By
Michelle Vernieux
Winchelsea Community House (affectionately known as Winch House) is more than a building on Hesse Street — it’s a community-owned and community-run organisation that belongs to the people of Winchelsea and the surrounding Surf Coast hinterland.
Behind every program, class, and friendly cuppa is a governance structure that keeps Winch House accountable, sustainable, and true to its purpose. This post explains how that structure works, who does what, and the principles that guide everything we do.
In a not-for-profit community organisation like Winch House, ‘governance’ refers to the board (or committee) and its collective legal responsibility as an incorporated association. Good governance isn’t bureaucracy for its own sake — it’s what allows a small rural neighbourhood house to operate with the same integrity and accountability as much larger organisations, while staying responsive to local Winchelsea needs.
Three elements sit at the heart of good governance:
It’s important to understand that governance is different to the day-to-day running of the house. The Committee makes strategic decisions — setting direction, hiring staff, deciding which programs to run, engaging contractors, and addressing membership matters. Management, staff and volunteers then put those decisions into action.
Good governance comes down to two things: complying with the law and acting in the best interests of Winch House and the Winchelsea community it serves. In practice, that shows up in how often the Committee meets, how meetings are run, how new committee members are welcomed and inducted, and how board papers are prepared and shared.
Winchelsea Community House Inc. is a formal not-for-profit organisation registered with both Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). Because of this, we’re required to operate in accordance with our ‘Rules of Association‘ — our constitution.
The constitution sets out the essentials: who can become a Member, how the Committee is structured and elected, how grievances and disciplinary matters are handled, and much more.
At our 2023 Annual General Meeting, we adopted a revised constitution based on the Model Rules template provided by Consumer Affairs Victoria. This update was necessary to comply with new and tightened laws governing charities. We also took the opportunity to add provisions for Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, which means donations to Winch House are now tax-deductible — a meaningful change for supporters who want to back local community work in Winchelsea.
The Winchelsea Community House rules of association aka constitution is available for you to download here.
Our Committee of Management is made up of community members who volunteer their time to govern Winch House. Their responsibilities include:
This is meaningful work, and Winch House welcomes expressions of interest from locals who’d like to contribute their skills to the Committee.
If the Committee sets the direction, the Manager/Coordinator makes sure the wheels turn smoothly day to day. The role supports the Committee in its governance work while running the daily operations of the house on the Committee’s behalf.
Supporting the Committee involves:
Managing day-to-day operations involves:
The Victorian Government provides the majority of our funding through the Neighbourhood House Coordination Program, and with that funding comes a set of principles that shape everything from our strategic plans to our morning tea. These principles aren’t just words on a page — they’re the values that make Winch House feel like Winch House.
Winchelsea locals set, manage and direct the resources and decisions of the house, so community members have a genuine sense of ownership and belonging.
Everyone has something valuable to offer. Volunteers and community members are central to decision-making, evaluation, program delivery and direction-setting at every level.
We respect and value people’s ability to take control of their own lives, supporting them to meet their needs and goals in self-aware, informed ways that draw on their own skills and experience.
Winch House strives to make programs, activities and services fairly accessible to all people in our community, and to promote a fairer distribution of resources and opportunities.
Through both formal and informal pathways, we support people’s skills, knowledge, health, wellbeing and connection at every stage of life.
We value the diverse contributions people make and stay sensitive to their individual circumstances and needs.
We link up, form alliances and collaborate with individuals, community groups, agencies, government and local businesses across the Surf Coast Shire.
Where needed, we act with and on behalf of community members to help ensure their needs are recognised and met.
We create supportive group environments where people can share information, knowledge, skills and life experience to reach their own personal goals.
We look at the internal and external factors affecting Winchelsea, and we work collectively to transform relationships and outcomes in our community.
Winch House receives funding through the Neighbourhood House Coordination Program (NHCP), which is allocated based on hours of coordination set out in our service agreement. This funding helps cover a coordinator and related costs, with several requirements attached. We must:
Provide a balanced mix of community development planning and activities that achieve each program aim
Promote participation by diverse community groups and individuals across Winchelsea
Be open for at least as many hours as the NHCP funds for coordination
Provide at least twice as many activity hours as funded coordination hours (activities can run concurrently)
All of this is planned, developed and delivered against a documented annual plan that the Committee oversees.
Neighbourhood houses funded through the NHCP are eligible for insurance coverage under the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA) Insurance Program for Community Service Organisations. As a funded agency, Winch House is responsible for ensuring this coverage is suitable for our operational activities and governance arrangements. More information about VMIA’s policies is available on their website.
The Victorian Government provides the majority of our funding through the Neighbourhood House Coordination Program, and with that funding comes a set of principles that shape everything from our strategic plans to our morning tea. These principles aren’t just words on a page — they’re the values that make Winch House feel like Winch House.
1.
Encouraging participation, inclusion, and valuing diversity at every level of the house
2.
Listening to what Winchelsea actually wants and needs
3.
Designing programs, activities and services that meet those needs, with diversity built in
4.
Working with community organisations, businesses, government and philanthropic partners to secure funding and support
5.
Deliver quality programs, activities and services
6.
Honestly assessing the effectiveness of our programs, our practice and our governance
Winchelsea Community House belongs to the Winchelsea community, which means there’s always room for more locals to get involved — as members, volunteers, program participants, or future Committee members. If anything in this post has sparked your interest, drop into the house, give us a call, or check out our current programs online. We’d love to meet you.