In this issue:

Thank you to all our members and partners who joined us for the 2023 Volunteering WA Annual General Meeting. This year's AGM gave us the opportunity to reflect on our achievements throughout the year, which we were extremely proud to share with you all.  

In 2022-23, Volunteering WA continued to be a passionate advocate for volunteer-friendly policies and practices. We engaged with policy makers on a range of issues, including the onerous red tape that can hinder volunteer involvement. This year our youth program helped young people to volunteer as a way of preparing for the workforce, encouraged organisations to celebrate their changemakers during National Volunteer Week, and rallied the WA volunteering sector to feed in their views on a National Strategy for Volunteering. 

We have a magnificent board and dedicated staff taking us into the next year, and we look forward to working together to achieve our purpose of empowering people and communities to enrich Western Australia.  

I am so proud to work for an organisation whose membership is dedicated to harnessing the power of volunteering and thank you for all you do to make volunteering thrive in WA.  

With just over a week until International Volunteer Managers Day, I want to pay a special tribute to Western Australia's volunteering leaders who continue to do an incredible job as professional managers and inspiring volunteer coordinators. With just over two weeks until the Volunteering WA State Conference, we look forward to helping you to reimagine the volunteer experience through an incredible two-day event.  

Happy Volunteering,

Tina

Tina Williams, CEO Volunteering WA

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Volunteering WA News

Volunteering WA Annual General Meeting

Thank you to Members for joining us for the 2022-23 Volunteering WA Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 18 October 2023. This year has been one of collaboration, growth, and community impact, reflecting our strong commitment to embracing change and strengthening volunteering. Thank you to Sam Thomas, our Young Volunteer of the Year, for sharing his inspiring and heart-warming volunteer journey and Sharon Wood-Kenney for her poignant and moving Acknowledgement of Country, our supportive partners and committed members, all who share our vision of a society in which everyone is inspired to make a difference. Together, we will continue to make a positive impact on the lives of Western Australians. 

As promised, you can find our 2022-23 Annual Report, Financial Report, and AGM Minutes on the Volunteering WA website.

Managing Volunteers in Dementia Care: A Pilot Project 

While volunteers are a known resource within a healthcare setting, there is limited understanding of what good dementia care volunteering management practice looks like.

Focusing on non-hospital settings, the proposed project seeks to examine how volunteer management practices influence volunteer and client experiences and wellbeing outcomes. It also seeks to map out the linkages between policy (at government and organisational levels), management practices (including in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF), Community Visitors Scheme (CVS) and social/recreational settings and outcomes, to develop an application for funding of a larger research project.

You can view Volunteering WA's research projects on our website.

Quick Poll: What events would you like to see from Volunteering WA in 2024?

With just weeks until the Volunteering WA State Conference and International Volunteer Day Garden Party, our Events team is in the final sprint for 2023! We would love to hear what small to large activities and events you would love to see from Volunteering WA in 2024 for both volunteer managers and volunteers. 

Let us know in this quick poll. 

Last days for Conference tickets

• Starting with the most crucial, the Barista cart is booked ✔️
• Free parking for all delegates organised ✔️
• 95% of tickets already sold ✔️
• The effervescent Shil Shanghavi has prepped the Keynote on Storytelling for volunteer managers ✔️
• And over 50 speakers confirmed across the two days and three streams ✔️

With less than three weeks to go until the Volunteering WA State Conference, our event team is on their final sprint and we cannot wait to welcome over 200 delegates to Optus Stadium on 14-15 November!

This is one of the last calls for volunteer managers, organisation leaders, researchers and corporate volunteering facilitators to book your tickets and join us for this incredible forum.

AND for our regional volunteer managers, there is still funding available for our travel, accommodation and ticket subsidy, thanks to Lotterywest.

Ticket sales close Monday 30 October, so don't miss out!  All event, ticket, speaker and subsidy details can be found at the Conference Hub.

Connecting Good Sammy with young volunteers

Volunteering WA was pleased to partner with Good Sammy on a Sustainable Fashion Youth Volunteer Day this month, an opportunity for a hands-on experience of the fascinating work involved in circular fashion. For many, this was their first volunteering experience and they reported they wanted to find out about more opportunities like this that can fit around their school schedules.

Volunteering WA also invited 7News Perth along for the day to capture our youth volunteers, with TV interviews broadcast at 4pm and 7pm. 

Volunteering WA's YVolunteer program is supported by the Department of Communities.

