CEO's Welcome
Welcome to the July edition of eNews.
This month we celebrate National Student Volunteer Week 2020 (#NSVW20) from 10 - 16 August, providing us with the opportunity to acknowledge the incredible impact that student volunteers make in our communities through volunteering.
I’m very pleased and proud to see how much emphasis and importance Western Australian tertiary institutions place on volunteering and on celebrating the week.
It is reporting time, and I wanted to encourage all Volunteer Involving Organisations (VIOs) to acknowledge their volunteers within their annual reports by using the Volunteer Benefits Calculator to calculate their value and contributions to your service and program areas.
The COVID-19 crisis continues to affect our daily lives and has left the volunteering sector in a state of rebuild. In response to emergency needs in the community, Volunteering WA launched an emergency recruitment platform in March to support VIOs and Local Government Authorities to provide urgent assistance for vulnerable people most at risk from the crisis.
As we move forward into the recovery phase our focus has shifted to assisting organisations to reactivate their volunteering programs safely to ensure essential services within our communities are being delivered. Useful and practical resources providing advice on resuming your volunteering programs can be found here.
We have seen positive signs showing the return of volunteering, with an increase in demand for volunteers through our recruitment platforms. This provides us with a good indication that volunteering programs are recommencing, with some VIOs redesigning their volunteer involvement to provide more online and virtual support. We thank the WA Government for encouraging Western Australians to return to volunteering with their ‘Getting back to giving back’ message.
If you require any assistance with your volunteering program please do not hesitate to contact us on 9482 4333 or via email.
Happy Volunteering,
Tina Williams | CEO Volunteering WA
Our News
National Student Volunteer Week 2020
Education providers, volunteer organisations and students across Australia will be celebrating student volunteers and connecting young people with opportunities to get involved in volunteering.
“Collective Impact: Give.Grow.Connect” is the theme of #NSVW20. Student volunteers give a hand to the community, grow as they gain knowledge and skills, and connect with others. To mark the week in Perth, UWA together with Curtin, Notre Dame, ECU and Murdoch universities will join forces to undertake a clean-up at Leighton Beach in Fremantle on Saturday 15 August under the expert guidance of Perth NRM.
Follow the link below for ideas and resources to help you celebrate #NSVW20.
Volunteer Manager Training Announcement
Volunteering WA is excited to announce two brand new training opportunities for volunteer managers across WA. We are currently calling for expressions of interest via our website.
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Program
The CPD program will help you maintain and develop the volunteer management skills and knowledge required in your current role, sector and beyond. The CPD will be achieved through a range of methods and will commence in October 2020, gradually replacing the current Management Endorsement Levels.
Certificate IV in Coordination of Volunteer Programs
This online 12-month course has been developed for not-for-profit and community service professionals and is responsive to the latest trends and requirements for volunteer coordinators in Australia. The Cert. IV course will enhance your thinking on how to operate more effectively in a challenging environment.
Become a Volunteering WA member
Volunteering WA has worked steadfastly to support and assist Volunteer Involving Organisations, community groups, local government bodies and volunteers, through the challenges of the past 5 months. As volunteering programs begin to resume, Volunteering WA is continuing to extend assistance, resources and services to help volunteer organisations, but there are still challenges ahead.
We need your support more than ever! We invite you to join us. Members not only have access to a broad range of valuable services and benefits but they are part of a network that recognises the essential contribution of volunteers and volunteering in our communities. Join the 700+ organisations that believe in the power of volunteering and become a member today.
Corporate Volunteering
Corporate Team Volunteering is back!
With more and more team days being booked into the calendar and skills-based projects getting underway, we want to make sure your organisation doesn’t miss out.
Whether you have a piece of work you think a skilled volunteer could help you with or a project that just needs a few extra pairs of hands, we’d love to hear from you. Contact the corporate team at corporate@volunteeringwa.org.au and one of our team will be in touch to discuss your needs.
Step into Corporate Volunteering Sessions
Do you have an activity or project that would benefit from a team of volunteers or a skilled volunteer? VWA’s corporate team are calling for expressions of interest from our members that would like to take part in an online Step into Corporate Volunteering webinar session. These sessions are designed for our members and will provide you with everything you need to know about how you can host a team of volunteers or a skilled volunteer. To register your interest, please email corporate@volunteeringwa.org.au
Regional News
All regional Volunteering WA hubs have now reopened and are offering their full range of services. Our helpful volunteer referral officers have also returned to the hubs and are following COVID-19 safe practices to assist volunteers to find great local community roles as VIOs resume their services and activities.
If you would like to get in contact with your local Volunteer Hub or Resource Centre please visit our website here.
