Community Resource Unit
Community Resource Unit Ltd is a Queensland-based non-profit founded in 1988 that builds capacity for disability inclusion through training, publications, events, and programs grounded in Social Role Valorisation theory, serving people with disability, families, human services organisations, and government.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersSouth Brisbane, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Community Resource Unit does
Community Resource Unit Ltd (CRU) is a Queensland-based, non-profit organisation founded in 1988 that operates as a catalyst for disability inclusion rather than as a direct service provider or advocacy body. CRU serves people with disability, their families, allied human-services organisations, and government bodies through fee-for-service training, workshops, leadership development programs, publications, and events. Its work is grounded in Social Role Valorisation (SRV) theory developed by Dr Wolf Wolfensberger, which it applies consistently across programs spanning inclusive education, employment pathways, supported living, NDIS readiness, and inclusive councils.
CRU's core products and resources include the Good Life website (thegoodlife.cru.org.au), the CRUcial Times publication (since 1994), the CRUcial Conversations podcast, Videos on Demand, fact sheets, and a portfolio of books and multimedia. It is the exclusive Australian distributor of Valor Press SRV texts and operates an e-commerce bookstore selling publications at unit prices ranging from $15 to $120. CRU maintains AS/NZS ISO 9001:2015 certification through HDAA Australia and runs programs including Families for Inclusive Education, School to Work, My Home My Way, and Leadership Development.
CRU's revenue model is a blend of grant funding (Queensland Government, NDIS Information Linkages and Capacity Building), fee-for-service engagements with organisations and individuals, event registration fees, donations via PayPal, and publication sales. With approximately 19 staff plus 5 board members, CRU is a small operation relative to the scope of its national and international network engagement, and collaborates through partnerships including NACBO, Uniting Care Queensland, Values in Action Association, Queensland Collective for Inclusive Education, Griffith University, and others.
Community Resource Unit firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Community Resource Unit
- Legal name
- Community Resource Unit Ltd.
- Website
- https://cru.org.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Community Resource Unit Ltd is a Queensland-based non-profit founded in 1988 that builds capacity for disability inclusion through training, publications, events, and programs grounded in Social Role Valorisation theory, serving people with disability, families, human services organisations, and government.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Community Resource Unit industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Disability Inclusion Services and Resources
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family-School Collaboration & Inclusion Planning Support (EDAKABAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG), 504 Plan Consulting & Disability Accommodations (School-Based) (EDAKACAG)
Keywords
Where Community Resource Unit is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- South Brisbane
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Community Resource Unit business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Fee for Service: CRU offers fee-for-service arrangements where people and organisations can engage CRU to develop and deliver additional services, tailored training, individual consultations, and Videos on Demand. Services include niche training for organisations and families.
- Publications and Resources Sales: CRU creates, shares and sells a variety of resources including books, fact sheets, DVDs, and multimedia materials through its online bookstore. Prices range from $15 to $120 for publications. CRU is also the Australian distributor of Valor Press SRV texts.
- Donations: CRU accepts donations through PayPal, with a prominent donate button on its website homepage.
- Event Fees: Workshops and events carry registration fees. Cancellations after the RSVP date forfeit the fee. CRU engages in event registration through platforms such as Humanitix.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | SRV and disability sector publications ranging from $15 to $110 |
| Others | Multi-year contract | Fee-for-service workshops, training and consultations - quote-based |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Community Resource Unit product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CRU creates, shares and sells resources, publications, and multimedia content, and delivers tailored fee-for-service training, consultations, workshops and leadership programs for people with disability, their families, human services organisations, and government bodies. The work is grounded in the Social Role Valorisation (SRV) theoretical framework and targets inclusion, leadership development, inclusive education, employment, housing, and community capacity building.
Product overview
Community Resource Unit Ltd operates as a catalyst for change focused on disability inclusion, offering a portfolio of educational resources, programs, and services. The core offerings include The Good Life Website (an online resource platform with strategies for inclusive living), CRUcial Times (a publication since 1994), the CRUcial Conversations podcast, and Videos on Demand. CRU distributes Social Role Valorisation (SRV) publications and books through its online store. The organisation delivers programs including Families for Inclusive Education, School to Work, My Home My Way, and Leadership Development initiatives. Fee for Service offerings provide customised training and consultations to organisations. Events and conferences serve as forums for knowledge sharing. The product ecosystem is unified by a theory of change emphasising belonging, valued social roles, and community inclusion for people with disability.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Good Life Website (Bringing the Good Life to Life) A comprehensive website offering strategies, stories, ideas and resources for people with disability to create and sustain a good life, including sections on getting started, including others, the role of the NDIS, funded supports, and addressing blocks and barriers to inclusion.
