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1 ANNUAL REPORT For the year ended 31 December 2020 2 MELBOURNE PRESS CLUB Contents President’s Report Page 3 Treasurer’s Report Page 4-5 Events Calendar Page 6 Quill Awards Page 7-8 Sponsors Page 9 FinanCial Report Page 10 3 MELBOURNE PRESS CLUB President’s Report 2020 2020 and Covid 19 affected the way the Melbourne Press Club operated and delivered services to members. We are thrilled to report that the Melbourne Press Club has delivered a surplus despite the uncertain times. We were eligible for Covid related assistance grants and jobkeeper which made a difference. Our CEO managed our costs throughout the year to deliver a reduction in expenses. Whilst losing a couple of key principal sponsors, we recruited the University of Melbourne in December 2020 as a Principal Sponsor (with payment in January 2021) as well as new sponsors, Thomson Geer, Lion, McGrath Nicol and Mediality. Retention of the majority of our sponsors through the year helped and we are pleased to report that we have recently regained Hope & Glory from a lapsed sponsor. Perhaps the achievement of the Club that I am most proud is our journey of Diversity and Inclusiveness. We invited contribution for our newly formed Diversity sub committee in July 2020 and are pleased that not only have we incorporated the Indigenous Reporting Quill Award into our Quill Awards, we have provided Diversity training fir our board and hope to make long term sustainable change to our Rules and Constitution. We needed to move office with Minter Ellison changing office location and we are grateful to Thomson Geer providing us our new office facilities. As Melbourne returns to the ‘new Covid normal’ we are gradually spending more time in the office. Our mentoring program had the most number of applicants ever. We recently conducted a small careers session for early career freelance journalists that was very well received. Our Gordon Fellowship program focussed on national social issues (rather than International) due to the travel restrictions and we are looking forward to seeing the results of the projects. We grew our membership this last year to well over 500 members. Our events in 2020 were virtual, we zoomed and provided webinars. We also created a couple of new event series; our online book club (to discuss the books written by journalists turned authors); and our Masterclass ‘How to’ series for our mid career journalists. We feel incredibly lucky that we were able to hold our live Quill Awards on 6 March 2019 (before Melbourne was locked down) and again on 26 March 2021. The recent Quill Awards event was a terrific coming together for the industry after a tough year. I want to thank all of the committee that have pitched in and been even more involved in the Club’s governance. I want to thank Cathy Bryson CEO and her team including; Kate Handley, Anna Marulli, David Fisher, Jenny Denton and Will Kulich for delivering this terrific result for the Club. I especially want to thank our sponsors, partners, donors and all of our members. We look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming events and indeed at what we hope will be a wonderful 50th birthday celebration for the Club later this year. Nick McKenZie Melbourne Press Club 8 June 2021 4 MELBOURNE PRESS CLUB Treasurer’s Report 2020 Following a modest performance in the previous financial year, the Club has performed reasonably strongly, despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, which all organisations have faced during 2020. Please refer to the financial statements for full details of the year's results. While our principal sponsors Monash University and Virgin Australia were not able to renew their sponsorship of the Club this year, we were delighted to be able to welcome University of Melbourne as new principal sponsor. We were also able to sign up three new sponsors - Thomson Geer, McGrath Nicol, Lion, and Mediality. Together, the total value of annual sponsorship income during the financial year 2019/20 was $319,424 down from $378,449 the previous year. Our membership has increased. From reporting a small loss in the previous financial year, of $15,905, I am pleased that we are able to report a surplus of $167,815 this year. This was despite a slightly reduced total overall income for the year, as outgoings also reduced and costs were carefully managed. We did have a good cash position going into the new calendar year of $295,419 which provided us with support. This in part reflects Government support and grants including Job Keeper, that the Club has received, as well as prudent management of the Club’s overheads and costs, the ongoing generous donations to the Michael Gordon Fellowship program supporting social justice journalism, and donations to the Club’s Public Fund. The Club therefore started the new financial year