Chipping in...

I Can Do That*- A Portal Into Another Dimension In Volunteering!

2011-07-14T11:59:00.005+10:00

I Can Do That*

Everyone knows the internet is supposed to make life easier! Sometimes, that is simply not true. However, there is a place on the World Wide Web that is specifically designed to make the life and times of volunteers in Victoria, much simpler and more enjoyable...
There is a place you can visit, a portal online, which is like a doorway to another dimension in volunteering! It’s a bit like the TARDIS, from outside, it looks small and inconspicuous, but once you go inside, it’s amazing, it’s enormous, it can travel through time!!
Since you’re reading this in a blog, I will assume you are able to navigate your way around the labyrinthine internets...
So for you, it’s as easy as visiting www.volunteer.vic.gov.au and taking a look around.
You’ll find hints on making the most of your skills and talents when volunteering, opportunities to offer those skills close to where you live, specific projects requiring volunteers, legal, health & safety tips, suggestions on how to get started, space to advertise for volunteers if your group needs some.... did I mention Dr Who?
You can subscribe to regular feeds @ http://www.volunteer.vic.gov.au/rss share the page with your facebook family, twitter about it, even watch it on YouTube if you want, it’s fun, it’s funky, and it’ll make your volunteer day!

I Can Do That*

It’s About Time!

Register Now, be prepared to help later.

2011-01-14T11:37:00.006+11:00

The impact of the floods across four eastern states of Australia, particularly those in Queensland, have been every bit as shocking and as humbling as the Black Saturday Bushfires in 2009.

In the early stages of a flood, there are strategic steps taken to ensure that people will be quickly and safely able to return to their homes. Highly trained and skilled emergency response volunteers are the first on the ground to manage the situation. All other kinds of volunteer work takes place after this initial emergency response phase is managed.

Therefore, it is important that people wanting to volunteer in the recovery phase of any flood situation, both in Queensland and here in Victoria, are requested to register their details now but be prepared to wait until their assistance is required at a later date.

For those wanting to volunteer in the recovery phase in Queensland, please register your details with Volunteering Queensland under the CREW (Community Response to Extreme Weather) program.

Here in Victoria, post flood damage clean ups will be initially handled by Victorian SES and local Councils. Volunteers wanting to support townships with their flood recovery phase, should contact the respective local council offices for information.

A year for Inspiring the Volunteer in You

2011-01-07T10:58:00.009+11:00

2011 marks the 10th Anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers. The United Nations General Assembly have set aside this year to celebrate and review how much volunteerism has impacted the world over the past decade.

The theme is "Inspiring the Volunteer in You". A report to the UN will be prepared during the course of the year and presented to the Assembly in December 2011 on the "State of the world's volunteerism". How this report eventually shapes the way that Governments and volunteer involving organisations manage and structure volunteering within Community remains to be seen.

Here in the Wimmera, we attest to the fact that volunteers and volunteering are vital ingredients in the success of many projects, community events, festivals, and social, welfare and environmental programs. Volunteers are the lynchpin for ensuring the stability and livability of our region. This includes the impact of small businesses for they are often the economic "fuel" behind what many clubs and community groups are able to achieve. So many of our community groups and organisations are under-resourced when it comes to effectively managing volunteers, so the value that business provides for supporting volunteer effort is critical to the success of so many of these groups. It must not be ignored.

That being said - volunteering is essential to the betterment of the world. This fact was recognised and identified by the United Nations back in the mid 1990's, when an International year of focus on volunteers and volunteering was first mooted. The International Year of Volunteers was held in 2001 and successfully promoted and highlighted the value and importance of volunteers and volunteering around the globe. This 10th anniversary is a way of re-visiting the impact of volunteers made since 2001 and making adjustments and improvements to how volunteerism is perceived by Community.

Volunteers are not "free" and nor are they a stop gap to achieve services and outcomes for "no cost". Volunteering needs to be treated with the respect and reverence it deserves. This means that the people who freely choose to give their time and expertise are adequately resourced, are well managed and are given roles that are constructive and edifying to both Community and to the volunteer.

The idea of volunteers being merely 'envelope stuffers' is fast becoming an insult to those who would choose to help. Volunteers deserve so much more!

Volunteering is changing though. Many of the old reasons to volunteer - encapsulated in epithets like "Many hands make light work" - are on the decline. Traditional member-based volunteerism seems to be fading out as an option with some community groups heavily relying on volunteers well into their golden years to run cake stalls and sell raffle tickets.

