Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria West

What Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria West does

Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria West (legal entity: Finwell Support Ltd) is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1986 and headquartered in Hamilton, Victoria, that delivers free, confidential, and independent financial counselling and wellbeing support to farmers, farming families, and small business owners across Western Victoria. The organisation operates four core service programs: Rural Financial Counselling, Small Business Support, a Wellbeing Support Program (launched with four dedicated counsellors in 2022), and Disaster Recovery Support covering drought, bushfire, flood, and storm events. Its geographic footprint spans more than 30 local government areas organised into five regional clusters — Great South Coast–Barwon, Hamilton–Central Highlands, Bendigo–Swan Hill, Wimmera–Southern Mallee, and Sunraysia–Millewa — with face-to-face consultations at the client's home, farm, or business as the primary delivery model.

The organisation is funded entirely by the Australian Government and the Victoria State Government, with additional programmatic funding from foundations such as the Gardiner Foundation ($300,000 for South-West Victorian dairy drought support, June 2025–June 2026). It is a member of the national RFCS Network, and all financial counsellors are accredited through Financial Counselling Victoria. Go-to-market is community-led and relationship-driven: locally based counsellors attend agricultural shows and field days (e.g., Elmore Field Days, Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show), engage with referral partners such as Agriculture Victoria, Rural Finance, Services Australia, NEMA, Regional Development Australia, and Business Victoria's Small Business Bus, and acquire clients through direct calls to 1300 735 578, an online JotForm intake, and word-of-mouth within tight rural networks.

The technology stack is intentionally lightweight: Salesforce CRM for client relationship management and Power BI for reporting and compliance dashboards. There are no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, proprietary software products, patents, or app offerings. The leadership team is led by CEO David Stafford (BCom, CPA, AICD), supported by Team Leader Wellbeing Coordinator Anna McGee and Regional Leads Stephanie Ferdelja and Sarah Moncrieff. The organisation is governed by a Board of Directors with agricultural, financial, and community expertise, and is actively hiring — with two rural financial counsellor roles (Warrnambool and Bendigo) and three bushfire-recovery roles advertised as of June 2026.

Name

Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria West

Legal name

Finwell Support Ltd

Website

https://wswrcs.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria West is a 1986-founded not-for-profit (Finwell Support Ltd) delivering free, confidential, accredited financial counselling, wellbeing support, and disaster recovery services to farmers, farming families, and small business owners across more than 30 local government areas in Western Victoria, funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Financial Counselling Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) / Emergency Social Assistance (BPADADAI)

Keywords

• Rural financial counselling
• Small business support
• Farmer wellbeing services
• Disaster recovery support
• Community financial advice

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: RFCS Victoria West is a not-for-profit organisation funded by the Australian Government and the Victoria State Government. Services are provided free of charge to eligible clients. Revenue comes entirely from government grants and funding agreements — not from client fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RFCS Victoria West provides free, confidential, and independent financial counselling and wellbeing support to eligible farmers, small business owners, and rural communities across Western Victoria. Services are delivered primarily through face-to-face consultations at the client's home, farm, or business by FCVic-accredited financial counsellors, and span financial position assessment, debt and bank negotiation, succession planning, grant and government assistance applications, disaster recovery support, and integrated wellbeing counselling. All services are provided at no cost to clients and are funded by Australian Government and Victoria State Government grants.

Product overview

RFCS Victoria West is a not-for-profit community organization (operated by Finwell Support Ltd) providing free, confidential and independent financial counselling and support services. The organization operates four core service programs: Rural Financial Counselling for farmers, Small Business Support, Wellbeing Support, and Disaster Recovery Support. These services are delivered across western Victoria through a team of accredited financial counsellors and wellbeing professionals. Additional specialized programs include drought support packages, bushfire recovery initiatives, and the Gardiner Foundation dairy support program. All services are provided at no cost to eligible clients and are funded by the Australian Government and Victoria State Government.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wellbeing Program: Practical wellbeing support for individuals, families and communities experiencing pressure, recovery and change, working alongside financial counsellors.
• Small Business Support Program
• Disaster Recovery Support

