses of providing community transport services across such a large area. “We are growing Bathurst Tours so we can welcome more tourists to discover the beautiful Bathurst region,” says Kathryn.
For the BCTG office itself, they just want to make everything more efficient, while supplying the highest quality service possible. For a Community Transport organisation where the farthest boundary is in excess of 100 kilometres from the office, it is no small ambition, but Next Dimension is helping them all the way.
Kathryn notes, “The city-based Community Transport organisations have their own issues, but they do have economies of scale that we just don’t have in the regions.”
“In the city the Community Transport services don’t have to deal with the distances or weather conditions, such as snow or bushfire,” she adds. “But I like the fact that although Brendan is from Next Dimension, which is city based, he gets it.”