I certainly hope this declining trend won't continue but we still need to adapt to it even so. Initial research suggests that people want to volunteer less frequently, in more diverse ways, and in more highly valued or skilled positions.

Volunteers are still choosing volunteer work as a means of giving back but even in my own experience, they're giving back strategically and mindfully as they consider their schedule, lifestyle and interests.

As prospective volunteers learn their rights and responsibilities, they are recognising that their time and expertise has immense value and won't just engage with an organisation for the sake of it. They want to believe - and know - that their contribution IS making an impact!

Groups and organisations will need to review how they recognise and manage the capacity of volunteers to effect change and make a difference. They'll need to keep data on the impact volunteers are making and regularly report these impacts to volunteers, volunteering bodies and Government. Groups will need to closely assess how and why they want to include volunteers in their team.

Managing volunteers is becoming increasingly necessary to ensure that:

Inspiring new ways are found to engage and recruit prospective volunteers.
Volunteers are well matched to the organisation and the role they contribute to.
Volunteers are skilled and trained to achieve key identified outcomes.
Volunteers are seen as stake-holders and have the ability to effect positive change for the better.
Volunteers are appropriately commended and acknowledged for the work they are doing and the impact they are making.

In Australia, major volunteering organisations such as Volunteering Australia and Volunteering Victoria are working on a review of the National Standards for effectively involving volunteers in not-for-profit organisations. The Federal Government is also reviewing how volunteers and volunteering impacts on the nation. As you can see, it's going to be an important year for volunteers and volunteer involving groups.

It will be a year where volunteers and volunteering are promoted as being of immense value to the world. It will be a year where the impact and value of volunteering will become increasingly recognised and the bar for their welfare and recognition will be raised!

Most importantly of all - this will be a year to say THANK YOU to volunteers of every nation, creed, race and community for the positive difference they make at every level of society.

You can read and download a brochure about the International Year of Volunteers 10th Anniversary here.

Links:

World Volunteer Web

United Nations

"We'll get back to you".... waiting, waiting, meh! Whatever!

2010-07-16T17:03:00.001+10:00

How frustrating is it to require a response before you can move forward on a project?

Like…really annoying yes?

Imagine what it’s like for a person who “suddenly” decides they want to – have to – volunteer and are excited and eager to throw themselves into doing great things in the community only to end up having to wait for what seems like an age before “someone” gets back to them about a volunteer role?

Thing is… volunteers are people who have a bit of time to spare and often – a fair bit of passion to “make a difference”. They want to start and start NOW! It can be really frustrating for them to wait and the initial enthusiasm can wane quickly until they give up on the idea of volunteering altogether. Not-for-profit groups – especially small groups in regional Victoria – can’t afford to lose potential volunteer support in this manner.

So? When a person enquires about volunteering with your organisation, it’s critical to swing into action and get them in the door to interview them ASAP. Welcome them. Be enthusiastic in return about their willingness to get involved. Place your Organisation or groups Profile under their nose so that they can capture the vision of what your group is about. Help them help you as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Screen them appropriately to make sure they’re a good match for your services and programs. Don’t be afraid to say “No thanks” if the volunteer isn’t right for your organisation. Be very, very afraid of not saying “Yes” too because attracting volunteers is critical to being sustainable and losing them is all too easy. People can be fickle! They want to feel important and they won’t stay if they feel like they’re not worth much. Treat a prospective volunteer as if they were a fantastic find whenever possible.

This means you need to KNOW exactly what roles you have available front up before volunteers come to your door. You also need to know what paperwork needs to be handy for volunteers to fill in. You need to designate someone in your group – if you don’t have a paid Volunteer Coordinator – to follow up with the prospective volunteer within 48 hours of their enquiry. You need to have a process that enables volunteers to…well…volunteer rather than turn them off… of your group or volunteering as a whole.

It’s exciting and wonderful when people come forward and want to “help” – even if its short term. But, more importantly, it’s the groups and organisations who understand that acting on these enquiries speedily and efficiently will almost guarantee they successfully sustain volunteer support for the long haul.

Come in and see me at Wimmera Volunteers if your group needs assistance or information on how to process prospective volunteers. Stay tuned for the August info sheet called “Screening Volunteers”.

Michelle.