- CRUcial Times A publication platform established in 1994 that provides a forum for local, national and international writers to explore themes around authentic inclusion for people with disability and genuine change.
- CRUcial Conversations Podcast A podcast series exploring grassroots-led change in Queensland's disability community, created as part of the Anne Cross Leadership Initiative partnership with Uniting Care Queensland.
- Videos on Demand A collection of educational videos available for purchase or viewing covering topics such as advocacy, friendship and relationships, and sensory-movement differences. Some content is freely available on CRU's YouTube Channel.
- Social Role Valorisation (SRV) Publications A collection of books and resources on Social Role Valorisation theory, including titles such as 'A Brief Introduction to Social Role Valorization', 'PASSING Manual', 'Advanced Issues in Social Role Valorization Theory', and other SRV texts. CRU is the Australian distributor of Valor Press SRV publications.
- Self-Managed Workforce Innovation Website An online resource exploring how self-managed arrangements deliver good outcomes for people living with disability and support workers, featuring interviews and guidance for making informed choices about support models.
- Families for Inclusive Education A project providing resources to deepen understanding of inclusive education and how families can pursue high-quality education for all students at their local neighbourhood school.
- School to Work A project focused on supporting people with disability to find employment and transition from school to work, promoting non-segregated post-school pathways.
- My Home My Way A project that harnesses resources about home into a website, including videos, podcasts, and booklets, along with workshops on creating independent living options.
- Leadership Development Programs Programs including the Disability Leadership Program and Family Leadership Forums that develop leadership skills among people with disability and families to drive change.
- Fee for Service Offerings Customised training, individual consultations, and workshops (such as 'Getting to the Heart') delivered to organisations and families, including values-based training and assistance with tendering processes.
- Events and Conferences Workshops, forums, and conferences (including Building Capacity for Lifelong Inclusion) bringing together people with disability, families, and professionals to share ideas and strategies for change.
- Fact Sheets Downloadable informational resources covering topics such as supporting people with disability in their own homes and workplace supervision guidance.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 30 years of continuous operation and sector leadership in disability inclusion in Queensland
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Community Resource Unit
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Community Resource Unit technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Community Resource Unit partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- National Alliance of Capacity Building Organisations (NACBO)coreCRU is a member of NACBO, a collection of organisations committed to working together to deliver capacity building projects around Australia. Member organisations include Belonging Matters (Victoria), Community Resource Unit Ltd. (Queensland), Family Advocacy (NSW), Imagine More (ACT), Julia Farr Association – Purple Orange (SA), and Valued Lives (WA). NACBO members collaborate on projects including the My Home My Way project, Making Individualised Living Options Real Project, and Self-Managed Workforce Innovation project.
- Uniting Care QueenslandcoreCRU partners with Uniting Care Queensland (formerly Uniting Care Community) through the Anne Cross Leadership Initiative, established in 2017. The initiative aims to develop strong, principled leadership amongst people with disability and families throughout Queensland. As part of this initiative, CRU created the CRUcial Conversations podcast series exploring grassroots-led change in Queensland's disability community.
- Values in Action Association (ViAA)minorCRU supports ViAA, an independent Social Role Valorisation (SRV) education initiative running workshops and events in South East Queensland. CRU is the Australian distributor of Valor Press SRV texts and sells SRV books through its online store while promoting ViAA events.
- Queensland Collective for Inclusive Education (QCIE)minorQCIE is a statewide group of families promoting inclusive lives for children with disability, started in 2017. CRU has contributed assistance with planning facilitation and resourcing families to tell their story, and has collaborated with QCIE in running and promoting events.
- WorkAbility QueenslandminorCRU partnered with WorkAbility Queensland on the Student Vocational Placements project, part of the NDIS Training and Skills Support Strategy (NTSSS), delivered on behalf of WorkAbility Qld and funded by the Queensland Government. The project explored vocational placements led by people with lived experience of disability.
- TAFE QueenslandminorCRU's Student Vocational Placements project complemented learnings from a TAFE Queensland action research project exploring vocational placements with a focus on human service organisations.
