In this issue:

We are still reveling in the excitement from National Volunteer Week which for our sector, the celebrations seemed to continue for the whole month of May. It was incredible to see so many volunteering organisations, big and small, take the opportunity to thank their volunteers in-person with events, and online by sharing photos and stories. In 2024, National Volunteer Week will be held from Monday 20 - Sunday 26 May.

This month, we brought together over 100 volunteer managers and sector stakeholders for our first project showcase event which highlighted learnings from our funded Volunteer Management Activity (VMA) projects, experiences from our advisory groups, as well as a guest speaker from UWA's Community in Practice program. A full recap and insights will follow along with recordings for our regional members.  

We were also delighted to host 25 member-CEOs at a Roundtable discussing how the 2023-33 National Volunteering Strategy can be implemented in volunteer involving organisations and supporting a thriving volunteering sector in the future.  It was a fruitful informal discussion which highlighted key activities needed to achieve our strategic priorities. We look forward to the next member CEO Roundtable to be held in November. Further details will be included in our member-only newsletter.  

Each of these events and activities are providing insights and inspiration for how will reimagine the future of volunteering, and the next vital step is asking for your participation in the Western Australian State of Volunteering Report survey. Each volunteer manager within your organisation or community group can submit their survey responses, helping us inform the statistics and figures that will guide our sector over the coming years. Further details below. 

Happy volunteering,

Tina

Tina Williams | CEO Volunteering WA

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Volunteering WA News

Volunteer Managers, we need and value your insights

The State of Volunteering in WA – your input needed!

As your peak body, we aim to be your go-to place for all things volunteering, including the latest statistics, figures and trends within the sector. 

Volunteering WA is excited to be leading a project to release a State of Volunteering Report WA. A major input is a survey for Volunteer Managers which will tell us about your experience, insights and projections for our WA volunteering community. Results will be released at the State Volunteering Conference in November 2023.  

Please note that all Volunteer Managers (volunteers, employed, working for not-for-profit, private or public institutions) are eligible to participate, and more than one (unlimited) Volunteer Manager can participate from an organisation. 

Whilst your input is invaluable, there's also a chance to win one of five $100 gift vouchers.

The survey can take about 10 – 15 minutes to complete. Your insight as a volunteer manager is incredibly important, please submit your response. 

Funded by the WA Government Department of Communities and the Australian Government Department of Social Services.    

Youth and Regional Conference Subsidies Available

Youth, and Regional and Rural Attendee subsidy applications for the 2023 Volunteering WA State Conference are now open. Supported by the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, Lotterywest and RAC WA, volunteer-involving not-for-profits can apply for subsidies to cover up to 100% of their travel and accommodation costs to attend the conference.  Round 1 applications close July 31 - apply now and get ready to be inspired and network with other volunteering industry professionals.

We can do more with your support - Become a State Conference Partner
If your organisation or business would like to see the State Conference Sponsorship Prospectus and chat to our team, please contact Holly Hazel.

Volunteering WA’s partnership with BHP is expanding to the Goldfields! 

Our corporate volunteering team recently travelled to Kalgoorlie to meet with organisations in the area who are keen to tap into our corporate volunteering partnership with BHP. 

To kickstart the program in the Goldfields, we brought together 13 volunteers from BHP's Nickel West Lead for a day of gardening and site maintenance at the Kalgoorlie Boulder Community Garden earlier this month. We are thrilled to help bring Goldfield corporate volunteers and the community together through this program. 

If your organisation or community group could benefit from teams of corporate volunteers, please reach out. Our corporate volunteering program can assist members in metropolitan Perth, Pilbara, Kimberley and now Kalgoorlie.

July - August Volunteer Manager Training

>> Check out all of our 2023 scheduled workshops, courses and training sessions on the Volunteering WA training page and see our June workshops 

05 July, Diversity & Inclusion Series: Importance of Cultural Safety
ONLINE: Free to attend - registrations are essential 
Volunteering WA will work with organisations to understand how to deliver a genuine Acknowledgement of Country, create a culturally safe space, and better engage First Nations people in volunteering. 

Free National Standards for Volunteer Involvement (NSVI) webinar series in partnership with the Centre for Volunteering (NSW)

• 6 July, NSVI: Standard 5 - Support and Development Overview
• 11 July, How to Survive and Thrive the Challenge of Change
• 13 July, NSVI: Standard 5 - Support and Development
• 3 August, Workplace Safety and Wellbeing Overview
• 10 August, Safety and Wellbeing Interactive Case Study

14 July, Engaging Volunteers with Disability
ONLINE: Free to attend - registrations are essential
Facilitated by Eleanor Ingram, Chair of Volunteering WA's Disability Advisory Group, this session will help you understand ableism, build awareness of inclusive language and attitudes, and how to develop accessible volunteer recruitment and induction strategies. 

