Circular 44/23 SOP1 officially launched on July 1

One RSL in NSW, united for purpose

The District Presidents’ Council, RSL NSW Board and team at ANZAC House have collaborated over the past two years to deliver a new Standard Operating Procedure 1 (SOP1), which governs the way charitable funds held by sub-Branches across the state are used to support veterans and their families, and to commemorate service.

SOP1 enables sub-Branches to provide targeted support to veteran services and initiatives and is a new way to achieve our charitable purpose as a not-for-profit organisation.

This change has several goals:

• Lift the profile of the RSL in NSW by pooling and acknowledging sub-Branch donations as a larger, impactful contribution.
• Aligning all charitable giving with our charitable purpose: Supporting veterans and their families.
• Maintain sub-Branch autonomy by repealing the mandatory donation of the previous SOP1 and introducing a voluntary process so the sub-Branch can decide the initiative to receive the donation and the amount.
• Ensure transparency so that members, veterans and the general public can see that charitable funds are being used effectively.
• Increase awareness so that everyone knows what the RSL is, what we stand for, what we do, and veterans are encouraged to join us.

“Over the past two years of consultations, District Presidents have heard from their members about the importance of autonomy, and the DPC has been very conscious of the desire for sub-Branches to have their say about how the charitable funds they hold are donated.

“Members also want to know that the charitable funds are being used effectively – the only way we can balance autonomy with transparency is via the Veteran Support Fund.

“Transparency will enable us to provide as much help as we can, and to increase the visibility and acknowledgement of that help. This in turn will encourage veterans in our community to join our organisation, because they’ll see it as a worthwhile result of their efforts to help their fellow veterans.” 

– Derek Leslie, Chair, RSL NSW District Presidents’ Council

Your role

Sub-Branch leaders can help members better understand this change and its goals, and support members to nominate initiatives they believe RSL sub-Branches should collectively support.

After two years of collaborating to refine this important procedure, we now have our sights set on mid-2024, when we will all see the great impact our community can have, working together as one RSL in NSW.

ANZAC House is working with the District Presidents’ Council to request that sub-Branches formally acknowledge they have read and understood the new SOP1.

An all-member email will also be sent today (July 3) detailing the changes, and the next Ask ANZAC House on July 19 will be focussed on questions related to SOP1.

Visit the SOP1 page on the RSL NSW website and the sub-Branch Portal to find resources and answers to frequently asked questions.

If you need support on the implementation of SOP1, please contact your Member Support Team on 1300 679 775 or support@rslnsw.org.au.