- Queenslanders with Disability Network (QDN)minorCRU partnered with QDN on the 'Getting on the Grid' project, collaborating with Community Living Association, Micah Projects and CRU to work with people with disability in Queensland at risk of missing out on accessing the NDIS.
- Mamre AssociationminorCRU partnered with Mamre Association and Queenslanders with Disability Network on CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) Participant Readiness work, advocating for a funded targeted strategy as part of the Queensland Government's NDIS Participant Readiness Strategy.
- Amparo AdvocacyminorAs part of the CALD Participant Readiness work, CRU and partners advocated for and secured funding for Amparo Advocacy to engage in work preparing members of the CALD community for the NDIS.
- Griffith UniversityminorCRU collaborated with Griffith University on the NDIS Symposia series - nine symposia exploring key topics including employment, home, CALD communities, children with complex health needs, and people who are hard to reach.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Community Resource Unit competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Belonging Matters: Victoria-based disability inclusion capacity building organisation and fellow NACBO member. Directly comparable to CRU as a state-level capacity builder using SRV-informed approaches and serving families and people with disability.
- Family Advocacy: NSW-based family advocacy and disability capacity building organisation, fellow NACBO member. Comparable to CRU in mission, target audience (families of people with disability), and NACBO-aligned programs.
- Imagine More: ACT-based disability capacity building organisation and NACBO member. Closely comparable to CRU in providing individualised support planning, family engagement, and SRV-aligned training in a smaller state territory.
- Julia Farr Association / Purple Orange: South Australian disability inclusion organisation and NACBO member. Comparable to CRU in providing disability sector training, capacity building, and resources grounded in SRV theory across a state geography.
- Valued Lives: Western Australian disability capacity building organisation and NACBO member. Closely comparable to CRU in NACBO collaboration, focus on individualised living options, and SRV-aligned practice.
- Queenslanders with Disability Network (QDN): Queensland-based disability advocacy organisation that partners with CRU on NDIS access projects. Comparable to CRU in Queensland disability sector focus and NDIS Participant Readiness work.
- Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion: Queensland-based independent disability advocacy organisation. Comparable to CRU in operating in Queensland disability sector with overlapping leadership involvement (CEO Lisa Bridle) and similar policy/advocacy adjacent roles.
Broad incumbents
- People with Disability Australia: National peak disability advocacy organisation representing people with disability in policy and rights. Comparable as a broader disability sector actor whose work overlaps with CRU's inclusion and rights focus but at national scale.
- Inclusion Australia: National disability advocacy organisation focused on inclusion of people with intellectual disability. Comparable to CRU's work on inclusive education and community participation, but operating nationally with significantly larger scale.
Regional players
- Amarpo Advocacy: Queensland CALD disability advocacy organisation partnering with CRU on NDIS Participant Readiness for culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Comparable in Queensland disability sector focus and CRU collaboration but with narrower cultural remit.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Community Resource Unit social profiles
Digital presenceCommunity Resource Unit compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Community Resource Unit financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Community Resource Unit leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Community Resource Unit funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Community Resource Unit M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Community Resource Unit
What does Community Resource Unit do?
CRU creates, shares and sells resources, publications, and multimedia content, and delivers tailored fee-for-service training, consultations, workshops and leadership programs for people with disability, their families, human services organisations, and government bodies. The work is grounded in the Social Role Valorisation (SRV) theoretical framework and targets inclusion, leadership development, inclusive education, employment, housing, and community capacity building.
Is Community Resource Unit a public or private company?
Community Resource Unit is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Community Resource Unit founded?
Community Resource Unit was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Community Resource Unit based?
Community Resource Unit is headquartered in South Brisbane, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Community Resource Unit make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Fee for Service is the primary driver. The others are publications and Resources Sales, donations and event Fees.
Who are Community Resource Unit's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Belonging Matters, Family Advocacy, Imagine More, Julia Farr Association / Purple Orange, Valued Lives, Queenslanders with Disability Network (QDN) and Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion. Broad incumbents are People with Disability Australia and Inclusion Australia. Amarpo Advocacy is listed as a regional player.
Does Community Resource Unit have an API?
No public API is recorded for Community Resource Unit.
What industry is Community Resource Unit in?
Community Resource Unit's product category is Disability Inclusion Services and Resources. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAKABAK, Family-School Collaboration & Inclusion Planning Support, with a secondary code of BPAGAEAG, Disability Services & Independent Living Support. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8742.