Products and services

• Rural Financial Counselling
• Small Business Support

Quantifiable outcome

• Short waiting lists for support
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Agriculture VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgriculture Victoria is a key partner in disaster recovery, delivering grants, whole farm planning courses, and bushfire recovery workshops. RFCS Victoria West promotes Agriculture Victoria programs and works with them to connect clients with available support.
• Rural FinancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRural Finance administers the On-Farm Drought Infrastructure Grant Program. RFCS Victoria West helps clients understand eligibility and assists with the application process, acting as a trusted intermediary between clients and the grant program.
• Services AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServices Australia delivers Australian Government disaster recovery payments and Farm Household Allowance. RFCS Victoria West assists clients with applications for these government support programs as part of its comprehensive financial counselling services.
• National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEMA develops and coordinates Australia's connected and collaborative approach to emergency management. RFCS Victoria West links clients with NEMA resources as part of its disaster recovery support.
• Regional Development AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Development Australia bodies work across regional Victoria to support community development. RFCS Victoria West collaborates with these organisations to support regional recovery.
• Aussie Hay RunnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAussie Hay Runners is a charity that coordinates hay donations from Gippsland farmers to drought-affected regions. RFCS financial counsellor George Leishman participated in hay delivery events in the Colac/Otway region.
• The Four Posts Hotel (Jarklin)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Four Posts Hotel in Jarklin provides its facilities as a community meeting space for RFCS Victoria West financial and wellbeing counselling appointments. This community partnership extends service accessibility in a familiar, non-clinical environment. The arrangement began after the 2022-23 floods.
• Business Victoria (Small Business Bus)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRFCS Victoria West partners with Business Victoria's Small Business Bus program, providing financial counselling sessions on the bus at community events across more than 20 towns in Western Victoria. The Small Business Bus travels the state offering business assistance from expert advisers alongside RFCS counselling.
• National RFCS NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRFCS Victoria West is a member of the national RFCS Network, a coordinated network of rural financial counselling services across Australia. This provides peer support, shared training, and national consistency in service delivery.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RFCS South Australia: South Australian RFCS provider serving drought-affected farmers and primary producers. Same non-profit, government-funded, free-to-client model with face-to-face regional delivery.
• RFCS NSW Central West / Northern Region: NSW counterpart organisations delivering free rural financial counselling under the same national program. Same government paymaster, same accreditation pathway, and same eligible clientele.
• RFCS Tasmania: State-level member of the RFCS Network providing free rural financial counselling to Tasmanian farmers and small businesses. Directly comparable business model, funder (Australian Government), and service scope.
• RFCS North Queensland: Queensland-based RFCS organisation providing free rural financial counselling across North Queensland. Compares directly on funding model, target clients, and disaster recovery focus.
• Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria East (Upper Murray): Sister service operating the same RFCS funding model in eastern Victoria under the national RFCS Network. Same target clients (farmers and small business owners), same free counselling mandate, and competing for adjacent state funding contracts.

Regional players

• Bushfire Recovery Victoria: Victorian Government agency coordinating bushfire recovery across affected communities, including financial and wellbeing support. RFCS Victoria West is a delivery partner for these programs; they partially overlap on disaster recovery clientele.

Others

• Financial Counselling Victoria (FCVic): Peak body that accredits RFCS Victoria West's financial counsellors and sets professional standards. Not a direct competitor but a critical enabler and ecosystem partner for the RFCS model.
• Beyond Blue (Rural Communities program): National mental health organisation running rural-focused wellbeing programs. Not a financial counselling peer but a complementary wellbeing provider that RFCS Victoria West refers clients to and partners with on mental health response.

Emerging players

• Rural Aid: National charity providing financial assistance, water, fodder, and counselling to farmers in need. Operates in the same beneficiary population as RFCS Victoria West but is donation-funded rather than government-funded and plays a complementary, less structured role.
• Drought Angels: Charity providing financial and emotional support to Queensland and NSW farming families affected by drought. Comparable service mission to RFCS Victoria West's drought response, but with different funding model and geographic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RFCSVicWest

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria West