The organisers behind a "special" 50-year-old locally-owned charity have appealed to Tamworth to get behind the firm as it battles to recover from near-bankruptcy.
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One of a Kind Community Support went into administration in 2019 amid allegations of trading insolvent and misuse of funds under previous management.
It meant years of pain for the charity, forced to sack 22 staff and to sell every building they owned. COVID was another bitter blow.
A new committee, led by volunteer president and treasurer Michael Ticehurst, took the organisation into new premises in Taminda 14 months ago.
The plan is to build up the business in a new double-storey airplane hanger-sized shed, with both delivery, recycling, sorting and sales all done in an efficient process on the same site. Eventually, they will donate thousands of "suplus" funds to local organisations otherwise left in the cold by corporate charities and the government.
Retail business manager, Georgie MacRae, said they will need some help to get there.
"We just need Tamworth people to take ownership of it," she said.
One of a Kind is unusual, compared to traditional large-scale charities like the Salvation Army and St Vincent De Paul's, because it is Tamworth-owned
The place is also a service for volunteers, with a "family environment", which is often a place of respite for women in a tough home life like domestic violence, Ms MacRae said.
"All my staff and the volunteers, in a good way, they take ownership of it," she said.
"This is something special, it is community-based, it does go back to our community.
"We tell people all the time, all the money goes back to community-based organisations."
To do that, they need about 35 more volunteers and many more donations but, more than anything else, they need sales.
One of a Kind made a nearly $300,000 loss last year, according to its latest finances, which were submitted to the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission last month.
Shop sales netted the charity store just $112,955 in the 2020-2021 financial year, down from $495,635 in 2019-2020.
It also earned $46,800 from the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme, which has since ended.
All told the charity made $182,412 in income, down from $617,687 the year before.
Mr Ticehurst admitted that the books don't look good, but he's confident it will turn around.
"They'll never look good," Mr Ticehurst said,
"This year probably won't look good either.
"At the moment we're down about ten grand a month on average. I think it'll be about a $100,00 to $120,000 loss this year, but that's our last loss in my view."
The firm projects making $650,000 in sales this year, a budget of about $13,000 per week. Since March they have sold between $10,000 and $12,000.
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One of a Kind hopes to be able to support "up to 10 local community groups with annual funding" with "surplus funds".
Mr Ticehurst said they aim to sign memoranda of understanding by June 30 for a deal to pay local mental health, community and seniors organisations about $10,000 a year, each.
In a statement attached to its financials, the committee of management told the charities commission they are confident One of a Kind remains a going concern.
"Since the end of the financial year, the association has incurred operating losses, in part due to COVID and a lack of volunteer support," the statement reads.
The committee estimated that the charity had "estimated net assets of approximately $480,000" in March 2022, "which is sufficient to support its activities in the medium term".
"The committee of management will continue during this time to look at ways to increase revenue and manage expenses with a view to enable it to continue operations and reduce operational losses," their report reads.
Its annual information statement for 2021 budgets the charity at having net assets worth $590,300 as of June 30 2021.
The business employs just 4.5 full-time equivalent workers and relies on its 50 volunteers.
The charity paid out $206,719 in expenses for its four full-time-equivalent staff, and spent $254,767 in other expenses, including for the right to use buildings in 2020-2021.
It made a net loss of $279,075 that year.
The charity turns 50 in 2022.
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