Simon Rountree: “Technology needs to be embraced in order to give us more opportunities.”

Camp Quality CEO, Simon Rountree has a distinctive passion for the work he does.

Rountree said his passion is due to working in a sector that is filled with meaning, spirit and optimism.

Operating since 1983, Camp Quality aims to create a supportive community for families living with children who have cancer.

Third Sector interviewed Rountree to find out about Camp Quality’s new world first app, the importance of social media and if technology has transformed the NFP sector.

TS: You have been working in the NFP sector for over 20 years, what drew you to this sector?

SR: The opportunity to apply commercial strategies in order to create greater human and social impacts was a big motivator in joining the NFP sector.

TS: Could you elaborate on the new app you recently launched?

SR: We undertook some research that clearly showed that there was no age appropriate information about cancer for children under 13 years of age. So armed with this data, we worked with specialists in the medical and educational fields to create an app called ‘Kids Guide to Cancer’, which can be downloaded free of charge from your app store. It’s specifically angled at children 7-13 years in a simple and user-friendly format. This program is a world first and has already won “best in class”. It puts complex information about the types of cancer, treatments and medicines into the language of a child. It has been hugely successful as its information is relevant not only for a child with cancer but also for a child who has a parent with cancer.

TS: Do you think it is important for charities to keep up with the latest technology, if so why?

SR: It’s very important as technology offers many opportunities for us to engage with our stakeholders in a fast, effective and efficient manner that offers great reach. [We are able to] talk to our 2,500 volunteers and tens of thousands of donors and fundraisers around Australia through social media. It helps us streamline back end processes to make us more efficient; technology needs to be embraced in order to give us more opportunities.

TS: How has social media transformed your organisation?

SR: Social media has allowed us to have a collection of online communication channels dedicated to an array of different audiences. It has given us more opportunities to engage with people in the forum that works for them and for us to get instant feedback. It’s also exciting from the perspective of collaboration and content sharing it creates with our current and potential supporters. It really is the way of the future.

TS: Could you tell me more about the new initiative of supporting children whose parents have cancer?

SR: Most people know Camp Quality as supporting children with cancer but we are now also offering support to children under 13 years who have a parent with cancer. Our puppet program script re-development and ‘The Kids Guide to Cancer’ app are two of our first major programs to help these children through age appropriate information. This will be followed up over the next 12 months with other programs that will support their overall well-being through programs that build their resilience and optimism.

TS: According to Oglivy’s market research arm, AMR, as of 2015 Camp Quality is the highest-ranking children’s charity in Australia, what strategies are put in place to make this possible?

SR: Our strategies focus on three key areas, which we believe are crucial in earning people’s trust. The first one is child protection and safety; the Australian Childhood Foundation sees Camp Quality as the benchmark in practices, policies and procedures that support a positive and safe environment for all children and volunteers.

The second one is our transparency to the public and our attitude towards the funds we raise, that is we actually don’t own any money – we are simply custodians of other people’s money. This mindset and practice has enabled us to win numerous awards around trust, transparency and reputation such as the PwC Transparency Award and ranking in the Readers’ Digest most trusted charities.

Last but not least, it is about living up to our name and ensuring that we maintain a high quality in what we do from the way we answer the phone, to the programs we provide. Every touch point we have with people must be a quality experience and embed a culture that is truly unique in the Australian environment.

TS: What are the future goals and hopes for Camp Quality?

SR: Our hopes and goals are to give children and their families who are living with cancer the skills to support and build their overall wellbeing beyond what medication can do for them. That outside treatment comes the support and services we can do to treat the wellbeing through optimism and resilience. We hope that this will empower children to then face the world so that they can deal with the stress, anxiety, lack of self-esteem, body issues and school issues that come their way and bounce back.