Newsletter January 2019
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e-news member,
- CEO's Welcome
- National Volunteer Week theme announced!
- Volunteering WA welcomes three new board members
- Greater benefits to our members
- VIRA/VIKTOR
- Corporate teams ready to support your organisation
- Training & Events
- New Members
- St John Heart Grant - Apply Now!
- Major reform to the Local Government Act – your input is invited
- Information about Lotterywest and Healthway Grants
- Australian Institute of Company Directors NFP Training Courses
- Shout out Saturday
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CEO's Welcome
Happy New Year 2019 to all our members, partners, volunteers and friends.
We closed 2018 with two pieces of fantastic news. The first was that our Corporate Volunteer Program was shortlisted as a finalist in the AIM WA Pinnacle Awards in the Corporate Social Responsibility Excellence Award category, sponsored by Hawaiian. The Awards Ceremony is held in March and we’ll keep you informed of our progress.
Our second piece of great news was received from Lotterywest who will once again be supporting our National Volunteer Week grants. The grants are available to volunteering involving organisations for ‘thank you and celebration’ events. The grants will officially open on 11 February and we encourage you to visit our grants webpage and apply. We are very grateful to Lotterywest for their support again this year.
Community News have confirmed that they will be our 2019 Print Media Partner for National Volunteer Week along with being a sponsor of the ‘Spirit of Volunteering’ Award. They will be once again collaborating with us on the very popular print lift out and we encourage you to take advantage of a special reduced rate just for our members. Thank you Community News.
We are excited to announce that the nominations for the WA Volunteer of the Year Awards are now open. To make it easier for you to nominate we have simplified the form and are also accepting self-nominations. There are eight categories of awards and if you know an individual or an organisation that is making a significant contribution to their community by volunteering, we’d love for you to nominate them. Being part of the awards not only recognises the volunteer for their hard work but also brings awareness and promotion for the organisation where they volunteer. The finalists are invited to attend a beautiful Gala Dinner on the 22 May at the Crown Perth and we encourage our members to buy tables to support our incredible volunteering
community.
I would like to convey my thanks to everyone who completed our member survey. This survey provides important feedback on the services that are important to you and sets our directions for 2019. You can view the results further here. Testament to the hard work and professionalism of the VWA team we received a massive 100% satisfaction rating. That is something we can all feel proud of.
Another bit of news is that the internal walls of our new office are being erected this week and as soon as we have a firm date for our office move we will send you an invite to our office warming party.
Wishing you all a successful year ahead.
Happy Volunteering,
Tina
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National Volunteer Week theme announced!
National Volunteer Week (NVW) is the annual celebration to acknowledge the generous contribution of our nation’s volunteers.
In celebration of International Volunteer Day, Volunteering Australia has announced the new theme for National Volunteer Week 2019 – “Making a world of difference.” Logos are now available for download from the Volunteering Australia resources page, with more information available over the coming months.
From 20–26 May 2019, thousands of events will be held across the country to say thank you to the 6 million Australians who volunteer their time. The week-long celebration will include breakfasts, morning/afternoon teas, and luncheons, as well as open days, award ceremonies, picnics, forums and training sessions. In WA, we will also be hosting the prestigious WA Volunteer of the Year Awards.
For more information about National Volunteer Week click here.
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Volunteering WA welcomes three new board members
Volunteering WA is pleased to announce the addition of three new members who were nominated to our Board late last year.
David Morrison is the Executive Director, General Manager WA of Adcorp Australia Ltd; Justine Colyer is the CEO of RISE and Fadzi Whande is the Founder/Director of Whande Group.
David, Justine and Fadzi bring a wide variety of skills, knowledge and diversity to our board including media, strategy implementation, governance, social impact and inclusion.
We invite you to read a full biography on our new members here.
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Greater benefits to our members
From 1 January, all existing and new members of Volunteering WA will also become Associate Members of Volunteering Australia (at no additional cost).
As an Associate Member of Volunteering Australia, organisations benefit from opportunities to:
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access, use or utilise services made available by Volunteering Australia
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participate in policy work
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input into Volunteering Australia's strategic plan
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receive notice, attend and speak at general meetings of Volunteering Australia (except in relation to matters which are subject to reserved voting rights)
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VIRA/VIKTOR
We have recently updated VIRA with several new features to make data entry easier.
Bulk Hours Entry
You can now easily enter larger volumes of hours data using the new Bulk Hours Entry form in the Administration section. Simply enter the details of the volunteering, select all the volunteers that participated and you're done! This new feature saves you time as you no longer have to go to each volunteer record individually to add this information.
VIRA Sign-in Sheet
If you have someone in a reception role, the new VIRA sign-in sheet is just what you need. You can use it to log each volunteer as they enter, and sign them out when they leave.
This new feature will give you not only a record of the hours they volunteered, but also list all of the volunteers currently on-site which is essential for OHS compliance.
Pending Volunteer Filter
You can now filter pending volunteers in VIRA by name or email address. This new feature will allow you to quickly find the application you want if you're looking for someone specific.
For more information on VIRA or to sign up click here or email vira@volunteeringwa.org.au
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Corporate teams ready to support your organisation
Last year VWA sent out 49 corporate teams who provided support to 19 VWA member organisations! The teams took part in a variety of projects and activities, ranging from gardening, conservation activities, building, painting, bike repair, food packing, event set up and pack downs.
Some of the feedback from VWA members:
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“The team painting on the day were very diligent with the completion of the project. The centre looks amazing!” – Directions Disability Support
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“Many outstanding jobs were completed. Many hands make light work!” – North Perth Community Garden
If you think your organisation could use the support from a corporate team or would like to find out more please let us know by contacting us at corporate@volunteeringwa.org.au
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Training & Events
All of the training and events we offer are listed here and we encourage you to register as the classes do book up quickly.