June 2010 Information sheet

2010-06-28T15:02:00.001+10:00

This month’s information sheet was actually quite good fun to write. I had been wanting to write “something” about youth volunteers for awhile. The Under 18 age bracket presents an opportunity for proactive community groups to tap into a pool of enthusiastic volunteers. Yes! They may be young and inexperienced, but it’s hard not to be cheered by their willingness to jump in and get involved in community work. There’s probably plenty more information that could be useful to groups and organisations on how to recruit, involve, support and acknowledge youth volunteers. I’ll certainly be keeping my ears and eyes open for this information.

During the course of this past year, I’ve been approached by kids and parents alike to assist them find suitable volunteering work in the community. Some are seeking projects to do in the community as a part of the Challenge Program through Horsham College; others want to put in a requisite number of volunteer hours in order to meet the volunteering component of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

But, the question does remain. Are these young people genuine volunteers under the formal definition of volunteering?

The formal definition of volunteering in Australia is as follows:

Formal volunteering is an activity which takes place through not for profit organisations or projects and is undertaken:

• to be of benefit to the community and the volunteer;

• of the volunteer’s own free will and without coercion;

• for no financial payment; and

• in designated volunteer positions only.

The Year 9 Horsham High School Challenge Program is more about kids establishing an identified need in the community, then working as a team to solve it. They may work with community groups but essentially, the program designed such that the kids work solidly on a closed end project – usually of their own design. This means that this particular group don’t necessarily, fit inside the formal definition of volunteering as this work is a critical part of their curriculum studies and isn’t “voluntary” in the strictest sense of the word.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award however, provides kids with real time, on the ground volunteer experiences in the not-for-profit sector. Duke Award kids need to fully link in with and be supervised by community organisations who utilise volunteer support and provide services for the benefit of the community. It could be argued that the Duke Award does fit quite nicely into the definition of volunteerism above.

Both kinds of programs offer kids the opportunity to give back to the community, identify their strengths (and their weaknesses), learn new skills and perspectives. Both kinds of programs are opportunities for Not-for-profit organisations to engage young people in active ways as community problem solvers or as ‘traditional’ volunteers.

Young volunteers do, however require more strategic planning and support from groups than might be usual if they were adults. The information sheet this month gives an overview of this planning and support. It’s not exhaustive so groups will need to establish other appropriate policies and procedures for involving kids as volunteers. It should not be a daunting process but will perhaps require a few extra steps to establish risk and control it in the early stages of a youth volunteer enquiry.

Community participation groups are also encouraged to see how they can provide volunteer opportunities for youth volunteers. It might be a simple matter of establishing a Parent Permission form or ensuring that your Working With Children Check process is up to date.

All Not-for-profit organisations and community groups from across the Wimmera region are strongly encouraged to promote volunteer opportunities to the community through Wimmera Volunteers. We have established a simple online form that your group can use for each volunteer role or vacancy you would like to promote, including for roles suitable for youth. Go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9mspwr9

Youth volunteers will be referred to your organisation or group by Wimmera Volunteers if we can establish that your group has the ability to supervise them appropriately.

michelle

Acknowledging the Volunteer who is a 'Forgotten Australian'.

2010-05-14T11:31:00.002+10:00

What is a Forgotten Australian?

The term “Forgotten Australians” refers to the more than 500,000 people between the ages of 30 to quite elderly, who are survivors of institutional care. As late as the 1970’s, young children were sequestered in institutions as a form of out-of-home care by the Australian governments of the time. These children were often deprived of what we, today, would consider a “normal” and happy childhood.

There are many reasons why children were placed into institutional care, mostly because of being orphaned, or due to family poverty or dysfunction. Today - it is quite probable that there are groups and organisations within Australia which have volunteers who identify as Forgotten Australians. Some will find it difficult to talk about their experiences in institutional care, however as time goes by these “forgotten” children – now adults – are slowly, beginning to feel safe enough to tell their stories.

The memories and experiences of this group of people can be graphic and disturbing accounts of neglect, exploitation and abuse – particularly emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Many of the adults who survived institutional care have a lingering distrust of people and some will demonstrate various forms of mental illness. It can, however, be hard to know who these adults are given that it is still rare for them to talk about these experiences. All people regardless of whether they identify as a Forgotten Australian (or any other term for the institutional care they received as a child) will need understanding and support to help them acknowledge their experiences and talk about them.

Some Forgotten Australians take on volunteer work as a way of alleviating the shame and trauma of their past. Volunteering provides all people with opportunities to make a difference; to find purpose and meaning as well as feel a sense of belonging. For Forgotten Australians, the value of being able to contribute through meaningful voluntary work, can be a healing and stabilizing influence and can even assist them to acknowledge their past and talk about their experiences.