VIRA/VIKTOR
Are you interested in seeing a demo of our volunteer management system, VIRA?
Let us show you how VIRA can help you manage your volunteers and reduce your administration time.
Built by volunteer coordinators, for volunteer coordinators, VIRA simplifies and streamlines every part of volunteer management. Due to the current circumstances we are not currently running any face to face demos, but we have produced a VIRA demo video that will guide you through how VIRA works and take you through all of its main features.
Register now to receive a link to the video so you can see how VIRA can help make the hard work of coordinating volunteers easier.
Sector News
Focus groups to help shape Australia's largest volunteering database
What do you need from a volunteer recruitment and management system?
Volunteer-involving organisations and volunteer resource centres are invited to take part in one of our upcoming focus groups to share your thoughts on the above question. As technology is a key component of volunteer management, we are keen to hear what features would be useful to you in an online volunteering database/platform.
Find out more:
Insurance gap for volunteers
Mark Pearce, Interim CEO Volunteering Australia, spoke to Pro Bono News about the need to fix the pandemic insurance gap for volunteers. Volunteering Australia is engaging with the government to try and fix the problem, and the Insurance Council of Australia are involved in working out a longer-term solution.
Last chance to have your say!
Volunteering Australia's annual Stakeholder Survey closes today (Friday 31 July) at 3pm.
Your feedback will help us gauge what, moving forward, the sector needs from Volunteering Australia as the national peak body for volunteering.
Please be assured your response will remain anonymous. Your feedback is important to us. Please click on the link below to complete this short survey.
Lotterywest Grant Update
As the needs of the WA community relating to COVID-19 evolve, the Lotterywest COVID-19 Relief Fund is evolving too. In 2020-21, the Fund includes three new grant streams designed to provide support to eligible organisations to assist individuals experiencing hardship; communities wanting to reconnect; and organisations to become stronger for the future.
Mental Health Week grant applications closing soon
The Western Australian Association for Mental Health (WAAMH) have grants up to $1,000 available to help hold your own community event or activity during Mental Health Week (10-17 October). The grant aims to provide you with additional support to recognise and celebrate Mental Health Week in your local community. Applications close Friday 7 August 2020. Apply today.
Community Partnership Program
Horizon Power is committed to growing regional WA by helping to build vibrant communities and supporting great initiatives. If you’re part of a group or organisation that helps make regional communities more vibrant, you could be eligible for a community partnership between $1,000 and $50,000. Please ensure you read the guidelines prior to applying. Applications are open until Friday 4 September 2020.
Homelessness Week 2020
Homelessness Week (2 – 8 August) is the national week to shine a spotlight on homelessness. It is estimated that over 9,000 Western Australians experience homelessness every night.
Shelter WA, with support from the Department of Communities and Beyond Bank and in partnership with the WA Alliance to End Homelessness, is hosting a series of events to discuss actions needed to end homelessness.
Volunteer Resource Centre Review
The Department of Communities is committed to designing cohesive and strengths-based solutions with the volunteering sector and exploring options for volunteer resource centres with an intention to provide what organisations most need, where it is needed most.
Through consultation, the Department aims to gather information that describes the current use of services and informs the next stage of the consultation process. Communities will then hold virtual workshops to supplement and explore this initial data, and gain feedback from the volunteering sector.
The online survey is available here and will close 5pm Monday 31 August 2020.
Training & Events
We have some fantastic training coming up in the next few weeks. Please visit our website here for a full schedule of upcoming sessions however we bring to your attention a few that are very popular and filling up fast.
Making the most of your Volunteering WA membership
Tuesday 4 August | 9am to 10am | Online
This session will show you how to make the most of your Volunteering WA membership including the services and support available. Free for Volunteering WA member organisations and those considering joining. Register here.
Returning to Volunteering Program during COVID-19
Wednesday 5 August | 10am to 11am | Online
Join us for this online session that outlines our six-step guide to getting your volunteer programs back up and running. Designed for small to medium sized Volunteer Involving Organisations, we will assist with getting your volunteers back with safety being the top priority. Register here.
Volunteer Manager Networking
Tuesday 18 August | 9.30am to 12pm | Online
Join VWA’s Training and Education Manager to discuss general news, events, information sharing and problem solving, followed by 30 minutes of networking. This session is only available to people currently working, or volunteering, as a Volunteer Coordinator/Manager. Register here.
New Members
A warm welcome to our new and returning members:
We look forward to working with you.
Saturday Shout Out
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, with over 6,500 followers. Email nazreen@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.
 |  |  |  |  |
Level 1, 3 Loftus Street
West Leederville WA 6007