Managing your community organisation
Find information and resources to help you manage and develop your community organisation.
Planning for community organisations
Running an effective organisation involves managing a range of functions.
Regardless of your organisation's size, planning and developing effective processes to manage your operations and resources will benefit your organisation.
It will also provide:
- a clear and shared direction
- improved services to your members
- attract new members and sponsors.
Managing issues on community leased and licensed premises
Tenants are responsible for managing issues on community leased and licensed premises.
- In all life-threatening situations, or to report criminal activities within your leased/licensed premises, call Triple Zero (000).
- For flood or storm emergencies, call SES on 132 500.
- For urgent Council-related issues, such as obscene graffiti, call Council on 07 3403 8888.
- For non-urgent enquires, log into the Community Leasing Information Portal and complete the general enquiry form.
Water leaks, blockages and plumbing
Council is responsible for water leaks, blockages or plumbing issues that occur outside the lease/licence boundary up to where the main supply (roadside) is provided by Urban Utilities.
- Call Council on 07 3403 8888 to report a plumbing issue that is outside your lease/licence boundary and does not relate to the main supply.
- Call Urban Utilities on 13 23 64 to report a plumbing issue that has been identified as relating to the main supply (roadside issues).
- Visit Urban Utilities for tips on how to detect a suspected leak or for information about water pressure or flow.
- Visit Urban Utilities if you suspect your premises has a concealed water leak issue.
Good neighbour practices
As the custodian or owner of community facilities, Council must ensure they're managed and operated appropriately to minimise disruption to neighbours and the nearby community.
Subscribing to good neighbour practices is a requirement of all community facility tenure arrangements with Council. As a tenant, you need to nominate a community liaison officer (CLO). This is a person within your organisation who accepts responsibility for leading its liaison with neighbours and the local community.
Download the guide for more information about the CLO role, the process for handling complaints and how to get involved in your local community.
Resources and support
Council offers services, resources and support to help manage your community sports or recreation organisation.
All Council community facility tenants are required, as part of their lease/licence agreement, to complete an annual online census.
The form is hosted in the Community Leasing Information Portal (CLIP).
Evaluation tools
The following free tools are available for community, sport and recreation organisations to review, evaluate and track their organisation and performance:
Finding and applying for grants to support your organisational goals can provide a significant boost to your financial position.
You can find information about:
Brisbane community profiles provide detailed statistical information about the people who live, work and do business in an area.
Profiles are generated automatically using the latest demographic, social and economic data.
Fundraising via charitable and non-profit gaming is common for many community organisations. While this may be an effective form of fundraising, it does require good record keeping and compliance with all gaming laws.
Visit Business Queensland for information on fundraising and gaming activities in Queensland.
We have a variety of community support services, programs and strategies that can provide advice on aspects of your operations and offer guidance on useful networks, tools and resources.
Find information about event and festival approvals and permits, as well as a range of useful event planning resources.
If you suspect there's fire ants on Council leased land, report it immediately to the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries on 13 25 23.
Learn more about reporting invasive species.
You may need to apply for food business licences and permits, or comply with food safety regulations and requirements.
Find information about food business licences and permits.
Council encourages you to remove any graffiti on leased/licened premises.
Find information about prevention, removal and reporting graffiti and vandalism.
Illegal dumping is the unlawful deposit of any type of waste material that is 200 litres or more in volume.
If you experience illegal dumping on your leased or licensed premises, you should report it.
If you experience issues with vehicles being parked within your leased/licensed premises (e.g. resident parking or an abandoned vehicle), call Council on 07 3403 8888.
Find out more about illegal parking.
When building infrastructure and conducting activities at your leased/licensed premises, be mindful of how lighting, particularly sports field lighting, may impact your neighbours.
Subscribing to good neighbour practices is a requirement of all community facility tenure arrangements.
You can find more information about how to reduce light and glare on premises.
You must manage noise on your premises so it doesn't impact neighbours.
Subscribing to good neighbour practices is a requirement of all community facility tenure arrangements.
Find information about noise restrictions and acceptable noise levels.
Brisbane's subtropical climate means our city is prone to severe weather events and a variety of natural disasters and hazards.
