School Of Enterprise

BSB51007- Diploma OF LEGAL SERVICES

SEMESTER 2 2010
BSBATSIL508A: BE A COMMUNITY LEADER
Assignment 1- Prepare a SWOT Analysis
Percentage Towards final Mark = 20%
Name: Jacob ATEM MABIOR
Student Number: 3759262
Subject: Be A Community Leader

SWOT ANALYSIS: Sudanese Community Association of Australia

The Sudanese Community Association is an organization with goals of uniting

people of Sudanese-dissidence in Australia. With its headquarters in North
Dandenong, it aspires to providing a smooth transition of Sudanese new-arrivals
into Australian society as well as encouraging preservation of cultural values
deemed appropriate within the Australian Laws context and general public
etiquettes. Much of the organizations funding comes in form of memberships
subscription fee as well as venues entrance fee during events hosted by the
organization, and rarely from governmental and non-governmental funding to
the public sector. It is on this aspect of restricted funding mechanism that I will
seek to highlight other avenues that the organization can use to generate
income for its advancement. This analysis will try to weave together how the
weaknesses can be used by the organization to mould strength and achieve
more as well as using its strength to fortify its proliferation.

STRENGTHS:
Large population of Members
The population of its members is this organizations strength. Sudanese
population in Australia is one of largest African communities in Australia with its
largest groups in Victoria and New South Wales. Because the membership of
individuals is mainly contingent on the fact that they are of Sudanese dissident,
it is of advantage that this large population would make significant financial
contribution if the contribution was automated, considerable financially and
regular, possibly monthly. A compulsory, systematically-automated $5 monthly
contribution from each individual would raise $1.8 million annually for the
organization based on an approximate population of 30,000 individuals. This
amount of income would pave way for the organization to fund its businesses as
well as enable its capacity building towards realising its goals of encouraging
cultural activities within the community by funding the activities. The status quo
of the organization is in line with this view of having regular contribution however
because of procedural inadequacies or the voluntary contribution, the
organization acquire significant amount of income only during its elections
periods.
Strong Australian Banking System

The proficiency of Australian banking system, such as that of big banks such as
ANZ and Commonwealth banks can be used to the advantage of the
organization. If the hypothetical annual contribution of $1.8 million was to, for
example, be saved in the bank without any withdrawal for a year, there would be
an extra profit of more than $200,000 in form of interest at a rate of 12% p.a.

The banking system can also be used in implementing recently describe aspect
of automated contribution to generate financial benefits for the organization. If
proficiency of automated banking through the banks was used since the
organizations inception, it would have earned not less than $5million for
instance. The system has rarely been used for reasons to be delineated in the
following sections. Successful generation of profit for the organization is however
still contingent on implementation of such system.

WEAKNESSES:
Diversity:
Ethnic diversity within the organization which can be strength has unfortunately
proven a weakness for the organization. The ethnic groups have other affiliations
and organization with financial demands which further outstretch the financial
instability the members are experiencing by virtue of being new arrivals. This can
be turned into strength by the SCAA by establishing stronger links with these
sub-community organizations and other links entailed, to enable channelling of
financial benefits towards it as the major or head organization. Trust building
through some form of funding of by SCAA to these smaller organizations will
boost their receptiveness to financial procurements demanded by SCAA.
Financial Instability of the Member or target group:
Sudanese community is the main target group of the organization and the main
source of income. It is unfortunate that the financial dependence of the
organization on this relatively new (in Australia) community will disadvantage it
financially. Most of the community members, if not all, are struggling financially.
With most recently resettling from refugee camps, and with customary
obligations of having to support family members in distant locations financially, it
becomes a hard task for each of the members to provide financial dues to the
organization within an appropriate time specially when contribution is not
necessitated by any visibly or tangible urgency. This weakness can be remedied
by implementing an automated contribution, for example through a common
banking account with automated electronic depositing, of a reasonable amount
(e.g. $5 monthly) as aforementioned. This is because while financial difficulties
among members inherently exist, major failure comes from the system of
contribution; the organization has aimed at whooping amount of $30/$60
immediate payment at each election or contribution round which proves
practically impossible. A $5 contribution would be more practical and almost
negligible on the contributors side, and increased frequency of this (e.g.
fortnightly or monthly) will pave way towards financial gains of the organization.
This approach would be similar to those used by other organizations such as
those for funding Childrens hospitals on road where generosity plays most part
while negligibility of the required amount (i.e. non-obligation on required
amount) also plays significant part on receptiveness and subsequently on large
amount of contribution made.