27 July, Volunteer Managers Network (VMN) Meeting
IN-PERSON: Perth, venue to be announced
Western Australia's Volunteer Managers Network is open to volunteer managers and coordinators from Volunteering WA Members. This 2.5 hour interactive network meeting is suitable for all levels of volunteer managers and will cover this month's topic of engagement. 

2 August, Making the most of Volunteering WA Membership (Members-only)
ONLINE: This session is for new and recently joined members of Volunteering WA
As a member of Volunteering WA, you and your colleagues have access to a wide range of services and other benefits, but do you know where to start? This session will show where you will get the most value from your membership.

17 August, Attracting and Retaining Young Volunteers (part one)
ONLINE: Free thanks to support from the Department of Communities
Young people seek not only a sense of purpose from volunteering but also rapid advancement opportunities, feedback, learning and development. This workshop looks at recruitment strategies, designing roles of interest and how to increase engagement and productivity of young people.

17 August, Diversity & Inclusion Series: Inclusion-ready - panel presentation
ONLINE: 2 hour panel Q&A
In this online panel, you'll hear from people with lived experience who will share their volunteer experiences and insights, learn strategies to promote inclusive volunteer practices, and have an opportunity to ask questions in a no-judgement zone. 

VIKTORLite volunteer recruitment platform gets an upgrade

You asked, and we listened. We took onboard your feedback and VIKTORLite has received major updates focusing on the three most frequently requested features: 

• On your Organisation Profile you can now update and edit your organisation name, general contact details and organisational description. 
• Easily download/export accepted volunteering applications so they can be imported easily into volunteer management systems like INVOLVE. 
• Manage your organisation's users; easily check who in your team has access to VIKTOR account, add new users or remove past staff. 

Self-paced online learning | New Course

Our new micro-learning course “Becoming an inclusive volunteer involving organisation” shares a vision of making the volunteer experience a fairer, safer and more inclusive cultural field and practice. We also offer courses in “Volunteer Engagement Planning” and “Writing Effective Position Descriptions”.

For volunteer managers and coordinators who want to learn on-the-go outside of scheduled workshops, Volunteering WA is thrilled to offer an on-demand, self-paced style of learning through our online provider EdApp. You can complete in your own time on your desktop, phone or tablet.

Sector News

Thank a Volunteer Day Grants Opened

The Department of Communities delivers the Thank a Volunteer Day Grants Program which offers grants of up to $1,000 for organisations to host volunteer recognition events or associated activities to celebrate International Volunteer Day. 

International Volunteer Day, known as Thank a Volunteer Day in WA, is held each year on 5 December. Applications are open until 2:30pm Thursday 27 July.

Does your volunteer already have a Working with Children Card? 

Have you checked? If a person volunteers with your organisation and already has a Working with Children Card:

✅ sight the card
✅ validate it on the WWC website to check its currency
✅ register their details with the WWC Screening Unit

By registering the details, the organisation can not only ensure that volunteers in child-related work have current WWC Cards, but also that the organisation is notified should a Negative Notice or Interim Negative Notice be issued. 

For more information visit the Working with Children Check website.

Coming soon: New volunteer management resource library

We are excited to share that we will launch a library of new resources to our community very soon! This initiative is the result of an ongoing national collaboration to create and organise the best volunteer management resources in one place. Read more. 

It's a national effort! Let's engage with our student volunteers 

National Student Volunteer Week (NSVW) is an opportunity to acknowledge the impact that student volunteers make through volunteering. This year National Student Volunteer Week will be 7 - 13 August 2023 and the theme is Give. Grow. Belong which taps into a generation who are more socially conscious than ever before. Students around Australia are committed to getting actively involved with causes they believe in to contribute to positive change. Find NSVW resources, graphics, and editable certificates.

National NAIDOC Week

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. The 2023 National NAIDOC Week theme is For Our Elders. 

You can support and get to know your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities through activities and events held across the country. Learn how you can get support and get involved: www.naidoc.org.au

Gain the support of a UWA student intern for your organisation

There is still time to secure the support of a UWA student intern for your organisation or project, for 100 hours between July and October.

New intern roles for the McCusker Centre for Citizenship’s award-winning Internship Program can be submitted by mid-July. If you have hosted before, you can submit a new role through the Centre’s portal, or if you are interested in hosting for the first time, get in touch with the Centre’s internships team.

With more than 2,500 internships undertaken to date, 96% of internship supervisors say they would recommend the program.

Find out more:
Email: internships@mccuskercentre.uwa.edu.au
Web: https://mccuskercentre.uwa.edu.au/organisations

www.volunteeringwa.org.au  |  08 9482 4333  |  info@volunteeringwa.org.au

Volunteering WA empowers people and communities to enrich Western Australia.