It's important that your community organisation is prepared for natural disasters and emergencies.
The development of processes, procedures and monitoring systems are an essential part of your organisation's risk management plan, along with insurance. They should also comply with relevant standards and legislation.
You can access resources and support for risk managment via the:
If you notice any sharps (needles) being left in or around your leased/licensed premises, contact Council for assistance.
Online learning programs
Council has partnered with industry professionals to deliver free, online learning sessions (webinars) to support and inform our valued community organisations.
The webinars are live events that are recorded. You can watch them at any time and share them with others in your organisation.
Each session provides key insights and learnings, as well as practical tools, templates and resources.
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
|
Constitutions It is easier to play the game when you know the rules. |
Learn about the importance of an organisation's constitution and the main considerations when reviewing a constitution. |
| Marketing and social media | Explore digital marketing to help organisations captivate a wider audience and attract a range of enthusiastic members and sponsors. Social media is fast becoming a preferred way to communicate. |
| Making better use of technology | Explore technologies that are available to not-for-profits. This webinar touches on using AI technology, like ChatGPT, and the importance of cybersecurity. |
| Building a flood resilient organisation | View organisations success stories and how they managed to recover from a flood or rain event. |
|
The making of great organisations Success stories from organisations that have turned themselves around. |
In this webinar, you’ll hear stories of clubs that are achieving great success in Brisbane City. We’ll share the stories of what they did and how you can learn from the steps they took to make practical changes in your operations to help your club grow as well. |
|
Tech savvy organisations Make technology your organisation's best friend. |
The effective use of technology, online systems and social media can save your volunteers countless hours. It can also help you to effectively manage almost every aspect of your operations, including finances, marketing and membership. Discover the proven techniques available and how you can make the best use of them. |
|
Disaster planning Is your organisation prepared for natural disasters in the future? |
Whether it's a flood or another type of disaster, your organisation should be as prepared as possible to deal with severe weather. This webinar shares simple techniques you can implement. |
|
Annual General Meetings (AGM) How to prepare and run a great AGM! |
The AGM is your once-a-year opportunity to celebrate your organisation's achievements and share your vision for the next year with members. For volunteers, organising an AGM can be daunting. This webinar provides practical, step-by-step guidance on the entire AGM process, including notifying members and important considerations when planning and running an AGM. |
|
Good organisational governance What it means and how to implement it. |
Good governance is a key component of a thriving organisation. This webinar uses real life examples to demonstrate what good organisation governance looks like. It explains committee member roles, how to set up good systems and processes, your constitution and ways to help your committee. |
|
Planning for the future Turning your organisation into something spectacular through strategic and facility planning. |
Predict the future of your organisation by creating it. Some of the most successful turn-around stories in organisations started with them planning ahead. This webinar shares how strategic and facility planning can assist you, practical steps to develop useful plans and succession planning techniques to support committee changes. |
|
Grant writing How to be grant ready and produce a successful application. |
Become familiar with grant funding opportunities and what it takes to get your application noticed. Learn how to set goals, improve the quality of your applications and seek grants that are best suited to achieving your desired outcomes. |
|
What makes a great community organisation? Success stories from organisations that have turned themselves around. |
2021 showcase - Listen to stories from organisations who are now achieving great success after recovering from hardship and challenging circumstances. Learn what they did and how they adapted to new ways of operating to not only turn themselves around, but thrive and become even more successful. |
|
Getting the help you need How to recruit and engage your volunteer workforce. |
Struggling to find volunteers? Are your current volunteers overworked? Explore strategies to increase your volunteer team and improve your volunteer engagement and retention. |
| Re-engaging with members and volunteers | Learn how to rethink your organisation's customer base, engage in new ways to attract people and effectively nurture members and volunteers to keep them coming back. You’ll receive practical, step-by-step guidance for the entire AGM process, from notifying members and calling for nominations for new committee members, through to lodging your Annual Return after the meeting. |
| Financial management and reactivating your organisation | Learn about financial management, what you need to know and how to streamline your processes. This webinar also shares new and efficient strategies to help you reactivate your organisation. |