Key Issues of Volunteer Management
Tuesday 19 February 2019
9.30am to 4.00pm
Know anyone new to volunteer management? They really need to attend this workshop! It will give them all the basics of working with volunteers. Subsidised by the Department of Communities the cost of the course is only $88/$145 and includes a comprehensive resource.
Register here
Writing Winning Grant Applications
Tuesday 26 February 2019
2.30pm to 4.30pm | West Perth
This is our most popular and FREE workshop! Developed with assistance from Lotterywest, Department of Communities and Bid Write, you will learn what funders are looking for, what funders worry about, why applications fail, the four different types of grants, and the five steps for putting together successful applications. This practical workshop is really popular and very useful for those who are time poor and have minimal grant writing experience. Please note we only offer this workshop twice a year for FREE, so the next one won't be until later in 2019.
Register here
Volunteer Manager Networking *Special Presentation*
Tuesday 26 February 2019
9.30am to 1.00pm
We start the year with our usual news, events, info sharing, networking AND a special presentation by Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre who will launch project findings of the social and economic sustainability of WA’s rural volunteer workforce, which examined the challenges facing VIOs and individual volunteers across all sectors. Curtin University researchers will also offer general tips for us all as the information is relevant to both rural and city organisations. Bankwest is also very kindly providing lunch (Volunteering WA is providing morning tea).
Register here
National Standards for Volunteer Involvement
Tuesday 12 March 2019
9.30am to 2.00pm
This workshop will allow organisations to prepare and plan for the implementation of the Standards.
Participants will unpack the changes that will be needed for their organisation to meet the requirements of the new Standards and begin the process of reviewing their organisations' performance using the gap analysis tool. Working together, the group will then identify any barriers to change and their possible solutions. The facilitator will take participants through the process of developing an action plan and using the National Standards Guide and Workbook. This workshop is only delivered twice a year so please book in as soon as you can. The cost is $162 for members /$197 for non-members and includes morning tea and lunch, the Workbook and an electronic copy after attendance.
Register here
Introduction to Volunteering WA and VIKTOR
Wednesday 23 January
9.30am to 11.30am
New to volunteer management or to Volunteering WA? Please join us for this FREE session which will cover what we offer and how we can help your organisation.
Register here
VIRA Demonstration and Training
Wednesday 30 January 2019
2.00pm to 3.00pm
If you aren’t yet using VIRA, you’ll be amazed at how many things VIRA can do for you: record volunteer details, contribution in hours, services provided, recognition, reimbursement and training undertaken by volunteers. Using VIRA will help with funding submissions and reports too! This is a basic session that is suitable for people who are just about to start using this database, or interested in taking a look at it. This small group session is FREE to attend.
Register here
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New Members
A warm welcome to our new and returning members:
New & Returning Members | Regional WA
We look forward to working with you.
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St John Heart Grant - Apply Now!
Thanks to Lotterywest, St John WA is pleased to open applications for the Heart Grant. They are offering over 1,000 defibrillators to not-for-profit community groups and sporting clubs, to be installed on the exterior of a building for public community use.
This offering includes the defibrillator unit, a lock box and necessary first aid training. This package normally retails well in excess of $2,000, however the cost to successful grant recipients will be only $200.
We encourage you to visit www.stjohnheartgrant.com.au and submit your application by 28 February 2019*. It's a quick process that should take less than 5 minutes.
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Major reform to the Local Government Act – your input is invited
The State Government is undertaking major reform of the Local Government Act 1995 as a way to strengthen the capacity of local governments to deliver for their communities, and for local governments to be agile, smart and inclusive.
The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries has recently released discussion papers addressing community engagement, increasing participation and public confidence in local government elections, and the ways local government raise revenue, including rates. Discussion papers and online surveys are also available from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.
As part of the review, the Department wants to hear the views from our community. Submissions can also be lodged via email to the Department at actreview@dlgsc.wa.gov.au. The public submission period closes on 31 March 2019 and more information is available here.
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Information about Lotterywest and Healthway Grants
Lotterywest and Healthway grants ensure that Western Australia’s health, sports and arts sectors, as well as thousands of local government authorities and not-for-profit groups, are supported in their valuable contribution to the community.
As part of their commitment to continuous improvement it is good practice to regularly review operations, including their grant making strategy. The bringing together of Healthway and Lotterywest in January 2018 and the respective grant making approach, was incorporated into this review.
As a result, a Lotterywest and Healthway Community Investment Framework has been developed and the framework transition is underway and will be implemented over the next few months. Lotterywest is committed to continuing to work alongside organisations to provide guidance through the application process and what is required.
To find out more about the Community Investment Framework click here, call Lotterywest on 133 777 or email hello@lotterywest.wa.gov.au.
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Australian Institute of Company Directors NFP Training Courses
The Australian Institute of Company Directors holds a range of courses for directors but has specifically designed two for not-for-profit organisations:
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Governance Foundations for NFP Directors will be held on 11-12 March 2019
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Governing to Protect Vulnerable People will be held on 4 April 2019
Please get in touch with Sophie Newman on SNewman@aicd.com.au for more information or visit their website at www.companydirectors.com.au
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Shout out Saturday
Do you need help finding volunteers to fill a position in your organisation? Our Saturday feature, only for members, advertises your position on our Facebook page which is followed by over 4,400 followers. Email karan@volunteeringwa.org.au to promote your volunteer vacancies.
Please ensure your volunteering role is on VIKTOR so that we can link the Facebook post straight through to the Volunteering WA website.
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