It's been another unusual and challenging year as we try to adapt to living with COVID and safeguarding volunteers through vaccination (details on this below), and I am hopeful for 2022. 

Last week we brought our sector together for the Volunteering WA State Conference, where we hosted 200 delegates for a 2-day forum to discuss volunteer management best-practice, brainstorm ways to reduce barriers to volunteering and increase portability, and share valuable insights that will feed directly into our volunteering strategy over the next few years. 

We have two exciting programs that I'm delighted to introduce you to in this newsletter: the new volunteer management IT platform INVOLVE which I was honoured to launch at last week's conference; and a brand new advertising campaign to help redefine volunteering. 

With the holidays less than a month away, I wish you all a wonderful festive season and a Happy New Year. I look forward to celebrating the year with our guests at the upcoming International Volunteer Day Garden Party. 

Christmas closures: Please note the Volunteering WA office will be closed from Wednesday 22 December to Monday 3 January inclusive. We will be back in the office on Tuesday 4 January 2022.

Happy Volunteering,

Tina Williams | CEO Volunteering WA

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International Volunteer Day 

IVD2021 - 5 December: International Volunteer Day #IVD2021 is celebrated globally on 5 December each year. This year's theme is, Volunteer now for our common future, and aims to inspire people, whether they are decision makers or citizens of this world, to take action NOW for people and the planet.

You can read more about the theme, and download social media graphics here. 

Garden Party - 2 December: Each year on the Thursday before IVD, Volunteering WA brings together over 500 volunteers from different organisations and community groups for a very special afternoon tea. We can't wait to see you soon!

Mandatory Vaccine Directions

We continue to update our website with the latest information on vaccines for volunteers, please find details here. 

• Community Care Services Sector
• Volunteer Fire And Emergency Services

By working together, Western Australia has been very fortunate to continue to enjoy good community health and a buoyant economy, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Watch out for our new advertising campaign! 

It's time we re-define what it means to be a volunteer in Western Australia.

From December 2021 to February 2022, Volunteering WA will embark on an advertising campaign to engage younger Western Australians and boost volunteer numbers. It’s crucial we do this to ensure organisations that rely on volunteers are able to not only survive, but to flourish.

This campaign is funded through a grant from Lotterywest, and will help lead volunteering in Western Australia in a new direction and encourage volunteer involving organisations to re-imagine their volunteer experiences to appeal to a wider range of people. This will be a first step in a journey to challenge organisations to adapt to the changes in the volunteering landscape.

> Learn more about the campaign here. 
> Send us your social volunteering activities to go on the campaign website!
If you have a morning/day of volunteering activities that we can open up to the public and collect registrations for throughout the campaign please let us know.  Please contact our Communications Manager Holly at holly@volunteeringwa.org.au or on 9482 4333 and we can share the date and times throughout the campaign. We are looking for any activity that you think will be fun and meaningful for volunteers to help with, such as: helping you pack and sort donations, wrap Christmas hampers, a busy bee at your site, painting and gardening, beach/park clean ups, or packing safe sex or education packs. 

Watch the Volunteering WA social media accounts for further information. 

WA has a new volunteer management IT platform!

Volunteering WA officially launched our new volunteer management platform INVOLVE at the State Volunteering Conference last week, with delegates having the first look at the new system at our expo stand.

We believe the recruitment and management of volunteers should be easy and with INVOLVE, volunteer management is about to get a whole lot easier.

Designed, hosted and proudly supported by the Australian volunteering sector, INVOLVE is an all-inclusive volunteer management program, customised to suit your organisation and your needs. We are so excited to start onboarding new customers in the New Year. 

www.involve.org.au - Check out the website for more information and to register your interest in learning more. 

This new volunteer management platform is made possible through the Woodside COVID-19 Community Fund, and built by our IT partner Eduka.

Review: Volunteering WA State Conference 

And that's a wrap on the 2021 State Volunteering Conference!

Wow, what an incredible 2-days we had last week with over 200 volunteer managers and delegates joining us for this invaluable forum. The presentations, conversations and discussions had throughout the event were so insightful and will continue to inform the volunteering strategies and programs for each organisation that attended. We are so honoured to work with so many incredible volunteer leaders and community organisations, and the ideas collected will shape the next phase of volunteering in Western Australia. Thank you to our delegates for creating a welcoming and supportive forum. We will continue to share photos, feedback, and ideas over the coming weeks.

Thank you to our Platinum Sponsor Woodside Energy for your support in making the conference happen as well as your continued support as a key corporate volunteering partner. 

We were also delighted to provide access to organisations that needed support to attend the conference, thanks to a $14,600 grant from  Lotterywest. Lotterywest is the only lottery in Australia which is State Government owned and operated, with a majority of money spent on tickets going back to the people of WA – which last year was a record $313.4 million for the WA community in grants!

2022 - Dates for Your Calendar

Special Volunteer Recognition Dates

• January, Nominations open - WA Volunteer of the Year Awards 
• January, Applications open for the NVW grants
• 16 - 22 May, National Volunteer Week (NVW)
• 19 May, WA Volunteer of the Year Awards, Crown Perth
• 5 November, International Volunteer Managers Day
• 1 December, Volunteer Garden Party
• 5 December, International Volunteer Day

See all training and events on our website.

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