Building financial resilience: How AI transforms operations at Disaster Relief Australia
When resources are scarce and stakes are high, innovation becomes survival. At Disaster Relief Australia (DRA), CFO Mark Welton has discovered that AI isn't just a tool for efficiency, it's become the backbone of how his finance team serves their mission.
DRA mobilises veterans and volunteers to support communities devastated by natural disasters. In this environment, every dollar and every minute counts. Traditional administrative overhead becomes a luxury they can't afford.
"There's never enough money for people, especially admin people. So I've had to start using AI to complement our skill set," Mark explains.
Solving the policy problem
Every growing organisation faces the same challenge: creating, updating, and actually getting people to read governance documents. For DRA, rapid growth meant Mark needed to completely overhaul their internal controls, finance manuals, and governance frameworks.
His solution? A custom-built "Internal Control Environment" GPT that transforms how staff interact with policies.
"We grew fast," Mark notes. "And I had to upgrade all our governance documents, internal controls, finance manuals, you name it. So I built a custom GPT to do it."
Instead of forcing staff to navigate dense PDF documents, they can now ask questions in plain English and receive immediate, policy-backed responses. Whether someone needs clarity on cash advances, travel policies, or expense procedures, the answers are instant and consistent.
"You don't have to go and read the policy. You can just talk to it in natural language and it'll speak back to you," Mark says.
The transformation is dramatic. Tasks that previously consumed entire workdays now take minutes.
"In the past, that would've taken me a full day. Now it's a five-minute job."
The GPT doesn't just answer questions, it creates connections, linking policies to related documentation like reimbursement procedures, codes of conduct, and expense standard operating procedures. The result is a centralised AI assistant that makes governance accessible rather than burdensome.
Field-ready financial knowledge
Mark's innovation extended beyond office-bound policy questions. Recognising that DRA's staff and volunteers often work in remote locations where quick access to information is critical, he developed mobile-accessible GPTs for operational knowledge.
One GPT consolidates all insurance policies and procedures. Team members can instantly find out what's covered, who to contact, and how to file claims, eliminating the need to dig through files or call the finance office.
"That one GPT alone probably saves us 20 minutes per insurance query and they used to happen all the time," Mark reports.
Another GPT handles incident response protocols, including procedures for injured staff and claim submission workflows. This ensures that finance-related processes continue smoothly even when the core team is unavailable.
"Even if they don't complete a claim, the GPT gives them a starting point. It saves my team a 20-minute phone call."
AI as professional development
DRA's leadership development program received an AI makeover that turns learning into practical tool-building. Instead of distributing generic training materials, Mark created a unique challenge: participants must build a custom GPT to maintain their ChatGPT license.
"If they want to keep their ChatGPT license, they have to build me a GPT I can use," Mark explains.
The results exceed expectations. One participant developed a medical GPT containing snakebite response protocols, directly relevant to DRA's high-risk fieldwork. Others tackle accounting challenges: designing budgets, drafting finance manuals, or building analytical models.
This approach transforms AI from an abstract concept into an immediately practical skill.
"It's a confidence builder. Once they see what's possible, they start coming up with their own use cases."
Grassroots adoption strategy
Technology implementation often fails at the adoption stage. Mark's solution focuses on hands-on experience rather than top-down mandates.
Weekly workshops bring together small groups of ten people for practical, example-driven sessions where participants build something themselves. The approach consistently converts skeptics into advocates.
"Once a week, we bring in 10 people, walk through examples, and let them build something. After a month, even the skeptics are on board."
For Mark, successful AI adoption requires removing fear and mystique from the technology.
"Take away the fear. AI isn't magic. But once people try it, they get it. And that's when the real value kicks in."
Augmentation, not replacement
Mark's philosophy centers on empowerment rather than displacement. AI doesn't replace his accountants, it amplifies their capabilities and extends their reach.
"AI won't replace you. But someone who uses AI will," he observes.
The operational reality
In disaster recovery operations and finance back offices alike, AI has moved from theoretical possibility to operational necessity. Through leaders like Mark Welton, these tools have become practical solutions that solve real problems.
At DRA, AI isn't transforming work through grand gestures,it's quietly revolutionising how essential work gets done, one five-minute policy query at a time.
If you're experimenting with AI in your own finance function or want to learn from others who are, jump into The Stack Exchange, our Slack community for finance leaders pushing boundaries.
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