For the second year running, Lutheran Care is thrilled to be named a finalist in the 2024 South Australian Premier’s Business and Export Awards. 

Considered ‘South Australia’s Business Night of Nights’, Lutheran Care is nominated for the Not-for-Profit Business of the Year, which acknowledges the invaluable contributions of an organisation driven by a mission to create positive social impact and effect change. 

As a medium sized Not-for-Profit, Lutheran Care has grown rapidly from singular service provision to a multifaceted organisation in recent years, providing wraparound support for Homelessness, Foster Care, NDIS, Allied Health, Family/Relationship Counselling, Financial literacy, DV Support, Emergency Relief and high-end Opportunity Shops. 

Lutheran Care’s award nomination this year highlighted several projects and achievements, demonstrating our innovation and creativity in the sector. This included:   

• Lutheran Care’s Chief Executive Officer Rohan Feegrade assembling experienced leaders from family services and foster care agencies to form a Leadership Coalition, which is advocating to government for systemic change and greater funding to strengthen families first and address an exhausted and overcrowded SA child protection system. 

• Following a decline across South Australia in Foster Carer availability, Lutheran Care created the uplifting and innovative ‘Be The Village’ recruitment campaign. This was co-designed with our foster carers to inspire and encourage more people to join ‘The Village’. The three-part ad campaign reached milestones never before experienced, including a 3.5 million audience and inspired more than 200 enquiries. 

• As lead agency in the sector-changing Toward Home Alliance homelessness response, Lutheran Care continues to develop high-quality practice across our homelessness programs. In the last year we introduced a Barossa Homelessness Pilot and a Homeless Support Pilot – a pinnacle new initiative to support 845 households sitting on waitlists with further engagement and wellbeing strategies. 

• Through Lutheran Care’s Op Shops, sustainability and donations are further maximised, with upcycled textiles made into tote bags and quilts, and lower-quality cottons sold as rags. 

• Lutheran Care allocating a percentage of funds from various sources, including fee for service profits and donations for disadvantaged families and individuals to access legal, medical or other professional services, such as speech pathology free of charge.  

Speaking about the awards, Lutheran Care’s Chief Executive Officer Rohan Feegrade said he was thrilled Lutheran Care had once again been selected as a finalist. 

“Over the past four years, our organisation has experienced significant growth in both our service footprint and awareness of what we do, enabling us to increase our good work in the community,” Mr Feegrade said. 

“This has been extremely challenging in the current climate, with the community and human services sector at critical levels and stretched to capacity as more Australians are being pushed into seeking support and assistance. 

“This recognition as a finalist for the second year in a row at these awards is a testament to our commitment to excellence and our unwavering drive to make a positive impact in our industry, the community and to the lives of the thousands of people we support. 

“It is an incredible honour that reflects the hard work, dedication and innovation of our entire team. I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved together and this milestone inspires us to reach even greater heights.” 

In addition to innovation, Lutheran Care’s strong financial performance was emphasised in the nomination, having quadrupled impact and funding over the past five years, reinvesting back into underfunded crisis and community programs, as well as pro bono support. 

With integrated philanthropic efforts, Lutheran Care further reduced dependency on government block funding by adding a professional suite of Allied Health services to our portfolio at the start of 2024. By adding Speech Pathology and Psychology services alongside our growing pay-for-service disability support, this expansion aligns with our mission to walk alongside people to overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential, while also creating sustainable financial models that meet growing need and reinvest back into community programs. 

Due to new coordinated promotional initiatives and partnerships, Lutheran Care’s philanthropic and in-kind donations were also strong in a challenging environment. Goods collections rose after a successful media campaign, Lutheran Care’s Gala Dinner raised an impressive $200,000 and appeal donations increased by 27 per cent. 

In the past 12 months, Lutheran Care’s Op shops provided over $45,000 in free items through to Emergency Relief voucher recipients, for the first time.   

Also mentioned was the introduction of lived experience led programs, such as the Gawler-based LGBTQIA+ Peer Support Group and Neurodiversity Support Group.  

The nomination also highlighted that Lutheran Care is the state’s highest performing Foster Care agency, according to the Department for Child Protection, with recruitment and service statistics unprecedented across the sector. Along with a nationally recognised campaign to encourage more carers into the Foster Care community. 

The 2024 South Australian Premier’s Business and Export Awards will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Friday, October 11. Lutheran Care wishes all the finalists good luck and we look forward to attending the awards dinner.  

“Let’s keep our fingers crossed for the final announcements, but no matter the outcome, being a state finalist for the second time and leading an outstanding team committed to delivering results, is already a huge win for me,” Mr Feegrade added.  

More than 185 businesses entered this year’s awards, submitting 316 nominations across 26 categories. For a full list of the 2024 finalists, visit the Business SA website.