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In this issue:
- Two days left to submit your volunteer manager survey
- Conference MC announced
- Conference Round 2 Subsidies opening
- Student Volunteer Week (7-13 August)
- IT Solutions for your organisation
- Upcoming Volunteer Manager workshops
- Youth Awards open
- New national resource library
Note from the CEO
Welcome to the July edition of the volunteering sector news. Another year has just passed us by - it feels like end of year reporting has come around all too quickly.
I’d like to urge all volunteer involving organisations to acknowledge the benefit and value volunteers bring to your organisation. Our updated online volunteer benefits calculator is a great tool to help you assess the actual value of the contributions volunteers have had on your service and program areas over the past year.
I’m also excited to share that we are in the prototype phase of a new Volunteer Impact Assessment Tool which will help you measure the outcomes and impacts of your volunteer program/services. We will keep you updated on the impact tool and announce when it is available for use.
In a little over a week we will be celebrating National Student Volunteer Week (7 - 13 August), an opportunity to acknowledge the incredible impact student volunteers have in our communities. Head over to the NSVW page to download social media graphics, NSVW Toolkit, and see how you can get involved.
Please save the date for our Annual General Meeting on the afternoon of 18 October. We would love to catch up with you and celebrate a year of achievements in the volunteering sector and introduce you to our 2023 WA Young Volunteer of the Year, Samuel Thomas (Founder, Sam's Spares).
We are also gearing up for our State Conference in November to ‘Reimagine the volunteering experience’ with over 50% of tickets already sold. Last month our panel had the difficult job in selecting the successful abstract submissions. I can promise you the line up is amazing and you’ll be immersed in new perspectives, cutting edge technology, emerging trends and thought-provoking sessions to fuel and inspire you for 2024 and beyond. We look forward to seeing you there.
Congratulations on all you’ve achieved this past financial year, which has been another challenging one for many. We look forward to working with you this coming year.
Happy Volunteering,
Tina
Tina Williams | CEO Volunteering WA
Volunteering WA News
Help inform the State of Volunteering in WA!
The Volunteer Managers survey closes this Monday (31 July)! Thank you to those who have submitted responses so far.
Volunteering WA, in partnership with the state and federal governments is conducting the biggest and most in-depth survey of volunteer management in Western Australia of the past decade.
The state of WA's volunteering was last captured in a report published in 2015, and WOW! has the volunteering ecosystem changed since then.
We need to hear about your experience, valuable insights and projections for the WA volunteering sector. If you are a volunteer manager, program leader, CEO, or otherwise lead volunteers, you are invited to participate. Please note there is no limit to the number of volunteer managers from any organisation. The more responses we receive the richer the WA results will be.
At the conclusion of the survey period there will be a draw for five $100 gift vouchers, for all survey participants from Western Australia.
The survey can take about 10-minutes (most of the prompts are quick-fire responses, and you can preview questions if you want to see what's coming).
In 10-minutes you can influence a sector. Please submit your survey response.
Funded by the WA Government Department of Communities and the Australian Government Department of Social Services.
MC and Keynote Speaker Announced!
2023 Volunteering WA State Conference, 14-15 Nov
We are thrilled to announce Shil Shanghavi AFAIM as the MC and Keynote Speaker for the 2023 Volunteering WA State Conference to be held 14 & 15 November, Optus Stadium.
Shil is the Head of Speaker Coaching for TEDxPerth, Board member for Guerrilla Establishment, and a presentation mentor with Impact100 WA.
Kicking off the event with his Keynote on Storytelling, Shil will set the scene for this jam-packed conference, taking our 200 delegates on a journey over two days and three streams as we Reimagine The Volunteering Experience.
Our Conference team is blazing ahead, having confirmed our first set of session presenters, and we cannot wait to deliver you another invaluable and informative volunteering conference!
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 organisations 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, with Round 2 opening 1 August - apply now and get ready to be inspired.
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.
Welcome New Members
Welcome to new and renewing Volunteering WA Members: Albemarle Lithium Pty Ltd (Corporate Member); EverAbility Group; Nature Reserves Preservation Group of Kalamunda; and Spare Parts Puppet Theatre.
Welcome also to our new regional affiliates: Karratha Little Athletics Club; Church of Christ Kalgoorlie - M25 Ministry; and Tom Price Tennis Club.
Did you know? Volunteering WA Members receive a 20% discount on State Conference tickets
Did you know?
Volunteering WA Members automatically gain access to our Corporate Volunteering Program
Our Corporate Volunteering Team has been busier than ever, with over 136 team days delivered both regionally and in the Perth Metro Area in the first half of 2023. Just think – this could be you! Get in touch today and learn more about ways that we can assist you through corporate volunteering. Email corporate@volunteeringwa.org.au or visit the corporate volunteering webpage.