Advertise your volunteering opportunities through our YVolunteer.org.au platform

To encourage applications from young people, list your volunteering in VIKTOR as usual, and then select any of the following options under “suitable for”, which will automatically display the position on YVolunteer.org.au: 

• Suitable for Young Adults – 18-24 (NEW category!)
• Younger Volunteers – under 18 
• Work Experience

Success stories from our VMA project-based grants program

Volunteering WA administers an annual grants program on behalf of the Department of Social Services' Volunteer Management Activity (VMA), to support projects focused on removing barriers to volunteering for priority groups, including First Nations people, newly arrived migrants, people with disability, vulnerable women, youth and the unemployed.

In 2022-23, seven organisations were selected to undertake projects. Here we share the outcomes, insights and stories so volunteer involving organisations, volunteer managers and leaders can learn and support inclusive volunteering. View our recipient case studies.

Volunteering WA's Regional Tour

Volunteering WA's Volunteer Management Engagement Coordinator, Jan Lucas travelled around WA this month, speaking with organisations about the challenges of volunteer management in regional, rural and remote parts of the State. So far, the roadshow has taken Jan to the Pilbara, Kimberley and South West.  

Highlights in the Pilbara included visiting the Dampier Community Association. Serving a town of 1,100 people, the Association pack an enormous punch with the management of the Dampier Community Hub and a caravan park; art and photography exhibitions; a community garden; seniors, parenting and exercise classes, and act as a collaborator with locals to bring new ideas to fruition. The committee is entirely volunteer-run, and has been so successful in raising funds for their community that they now employ one full time Hub manager and two part time administrators.

Final Workshops for 2023

Whether you are an experienced or emerging volunteer manager or coordinator, our training and development team has a workshop for you. View and attend an upcoming workshop. 

Making the most of your Volunteering WA membership 
Wednesday 1 November    |    9:30am - 10:30am

Volunteer Managers Network Meeting (VMN) 
Wednesday 29 November    |    10:00am - 11:30am
Topic of discussion: celebrating leaders of volunteers and discovering the most effective tools for networking and engagement 

Designing Volunteer Roles and Position Descriptions
Thursday 30 November    |    10:00am - 11:00am

Making the most of your Volunteering WA membership 
Thursday 7 December   |    9:30am - 10:30am

Welcome new Volunteering WA team members

Sector News

Thank a Volunteer Day Certificate 2023

Taking time out to thank your volunteers is an important way to recognise the incredible contribution they make to our communities. Thank a Volunteer Day WA, held each year on 5 December, is also known as International Volunteer Day. To help celebrate, Department of Communities provides a certificate template, signed by Hon Don Punch, MLA Minister for Volunteering, to acknowledge the volunteers in your team. 

To download the certificate follow the link: Thank a Volunteer Day Certificate form (digital.wa.gov.au)

Photography competition for WA Seniors

The Golden Lens is an opportunity for WA Seniors Card members to share photos they have taken that celebrate the lives of older Western Australians. All winners will receive a prize donated by participating businesses of the WA Seniors Card program. Entries close 17 March 2024. Members can submit an entry in each of the four categories: Active ageing; cultural identify; wander out yonder; blast from the past. 

For more information visit www.seniorscard.wa.gov.au/goldenlens

"WA businesses commended for supporting emergency services vollies"

Western Australian businesses have been celebrated for their unwavering support of emergency services volunteers over the past year at the 2023 Volunteer Employer Recognition Awards (VERA). VERA also acknowledges the self-employed volunteers who often have to close their doors or turn down jobs at a moment's notice to attend incidents. 

57 businesses from the Great Southern to the Kimberley were announced as VERA recipients. The diverse group of recipients – ranging from small restaurants to large resource companies – includes 14 self-employed volunteers. 

With the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) on high alert for another busy summer, WA businesses will again be a pillar of support to keep the State safe.

Thank you to these businesses that so generously give their workers time off to attend to an incident or lend a hand in the recovery program.

Increase your recruitment potential with our Volunteer Position Search Widget

Our Volunteer Position Search widget increases your volunteer recruitment potential and is the best way to direct volunteers to the opportunities you have available via your website.

It enables volunteers to search, view and express interest in your opportunities and can be set up to display only volunteer positions available in your local area/state or just the ones your organisation is listing, depending on your requirements. Contact our support team now for further information and to get a quote on the costs involved.

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

Volunteering WA empowers people and communities to enrich Western Australia.