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Newsletter May 2019 |
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e-news member,
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CEO's WelcomeWelcome to the May edition of eNews. It's been a wonderfully busy month as we celebrated National Volunteer Week 2019, along with our members, partners and volunteers. Now in its 30th year, the week celebrated the contributions that volunteers make around our Western Australian communities and it was our privilege to attend many different events around Perth and in the regional areas. My team and I visited volunteering expos, morning tea thank you events, training sessions and much more. I personally had the pleasure of speaking to volunteers and organisations at a sundowner in Albany, hosted by the Albany & Regional Volunteer Service and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries about the benefits of volunteering and the importance of the week. This event and many others were funded through our National Volunteer Week grants, generously supported by Lotterywest. Their support meant that 191 volunteer involving organisations held 214 events with 16, 287 volunteers in attendance, which was a record number. I was also privileged to attend the WA State Government Volunteering Long Service Awards where volunteers were recognised and awarded for their 25+ years to not-for-profits in WA. It was an incredible morning that reinforced how vital volunteers are to our communities and that they really do make 'a world of difference.' One of the highlights of National Volunteer Week is our annual WA Volunteer of the Year Gala Presentation Dinner, which many of you attended this year at the Crown. It was a wonderful night of celebrating with over 370 guests including our Patron of Volunteering Hon. Kim Beazley AC who announced the recipients of the eight categories of awards. A full list of recipients and their inspiring stories can be found here Congratulations to all the finalists and recipients and thank you to our valued sponsors of the awards: Bankwest, Community News, Department of Communities, Lotterywest, NeonLogic, Office of Multicultural Interests, Silver Chain and YMCA WA. The awards would not have been possible without their support. Nominations for next year's awards will open in January 2020. I'm delighted to announce that the next national Volunteering Conference will be held in Perth 18 - 20 March 2020 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. Volunteering Australia’s national conference is the premier national volunteering event in Australia and will bring together managers of volunteers, not-for-profit leaders, and policy professionals to advance volunteering across the country, and inform the national agenda. It has been twenty years since the conference was last held in Perth so it is an exciting time for our organisation, key stakeholders and members. Our goal is to deliver not just a successful conference but an experience that will inspire and motivate managers and leaders from the entire Australian volunteering and community sector. To keep updated on this exciting event please subscribe here Happy Volunteering, Tina |
Winners of the National Volunteer Week CompetitionCongratulations to Esme Bowen, Solaris Cancer Care and Communicare Inc. for winning the Social Media Selfie competition, held during National Volunteer Week. The competition was open to anyone that posted a photo of themselves at a National Volunteer Week event and tagged Volunteering WA. We had a lot of entries and it was wonderful to see our members and the community enjoying the week around our State. Thank you to everyone who entered. |
Duke of Ed EmployerWe are pleased to inform our members that Volunteering WA is now proud to be a Duke of Ed employer. CEO Tina Williams spoke at the official launch of the Duke of Ed Employer Initiative which is a global non-formal education framework that challenges young people to discover their potential and find their purpose, passion and place in the world. The programme celebrates the achievements of its young graduates in demonstrating their passion for improving their communities through volunteering and outstanding qualities and attributes they gain through this experience. For this reason, we harness the value of this award into our recruitment and staff development programs. More information about this programme can be found at https://dukeofed.com.au/about-the-award/the-award/ |
Sector NewsReport: Australia Giving 2019 This report presents the findings of a survey of 1,023 adults on their charitable activities and volunteering work. Key findings include: - A third (35%) have volunteered in the past 12 months, and, as with donating money, supporting children is the most popular cause (21%). - Younger Australians (18-24 year olds) are more likely to volunteer than their older counterparts. We invite our members to read the full report here. Research Publication Available: Time Well Spent Time Well Spent is a major new international report into the volunteering experience published by NCVO in January 2019 and with over 10,000+ respondents. The survey focuses on volunteering through groups, clubs, organisations and recent volunteers and aims to gain a rounder view of the different ways people get involved. The full report is available here. Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety The first hearings took place in Adelaide during February and March and began with an overview of the state of the aged care sector in Australia. The Commission heard from many key players in the aged care sector as well as family members, medical experts and unions representing workers in aged care. The Commission will now make its way to all capital cities and a number of regional locations around Australia. Please click here to see how you can engage with the Commission including how submissions can be made and when and where the hearings will be held. |
Available GrantsBe Connected grant program Be Connected is an Australian government initiative committed to increasing the confidence, skills and online safety of older Australians. As part of the Be Connected program, there is a range of grants available to community organisations to support older people in their communities to embrace digital technology. For more information and to apply please visit here or email connect@goodthingsfoundation.org.
Women's Leadership Development The grant provides women with funding between $3,000 and $7,000 (per applicant, subject to a set of selection criteria being met) to undertake a range of leadership development programs commencing later this year. More information can be found at https://www.wla.edu.au/funding.html |
Open for applications - Saluting Their Service Commemorations Program
The Australian Government is inviting organisations through an open competitive process to apply for the Saluting Their Service Commemorations Program.
The objective of the program is to acknowledge and commemorate those who served Australia and its allies in wars, conflicts and peace operations. Information about applying for this round can be found here. |
Vacancy: exciting opportunity for an events expertWe're seeking a passionate, energetic part-time Conference Event Coordinator to help us deliver a stand out National Volunteering Conference. This is a short term contract until March 2020 and we encourage applicants to visit here for more information and to apply. |
Training & EventsWe 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 your attention to two that are very popular and filling up fast.
