We are thrilled to be working again with ABC on a national campaign to celebrate diversity in the Australian volunteering story. We are also currently assessing National Volunteer Week grant applications, and look forward to providing Lotterywest funding for hundreds of volunteer recognition activities across the State.

Volunteering WA has successfully acquired funding from several sources (government and corporate) to increase its capability and capacity in supporting the volunteering sector. Through its growth phase, we have invested in policy, advocacy, IT, marketing and extended our services and programs to better support you and our communities. We've listed some of the new programs below, more are featured on our website.

YVolunteer - youth volunteering
I am delighted to announce the launch of our new YVolunteer website that supports young people wishing to volunteer as a pathway to job readiness. More details on the program can be found later on in this newsletter.

Recruiting Volunteers in Residential Aged Care Facilities
The Commonwealth Department of Health is engaging all State / Territory peak volunteering bodies across Australia to recruit more volunteers for social companionship in Residential Aged Care Facilities. Impacts of COVID-19 on paid employees and volunteer numbers has meant that residents have found themselves increasingly isolated.  More announcements regarding the program will be made soon. 

Coordinating spontaneous emergency volunteers
Minister for Volunteering the Hon Stephen Dawson MLC announced funding support for the redevelopment of our emergency.volunteer.org.au portal. Speaking with our Volunteering QLD and NSW counterparts on their experiences during the recent floods and the continuing aftermath clean-ups, we have captured their knowledge to refine our procedures and build a state of the art IT system that responds to protocols in times of disaster. We look forward to working with our sector on the refresh VWA’s emergency response platform.

State-wide volunteer recruitment campaigns
We kicked off 2022 with a state-wide online advertising campaign, VWA Volunteer Society, that aimed to raise awareness of the volunteering experience in 18 - 32 year olds through Google, Spotify, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok advertising. We have seen great success in this campaign with an increase in expressions of interest to volunteer from a brand new audience.

Happy Volunteering,

Tina Williams | CEO Volunteering WA

Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin | Instagram

SECTOR NEWS

COVID-19 updates

Free paper surgical masks available for regional WA
Department of Communities has partnered with WACOSS to distribute free paper surgical masks to community services organisations at various regional locations. See our website for collection dates and location in Carnarvon, Karratha, Port Hedland, Broome, Derby. Halls Creek and Kununurra.

Cleaning Reimbursement Scheme
The WA State Government will help cover additional cleaning costs incurred by community service organisations due to interaction with COVID-19 positive cases. Community service organisations are invited to apply to the COVID-19 Cleaning reimbursement scheme here.

Advocacy and Policy

Volunteer Reimbursements
We are seeing how increasing costs of goods such as fuel is impacting both volunteers and volunteer involving organisations, especially for the food delivery and passenger transport services. 

Under the National Standards of Volunteer Involvement, organisations should policies and procedures exist for reimbursements for volunteer out-of-pocket expenses. While there is no set rule, where financially feasible - organisations should provide reasonable reimbursements for pre-approved out-of-pocket expenses. This removes the potential for these costs to be a barrier to volunteering. 

Submission on the Community Disaster Resilience Strategy
Volunteering WA is actively involved in discussions regarding how to better coordinate the contribution to spontaneous volunteers in emergencies in WA. We have also made a number of formal submissions to State and Federal Governments. Volunteering WA applauds the State Government's interest and collaboration in this area. Our latest submission on the draft Community Disaster Resilience Strategy is available here.

We are excited to consult with industry experts and get their feedback and input on how we can improve our emergency IT platform, to best support WA in times of emergency and community recovery. These valuable insights will help to inform the improvements we make to our current Emergency Volunteering Platform.

Review of the Associations Incorporations Act 2015
In 2015, State Parliament passed legislation, which provided a significant overhaul of the settings of incorporated associations in WA. Volunteering WA believes that these reforms have been successful at streamlining and modernising arrangements for the voluntary sector. The State Government is currently asking for submissions on the legislation, including ideas for further improvement. Please refer to this website for more information on the review.

If any organisation would like to discuss ideas or concerns with the existing legislation to inform our submission, please email meredith@volunteeringwa.org.au. Submissions close on 4 April 2022. 

Input sought on Seniors Strategy
Department of Communities is developing the State Government 2022-2032 Seniors Strategy. IPS Management consultants will facilitate initial consultations from Friday 25th March to Monday 11th April 2022, and would like to hear from:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 45 years and over
• Non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 55 years and over

Consultations will include focus groups, online surveys and telephone interviews. Further information will be made available, however if you or your organisation would like to participate, please send an initial email to Dylan Crowe at dylan.crowe@ipsau.com.au.

New resource available to download

Volunteering WA has developed a sample Policy handbook for volunteer-run organisations that may be adapted by volunteer-run organisations (without any paid employees), and is intended for use by incorporated associations. 

You can download a PDF and an editable Word template of the Policy Handbook on the Volunteering WA resources - section of our website.

National Strategy for Volunteering

Volunteering Australia is developing the first national volunteering strategy in over a decade. The National Strategy will be designed and owned by the volunteering ecosystem and will provide a blueprint for a re-imagined future for volunteering in Australia. Register your interest to get involved in the consultation, which will commence in April here.