Upcoming Volunteer Manager Training
>> Check out all of our 2023 scheduled workshops, courses and training sessions on the Volunteering WA training page
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?
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.
Does your organisation want to engage more youth volunteers?
Our youth volunteering platform YVolunteer.org.au is the place to be to attract young people to volunteer in your organisation. For your role to be featured on YVolunteer, when creating your volunteering position on the VIKTOR advertising platform, please ensure you select:
- 'Suitable for younger volunteers aged 14-18' and/ or
- 'Suitable for work experience'
Are you struggling to attract young people to volunteer within your organisation?
Our youth program manager Antonia is keen to hear from you and support your organisation to get youth volunteer ready! Get in touch for one-on-one support with our Youth Manager Antonia or register now for a dedicated online free training on Attracting and Retaining Youth Volunteers (17 August).
Are you making the most of your access to volunteering recruitment and management IT products?
Increase your volunteer recruitment potential
Add the Volunteer Position Search Widget to your website so visitors can see your volunteer opportunities and express interest in them.
The widget can be tailored to only show volunteer positions available in your local area/State, just positions advertised by your organisation, or just a specific filter (for example all WA positions suitable for under 18 years).
Email our Support team now to find out about the costs involved and how the volunteer position search widget can help.
INVOLVE Volunteer management platform
With three subscription plans, INVOLVE has been built for any agency or organisation that manages volunteers.
With INVOLVE, you can create and assign once-off or recurring shifts for your volunteers in just a few clicks. Set open shifts to assign later, handle last-minute changes and sit back as timesheets are created for you afterwards.
If you are a Volunteering WA not-for-profit financial member you can receive a 25% discount on the first year of an INVOLVE annual subscription!
Contact our INVOLVE team to set up a demo and to take advantage of this introductory offer.
VIKTORLite | Simplified volunteer position advertising tool
ViktorLite is the back-end portal for volunteer involving organisations (VIOs) to list open volunteer positions and group volunteering activities, which are then displayed on the Volunteering WA website, GoVolunteer, SeekVolunteer and YVolunteer (if suitable for under 18s).
Your team can list positions for individual roles (e.g. Treasurer or Tour Guide) as well as event volunteering (e.g. Sign up for a beach clean up). Over 260,000 applications for volunteer positions were made through our system nationally last year.
We are excited to be recruiting for a Perth-based full time Volunteer Management Engagement Coordinator
As the peak organisation for volunteering in WA, we are the leading voice for volunteers and volunteer involving organisations, working to strengthen the sector and promote the benefits of volunteering.
The Engagement Coordinator role is a key member of the Volunteer Management team responsible for engagement and support of volunteer involving organisations (VIOs) state-wide. This role includes establishing relationships with volunteer managers and other key stakeholders individually and on a sector scale, providing best practice volunteer management support and developing and delivering training and resources that help support and build the capacity of VIOs. This position would suit someone who enjoys meeting new people and building productive working relationships.
Learn more and apply. Rolling interviews will occur, with applications accepted until Friday 18 August.
Sector News
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.
RSPCA Animal Welfare Awards nominations are now open
This is an opportunity for us to recognise and celebrate the exceptional efforts of individuals and corporations who have significantly impacted the lives of animals.
Just one of the incredible categories is the Youth Cateogory, which honors the outstanding young animal advocates, aged 18 or below, who have displayed unwavering dedication and passion for animal welfare. Their selfless actions, whether it's rescuing animals in need, championing animal rights, or raising awareness about responsible pet ownership, deserve recognition and appreciation. Nominations are open until 28 August.
New National Resource
Discover a new national library resource under development across the State Peak bodies. This initiative is the result of an ongoing national collaboration to create and organise the best volunteer management resources in one place. Learn more.
WWC Check metropolitan, regional and online information sessions
With changes to the Working with Children (WWC) legislation coming into effect 1 July 2023 the WWC Screening Unit is holding a number of in-person and online information sessions across Western Australia.
Please contact the WWC team if you have queries WWCEvents@communities.wa.gov.au.
WA Youth Awards: Nominations now open
The WA Youth Awards were established in 1999 to recognise young Western Australians aged 12 to 25 years for their achievements and contributions to the community. The Awards also reward outstanding youth groups and organisations that serve and support the state’s young people. Nominations close on 15 September.
www.volunteeringwa.org.au | 08 9482 4333 | info@volunteeringwa.org.au
Volunteering WA empowers people and communities to enrich Western Australia.
