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Nominations close soon for the Tasmanian Volunteering Awards 2016 - sponsored by MyState

Nominations for the Tasmanian Volunteering Awards close at 5pm 4 March! That's around two weeks away!

These awards, sponsored by MyState and supported by the State Government, aim to recognise and reward the contribution of those who exhibit excellence in the volunteering sector.

We know that sometimes it's hard for managers of volunteers to choose between members of their great team - here's what you can do to encourage nominations without having to single anyone out:

  1. Encourage self-nomination
  2. Encourage your team to nominate one another
  3. Encourage those who benefit from your team's volunteers to nominate them by way of saying thanks
  4. Nominate them all!

Are you a volunteer yourself? Maybe you are and you don't know it! If you give time willingly and for no financial gain, you may be a volunteer, and that means you are eligible for these awards.

Find out more or nominate at www.volunteeringtas.org.au/tasvolunteerawards2016

Member Feature - Community Transport Services Tasmania

Do you love driving and meeting new people? Do you have some spare time, and want to use it to give back to your local community members?

Help people with barriers to transport stay connected and maintain their independence by becoming a driver for Community Transport!

Find a Community Driver role in your area by typing 'Community Transport Services' into the search box on our Find a Role page, contact Mandy on 6231 5550, or email her to find out more.

Pro-rata membership rates now available

The Volunteering Tasmania Member family has grown to around 200 so far this year. So many individuals and organisations of all sizes are enjoying the benefits. We'd love for you to join them.

Because there are less than 6 months left of the financial year, we want to offer you benefits at a pro-rata rate.

Find out more or join by clicking here.

Practical help for VC/VIKTOR users

At our recent Network Meetings around the state, our resident VC/VIKTOR expert Lana ran a workshop designed to troubleshoot and give practical tips for those registered to use Volunteer Connect.

Volunteer Connect is a fantastic service where organisations can list volunteering vacancies, and potential volunteers can find them!

If you missed the session, or would like to have our handy guide at your fingertips, you can download it from here: 

Using Volunteer Connect to effectively recruit volunteers

To register your organisation on Volunteer Connect, email us today!

To search for a role, visit the Find a Role section on our website.

Are you involved with sport and recreation in Tasmania? We want to hear from you!

We are currently researching volunteering in Tasmania’s Sport and Recreation sector.

As part of our research we would love to hear from people volunteering in this sector.

If you give time, unpaid to a sporting group we would love to get your feedback.

This survey will only take five minutes to complete but will really help our research. All responses are anonymous.

Survey closes 5pm 1 March 2016.

Complete the short survey now by clicking here.

Our Volunteer Referral Officer team is growing! Let them help you find your perfect role.

Do you need a friendly face to help you find your perfect volunteering role?

Our Volunteer Referral Officers are skilled in helping anyone and everyone find something suitable for their interests and circumstances.

We offer face-to-face interviews in several locations around Tasmania, as well as phone interviews. Contact us today to book a free appointment, and experience the joy of volunteering!

Call 6231 5550 or email admin@volunteeringtas.org.au to utilise our referral service.

Government responds to Senate Inquiry into botched DSS funding process

The Federal Government has responded Senate Inquiry findings that their 2014/15 Department of Social Services (DSS) tendering process was destructive, and resulted in a reduction of funding to the sector by $270 million, and a significant loss of services to the Australian Community.

The response was presented in the Senate out-of-session on 18 January, and will be tabled when Parliament resumes in February 2016.

The Federal Government ‘agreed’ to four of the recommendations; ‘did not agree’ with one recommendation; and noted the remaining nine recommendations.

Read more, including what our CEO Adrienne Picone had to say about the results of the Inquiry, in the full Media Release here.

Member Feature - West Moonah Community House

Emergency Volunteering

EV CREW (Emergency Volunteering Community Response to Extreme Weather)

Volunteering Tasmania has recently implemented Emergency Volunteering CREW (Community Response to Extreme Weather).  The custom-made volunteer management system EV CREW matches volunteers’ skills, availability and location, with the needs of organisations delivering recovery activities after an emergency.

Find out more about Emergency Volunteering here.

You can follow the link to EV Crew at the bottom of the above webpage to register your interest.

Have you had a play with our Value of Volunteering Calculator yet?

Our calculator is a bit of fun, but it's also extremely useful for organisations!

You can enter the total volunteer hours and any other expenditure in your volunteer program to estimate the value and impact your volunteer program has on your community.

The calculator allows your volunteer involving organisation to provide best practice evidence around the value of your volunteer program.

You could incorporate the findings into reports or funding applications, or use the results to inform strategic planning.

The fact sheet for organisations is here.

If you are an individual you can use the calculator to work out a dollar value of your amazing contribution to Tasmania. Your fact sheet can be found here.

Try out the calculator and let us know your results!

2016 National Volunteering Conference

The 2016 National Volunteering Conference (6 – 8 April 2016, National Convention Centre Canberra) is the principal Australian forum for not for profit leaders, volunteer managers, policy contributors and corporates to come together to build knowledge, innovation, networks and leadership to advance volunteering. The Conference is proudly supported by Beyond Bank Australia.

For more information: www.2016nationalvolunteeringconference.com.au