Political Interferences:
Sudanese in Australia, among which majority hail from the war-ravaged region of
Southern Sudan, have political affiliations entrenched in them in some form or
way. The fact that emigration of Sudanese to Australia followed escape from the
birth place in the wake for political instability makes it important to highlight that
the organization focuses on a group which is potentially politically diverse. Of
course organization encompassing a name as general as Sudanese would likely
have such complexities but it is of particular magnitude for this organization.
Differences in political affiliations, complemented by tribal diversities, pose a
problem of non-compliance to be fully discussed in the later section of threats.
This non-compliance or non-recognition of the organization by some Sudanese
and there non-recognition of its authority and required dues (including financial
dues) weakens the organization both financially as well as politically. The
organization may for instance be governed in a particular period by a group
perceived accomplice to the enemy or rival political group by southern
Sudanese, which forms the majority of Sudanese community in Australia, and
therefore render the members unreceptive, particularly when proven that the
group has been lobbying the wrong political group on behalf on the community.
This is particular true and poses challenge for the organization now than before
because of the referendum on the oil-rich southern Sudan independence
anticipated to be in January 2011.
OPPORTUNITIES:
Government Grants for Emerging Communities:
By virtue of being an organization targeting a new or emerging community, the
SCAA will be largely eligible for governments grants allocated for this purpose.
In a state as multicultural as Victoria and which particular supports community
building through recognition and building of cultures as long as they are in par
with the laws of the state, SCAA can hugely benefit and realise its objective of
promoting cultural activities in the community. Through hosting cultural and
community developmental activities, the organization can attract funding from
Multicultural Victoria which is a part of Victoria Governments initiative in
establishing smooth transition and building community integration among the
emerging communities. In recent occasions of similar funding attraction, it had
been largely done by the smaller organization which should rather than the SCAA
which can maintain control and benefit from the process, as recently expounded,
as well as realize even greater outcomes for the community.

Extra-communal Funding:
This opportunity exist in the light that other non-governmental organization may
fund the organization by acting as a bridge between groups or individuals within
the community which these other organizations tend to target. Establishing
control over the emerging large number of Sudan-born (mainly southern

Sudanese) graduates would prove essential for the organization for instance. The
SCAA can fund or establish scholarship for Sudanese students, however meagre
the amount may be, such that it can establish control or positive recognition
from the students. The students would, hopefully, in turn be goodwill
ambassadors for SCAA, hold SCAA in high esteem and possibly make donations
towards it in the wake of their successful graduation and realisation of financial
stability. Other organizations targeting the students would likely then be good
allies and possible be source of income as well for SCAA. This will further
existence and effectiveness of SCAA both politically and financially.

THREATS:

Diversity:
As Alluded to in the previous section on weaknesses, the ethnic diversity of the
members is both a blessing and a curse for the SCAA. When handled well, it can
be effectively used for financial wealth generation by the organization such as in
situation of hosting variety of cultural activities enriched with cultural diversities
where income can be generated, e.g. in form of entrance fee. Unfortunately, this
potential strength is a threat to the very existence of the organization because
this ethnically-diverse community has sub-community organizations which seek
to cater for their subsections with little reference to the overall organization. The
groups resort to the comfort of their smaller organizations and practice noncompliance in regard to the SCAA which does has not established well its roots in
these other tribally-oriented organizations.

Political Allegiances:
Those at helm of the organization will undoubtedly have a political allegiance.
The unfortunate truth is that not all have same political views, despite that fact
that majority of the Sudanese population in Australia and the members of the
organization hail from southern Sudan, and there will be a rift along political
lines. When this happens, likely to be heightened by the political transition
happening or soon to happen in the Sudan, it further threatens to divide the
members and raise questions about the role and convictions of leaders and each
of the members in the hierarchy. Should this happen, the organization will not be
recognized by some members who would show this by non-compliance with
contributions and consequently financially incapacitating SCAA.

As per the SWOT analysis above, it can be concluded that the organization needs
better strategies on contribution management, e.g. automated contribution
collection which is in reasonable range, as well as devising mechanisms to turns

it current weaknesses and future threats into source of further financial and
political proliferation.

REFERENCES:
Sudanese Community Association of Australia:
http://scoaa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/constuttion-scaa-july-2007.pdf

Australian Government
Sudanese Community

Department

of

Immigration

Community

Profiles:

http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/delivering-assistance/governmentprograms/settlement-planning/_pdf/community-profile-sudan.pdf