with reasonable cash reserves, and a modest member surplus. Sponsorship payments have generally been timely. However, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has had and will continue to impact the Club’s overall revenue for the coming year, as well as its sponsors, members and core activities. While money from the Fellowship program has continued to be awarded to applicants to support their projects, again due to the impacts of Covid-19, some of these have had to be delayed or the original project proposals amended. The Club continues to remain fortunate that it has no significant ongoing financial commitments other than salaries, Quill event venue commitments and office expenses. Staff work from home when required. However, the Club’s continuing viability depends on securing ongoing and sufficient sponsorship to meet these commitments as well as ongoing membership renewals. The Quill Awards successfully took place in March 2020, just before the Covid-19 restrictions locked down Melbourne. This enabled the Club to deliver a key event for the calendar year for members and sponsors and generate critical income for the financial year. The Club was also able to confirm the booking for the Quill Awards 2021 and begin to plan for an in person in event. Under its new CEO Cathy Bryson and with the support of the Executive and the Board, the Club is continuing to focus on engaging with sponsors and members, delivering events in various formats and generating income. The Club has now found new offices as its access to MinterEllison’s premises ceased due to their office move. My thanks again to MinterEllison for their generosity to the Club and support over many years and we look forward to continuing our relationship with the firm. I am delighted to confirm that the Club’s new offices are now located in Thomson Geer’s offices, still in the Rialto and thank Thomson Geer for helping the team transition. The highlights of financial performance included: • Membership revenue increase to $49,430 from $37,528 showing an increased engagement from our members. We have focussed on engaging with members and had a total of 450 members at the end of the financial year; • Revenue from functions continue but was lower at $64,197. • Covid-19 related assistance totalled $192,920. 5 Our small but hard-working secretariat continued to perform well and my thanks to the team for their ongoing support, particularly during the transition to our new CEO leadership under Cathy Bryson who we welcomed on 8 April 2020 and while working from home. My thanks to Eileen Berry who had stepped in as Acting CEO, for all her hard work during the transition and support to the team, and particularly for delivering such a successful Quill Awards in 2020. I wish to acknowledge the great service and support of Pitcher and Partners who have been our auditors for 10 years, providing their services at a discounted rate as part of their Community Giving Program. After they notified us during the year that their engagement on these terms would cease, the Club searched for new auditors to appoint. I am pleased to announce that Collins & Co. were selected on the basis of their experience in supporting organisations like the Club and the value for money they were able to provide. I would like to welcome their appointment as our new auditors. They have helped the Club continue to observe the required procedures to ensure that accounting and association standards are met and they have helped support a smooth transition for the Club’s secretariat in making sure our records are in order and preparing the accounts. Veronica Scott Treasurer Melbourne Press Club 15 June 2020 6 MELBOURNE PRESS CLUB Events Calendar 2020 CORPORATE EVENTS MEDIA EVENTS EDIT EVENTS January February 6 March – Quills Dinner 19 Mar: The Edit: with Lisa Millar March (550 pax) (Cancelled) April 1 April: SLAM (10 years 30 April: What if Your RiGhts are Raided? – on) at The Toff in Town: Webinar (Cancelled) (58 bookings/40 Zoom/140 views) 28 May: The Edit: Brendan Donohoe – May 7 May: Iftar Dinner (in Webinar (102 booKed partnership with (Cancelled) Intercultural Society) (Cancelled) June 4 June: BacK in the Game: CoverinG Footy 25 June: The Edit: with Lisa Millar during COVID (95 bookings/40 Zoom/120 views) (76 bookings/70 Zoom/103 views) July Gender ReportinG of Sport in Media (Postponed) 12 AuGust: The Edit: FiGhtinG FaKery AuGust (83 bookings/50 Zoom/28 views) 1 Sept: Leigh Sales-Any Ordinary Day in September conversation with Corrie Perkin 24 Sept: The Edit: Multicultural Media (202 attendees/702 views) and COVID-19 (37 attendees/28 views) 16 Sept: Sally Capp – Webinar (57 attendees/ 324 views) 29 Sept: MovinG the Goal-Posts: Gender ReportinG in Sport in Media (74 attendees/59 views) Aperture photo 5 Oct: RespondinG to COVID-19 with Prof.
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