Blog

Jane Bawden, CEO, Parent to Parent

1. What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given recently?
Make the most of uncertain times. As a non-profit organisation we live in a constant state of uncertainty, particularly around funding, but COVID-19 was a seismic upheaval. Once we were over the initial response and had adapted to the new environment, we saw it as an opportunity – to learn together, to work differently and be more innovative.

2. What’s been the most challenging part of the lockdown journey?
People react to change and uncertainty in different ways and COVID-19 brought with it a new set of anxieties that have been challenging for many. We all need compassion and understanding where the wellbeing of our teams and the people we support is at forefront of our minds. As a non-profit delivering nationwide services, we also faced more practical challenges such as managing the effects of an immediate change to the funding climate and the implementation of a remote service delivery model within a very tight timeframe.

3. What’s the smallest change that’s had the greatest impact?
New ways of engaging with those we support. While initially we thought that adopting new technology to deliver workshops, training and support was a significant change it turned out to be the opposite. We adopted the approach that we were all learning together which took the stress away and we quickly became aware of the positive impact of connecting remotely. Families who had previously found it difficult to connect due to social or geographical isolation were now able to access the support they needed from home. We reached more people based in different locations throughout the lockdown period.

4. What’s been your biggest learning?
Everyone reacts differently in difficult situations. Some disability families found it added another layer of stress to their family situation while for others it was a period of calm. It was a time of peaks and troughs for all those we work alongside – clients, funders, government agencies – and all of us needed empathy, timely responsiveness and calmness during this time.

5. What have you been surprised by?
By how compliant we are as New Zealanders.  There was a real sense that we were a part of the team of 5 million working as one for our greater good. It was a time of togetherness and united purpose and I have never seen that before. Another first was hearing people express their gratitude for the political and civil service leadership we were fortunate to have in New Zealand.

I was also surprised and delighted to see so many organisations, who had the capacity to flex, do so in such a practical and supportive way.

6. Strategically, what’s the biggest opportunity lockdown has created for your organisation?
There were 3 things; the first was we discovered the importance of reconnecting with families who had used our services in the past and for various reasons had lost contact. Our regional coordinators, who typically spend time travelling to deliver face-to-face services, had time during lockdown to contact around 5,000 families and check they were ok. They discovered many were needing help, from requiring food and basic essentials to issues such as dealing with challenging support needs. Even if the family was doing ok, renewing the connection meant support was back in place if needed.

Secondly, it created a learning opportunity within our organisation. This was mainly around technology and learning to be more agile. We recognised early on that our success at connecting remotely wasn’t solely reliant on our technological ability but also the resources of the families we support. Lockdown was the perfect opportunity for us all to upskill, including the families we support, and it was a very positive part of the experience.

Lastly, it was a very freeing time to implement new initiatives as there wasn’t the time for things to be perfect, we just had to get on with it. Parent to Parent has always struck a good balance between knowledge, practical support and being responsive and this held us in good stead. However, lockdown was a reminder that sometimes we can spend too long striving for perfection and being responsive and agile is often more important.

7. What are you most proud of?
The team who worked so well under pressure to provide families with the support they needed. There was a feeling that we were all in this together and we’ll do whatever it takes. It wasn’t a surprise, but it was heartwarming.

8. Have you implemented any changes that you will keep post lockdown?
There are two key things – we saw the positive impact of connecting with the families we support using technology and we’ll continue to refine this. Many families experience health or other challenges that impact on their ability to meet up face to face, such as their children being stood down from school. These circumstances mean they are often in ‘lockdown’ and technology allows them to remain connected regardless of their situation.

Secondly the focus on strategic philanthropic partnerships and the sustainability of our organisation. Parent to Parent has positively impacted disability families for almost 40 years and the need and demand for our services has never been greater.

9. Most non-profits have seen their fundraising opportunity shrink. How should the sector respond to this?
Adopting a partnership model based on high trust will be important. When non-profits are viewed by funders and government as key partners who have the expertise to deliver shared social outcomes, we can make a bigger difference. Working better together relies on our ability to address the strategic priorities of our communities with a common purpose and to create the change needed through a model of empowerment. There will always be a need for reporting and accountability but how can this be managed in a way that is less time consuming and expensive and leads to greater impact?

10. The future of the non-profit sector is…
During lockdown we’ve been reminded that people can create change rather than be passive recipients. The voice of the disability community is becoming stronger from individual families who live daily with disability to the organisations that deliver services to them. This voice has the power to directly influence government policy and the type of support available to those in the disability community. As non-profits we are often better placed to inform and create solutions for government rather than rely on them for the answers. We need to be more active partners with others in order to create effective change.