Volunteering in Aged Care Settings Dr Megan Paull and Dr Sally Paulin will present the findings from a small pilot collaboration funded by Murdoch University, Volunteering WA, Amana Living, Juniper and Southcare, with the support of the Council on the Ageing (WA) and the Aged Care Volunteer Co-Ordinators Network. The pilot has begun the process of examining the changing nature of volunteering in aged care settings. Key emerging themes from the pilot will be discussed, including volunteer sharing and volunteer portability, and directions for future research will be canvassed. Come and hear the findings and help the research team determine where to from here. This will be of interest to volunteer managers in aged care settings and places are limited. Register here.
Risk Management Fundamentals Learning to effectively manage an organisation’s risks can be a daunting prospect but is essential for the safety of its volunteers, staff and assets. Run by an expert in the industry, this two hour interactive session will help you identify and assess the impact of risks within your organisation and determine suitable ways to record, manage and monitor your risks. This is a free session for both Members and non-Members thanks to our volunteer partners at Bankwest. Register here. This workshop also counts towards your Volunteer Manager Endorsement. |
Introducing our BoardIn this regular feature of the eNews we showcase one of our hardworking and dedicated Board Members. Without their leadership and guidance, we wouldn’t be able to achieve all the successes we do. Thank you to our Board. Justine Colyer CEO, RISE | Board Volunteering WA This year the Board welcomed the addition of Justine Colyer. Justine has held several senior leadership positions across various organisation in the not for profit, government and private sectors. Her skills and experience lie in the areas of community services, strategic planning; risk, project and change management; governance, policy and advocacy; people management; and stakeholder management and engagement. Justine will provide practical and hands on support in helping strengthen the sector through volunteering for grassroots causes to keep grounded in the reality of organisations which function wholly or mainly on the back of volunteer efforts. “I believe that volunteers will play an increasingly important role in building a successful community, through the additional services that not for profits can offer via volunteer run programs, the value that volunteers bring to those they work with through social connection and kindness, and the value of volunteers themselves.” |
Regional NewsMay has been a busy month for our regional hubs, especially during National Volunteer Week where our staff attended many celebration events held by community organisations around WA, with thanks to the Lotterywest grant. In the Pilbara, VWA Hub Coordinator Kelly visited various Port Hedland organisations to provide Volunteer Management Plan training with the Town of Port Hedland and to attend the Bloodwood Tree Careers Expo. She also hosted a corporate Volunteering Day with a team of engineers from Woodside who assisted Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation Ltd in undertaking some gardening projects at Cossack Historical Town.
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Corporate CornerVolunteering WA’s Corporate Volunteer Council (CVC) is a group of business leaders dedicated to the promotion of corporate volunteering. To mark National Volunteer Week, the corporate volunteering team hosted senior executives from Alcoa, Bankwest, Beyond Bank, Deloitte, RAC WA and Woodside Energy who spent the morning at Dismantle repairing bikes for their hands-on youth mentoring program, BikeRescue. It was a fantastic way to start off the week! The next day the team hosted a volunteering day with the BHP Operational Readiness team who spent the day at the Cancer Council’s Milroy Lodge working in the garden. The team accomplished a tremendous amount of work including painting the gazebo, varnishing outdoor dining sets, a bridge and pond viewing platform and landscaping the area around one of the large trees in the courtyard. By the end of the day the garden had gone through a huge transformation leaving some very happy residents at the Milroy lodge. Step Into Corporate Volunteering Session Join Volunteering WA’s Corporate Team for a ‘Step Into Corporate Volunteering’ session. VWA’s Corporate Team want to provide our members with a comprehensive introduction to the corporate volunteer program and work through real examples with you, to help you get the most from this fantastic member benefit. We invite members to let us know of any short term projects that they may need help with. Your projects may include building, painting, gardening, conservation or preparing meals, just to name a few. We have corporate teams ready to assist on your next project and we look forward to discussing your needs with you. We also have skills-based corporate volunteers who are available to help you with longer term projects such as strategic planning, project management and mentoring. The opportunities are limitless and we will work together with you to discuss what options are available. The 'Step into Corporate Volunteering' session provides you information on:
This special event is for MEMBERS ONLY and there are limited places available. To book your place, register on our website. |
VIRA/VIKTORAre you one of our many VIRA users? Then you’ve probably spoken to Robert who is one of the members of the team behind VIRA, our easy-to-use volunteer management system designed by volunteer co-ordinators. Robert guides volunteering organisations on how to use VIRA most effectively to save time and reduce admin in co-ordinating volunteers. He helps transfer their data and guides them on how to use VIRA and VIKTOR to streamline workflow. Robert knows all of VIRA and VIKTOR's ins and outs and takes on ideas as he goes, developing enhancements and upgrades to keep VIKTOR up to date with volunteering today. Robert is a regular traveller to volunteer resource centres across Australia for training on the VIKTOR family products. He is also in demand for thinking out of the box when it comes to wanting a volunteer management solution. Robert is a former TAFE lecturer with an IT background, and was first hired by Volunteering WA in 1999 to provide IT support and development. He worked on the original VIKTOR, and came up with ideas to suit VWA that he quickly realised could also help other organisations across WA and Australia. For more information on VIRA, please email vira@vol.org.au or visit the website. |
New MembersA warm welcome to our new and returning members:
We look forward to working with you. |
Shout out SaturdayDo 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 4,900 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. |
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The information and materials presented in this newsletter and at the web site are distributed by Volunteering WA as an information source only. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information, no guarantee is given nor responsibility taken by Volunteering WA for errors or omissions.