Share feedback on technology and volunteering

Volunteering Australia is seeking feedback from volunteer involving organisations on ways to improve engagement and management of volunteers online. Please provide your thoughts on technology and volunteering by completing the survey. Share your thoughts here. 

National Volunteer Week 

National Volunteer Week (NVW) is Australia's largest annual celebration of volunteering and will be held on 16 - 22 May 2022. We are thrilled to work again with ABC in 2022 for a national campaign to celebrate diversity in the Australian volunteering story. Our ABC partnership will launch during NVW and we will share more information and ways to get involved very soon.

• The Volunteering Australia Shop is now open with volunteer-specific gifts to thank volunteers. 
• Download the logos here, and further resources will be shared soon.

Youth Week WA 2022

Youth Week WA 2022 runs from 8 to 16 April and is the biggest celebration of young people on the Western Australian youth calendar.

This year’s theme is Courage to Change – Booraka Korangan-ak. It is a call to action, empowering young people to form their own opinions, shape decision-making and enact change.

How will you participate in Youth Week WA and recognise and celebrate our young leaders? More information can be found at propel.org.au.

National Reconciliation Week theme announced

The National Reconciliation Week 2022 theme “Be Brave. Make Change.” is a challenge to all Australians - individuals, families, communities, organisations and government - to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.

National Reconciliation Week, 27 May to 3 June, is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

OUR NEWS

A smarter way is coming

The management of volunteers should be easy.

INVOLVE is a flexible and fully featured app, centred around your volunteers. We are gearing up for a busy time ahead as we prepare to roll out our new volunteer management platform, INVOLVE from July.

• Build your team, your way | Create a team of volunteer managers and program coordinators with different access so they can work collaboratively without losing focus.
• Make it work for you | Make INVOLVE your own with checklist templates, customisable statuses and tags.
• Keep in control | Set up your organisation the way you need with organisational, volunteer and security settings.
• Measure your impact | See hours contributed, generate reports and collect statistics for future funding grants.

Sign up to be the first in the know.

Volunteering as a pathway to job readiness for WA youth

Young people are being encouraged to use volunteering experiences as a way to gain new skills, build confidence and transition to employment.

Volunteering Minister Stephen Dawson launched the roll out of Volunteering WA’s Volunteering as a Pathway to Job Readiness program, YVolunteer (read: Ministerial statement). 

The program is being supported by funding from the State Government of $440,000 over three years, and will be extended into the Peel and South West regions with additional support from Lotterywest.

The YVolunteer program will help community and not-for-profit organisations reshape the way they engage with young people by developing volunteering opportunities that better suit their needs and aspirations. The revamped YVolunteer website is full of resources such as an online CV builder, engaging stories, and informative learning modules.

Thank you to our development partner Eduka for working with us to deliver an incredibly valuable portal, and to their team member Kathryn who is the face and voice of each of the training modules. 

Contact Volunteering WA to participate in the YVolunteer program. 

Welcoming (back) new staff

Read all Volunteering WA team profiles on our website.

2022 Training Schedule

Subscribe to the new training alerts email for reminders on upcoming development opportunities. 

Registrations open for April and May workshops (delivered online)

• 5 Apr, Growing your volunteering through social media
• 6 Apr, Foundation Workshop: Key Issues of Volunteer Management
• 28 Apr, Leading the Way: Module 2 - Connecting with Volunteers
• 3 May, Making the most of your VWA membership
• 4 May, Inclusive workplace cultures for diverse volunteers
• 5 May, VIKTOR platform tutorial for online volunteer recruitment
• 5 May, LGBTQIA+ Diversity, facilitated for SHQ
• 6 May, How to retain great volunteers (part 1)

Free Helpline for volunteering organisations

Volunteering WA provides a dedicated helpline called VIOHelp for volunteer involving organisations. If you have any queries relating to issues with your volunteer program, volunteer management practice or policy, please contact VIOhelp@volunteeringwa.org.au

2021-22 Member Survey Snapshot

Volunteering WA conducted a member survey at the end of 2021 to further understand our members' current operations, challenges and needs.

View the Member Survey Snapshot of Findings

Save the Date

16 - 22 May, National Volunteer Week (NVW)
8 - 14 August, National Student Volunteer Week (NSVW)
5 November, International Volunteer Managers Day
1 December, International Volunteer Day Garden Party
5 December, International Volunteer Day

Welcome new and returning members

Member Feature

Cahoots creates inclusive opportunities for people living with a disability and others who face exceptional challenges to develop friendships, skills and confidence. Cahoots' overnight camps and day programs are run by a qualified and experienced team with the assistance of a generous community of volunteers. 

"Volunteering WA has assisted Cahoots in many ways from the most basic, such as advertising and filling our volunteer opportunities. We were lucky enough to receive a scholarship for one of our Volunteer Coordinators to participate in Volunteering WA's Volunteer Restart Scholarship and through this, he has increased his knowledge around volunteering strategies, gained some great tips and tricks to build his network of peers that are helping us to work through common challenges." 

"We like being a part of the Volunteering WA community and establishing relationships within the industry."

~ Pearl Cruickshank, Service Delivery Team Lead, Cahoots

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

Volunteering WA leads, advances and celebrates volunteering in Western Australia