For some Forgotten Australians, there is a lingering sense of grief for the loss of their identity and of family. It was common for children to have their names changed to suit the institutions “caring” for them. Some were lied to about the whereabouts of birth family – often told their parents were dead when in fact they were not. There are numerous accounts of children who received terrible health care - if at all. All these disempowering experiences can lead a person to feel very isolated.

Volunteering can offer this group a sense of purpose or identity. It may also provide a sense of “family” where they feel they belong, are safe and welcome. There are Forgotten Australians who may have mental health issues, a history of self-harm, or are perhaps, insecure and generally distrustful or fearful of authority. Some may come across as “weird” or “eccentric” in some of their behaviours. It is important to remember that these people are survivors of trauma.

Acknowledging a Forgotten Australian who wants to volunteer.

If you, as a volunteer coordinator are made aware of a prospective or serving volunteer who identifies as a Forgotten Australian, here are some tips to help you help them, in their volunteer journey.

1) Believe their story. One of the critical reasons that many Forgotten Australians do not divulge their past experiences is because people tend not to believe them. There is may also be an assumption that those who present with mental illness could be “stretching” the truth when they talk of these experiences. A critical factor in assisting a prospective volunteer and gaining their trust is to listen and believe what they are telling you. The facts regarding this period in Australia’s history are coming to light through supportive agencies such as the Alliance for Forgotten Australians and much of what is being recalled by those who have lived in institutional care is indeed what happened.

2) Be aware of power issues. A fear of authority can manifest in different ways in different people of course! However, those who identify as Forgotten Australian’s will demonstrate a higher level of distrust, frustration, fear and may be aggressively reactive against perceived ‘Authority’. It is wise to acknowledge that the Forgotten Australian volunteer wants to “help” but will feel helpless if the volunteer-involving organisation appears “too big”, “too powerful” and “too impersonal”. The key here is to create a sense of trust and “family” within the team in which they volunteer. Keep the lines of communication open and be very patient. The goal is to assist a volunteer to feel supported and welcome and above all valued and appreciated. Small teams of volunteers with structured routines and strong camaraderie will be very helpful for this volunteer.

3) Show respect. The same criteria for privacy, confidentiality and non-victimisation needs to be applied to survivors of institutional abuse as with any other prospective volunteer.

4) Identify strengths. We all have talents and strengths. Survivors of traumatic experiences develop quite efficient coping mechanisms that on the surface, may appear to be “challenging” or “eccentric” behaviours at times. Take the time to ensure the volunteering role matches with the interests, abilities and identified skills of the person. Not all people who want to volunteer with your group or organisation will be suitable; however, there are creative ways of engaging people by thinking ‘outside the box’ and coming up with alternative volunteering opportunities which fit the person rather than always trying to fit people to standard roles. Remember that the impact on the Forgotten Australian volunteers’ healing and self-esteem could be amazing, especially if they are applying their personal talents and skills to purposeful, meaningful voluntary work.

5) Involve families. A key strategy is to allow a Forgotten Australian volunteer to involve their families in their ongoing volunteering journey. Listen, be compassionate, show respect and at all times practise confidentiality and build trust. Establish clear professional boundaries that are fair and reasonable and ensure that families and the volunteer can speak to someone they trust about their concerns.

6 Establishing identity. Many Forgotten Australians had their birth papers misplaced, destroyed or lost. Some do not even know their birth name and had it arbitrarily changed by the institution. This can present enormous challenges for both the volunteer and the volunteer involving group, particularly for obtaining a Police check or Working with children Check. It would be useful in this instance to work with the Alliance for Forgotten Australians or other suitable supportive agency to assist the volunteer establish their birth identity if they are willing to do so.

7) Go easy on physical contact. Some people who identify as Forgotten Australians may fear too much physical contact! They may associate it with physical and sexual abuse received, as a child, from ‘carer’s’ and others whilst in institutional care. It can be a discomforting experience for some people regardless of their past experiences, to be in groups who are overly familiar or “huggy/cuddly” so do be aware of this. Practise professional boundaries at all times with regard to physical touch. Better to show kindness and compassion with professional restraint than make a volunteer feel uncomfortable. Take your cue from the person on this, but remain vigilant about personal space - including your own and others - and set clear boundaries on what is appropriate physical contact and what is not.

8) Offer alternative options for disclosing personal histories. It can be very difficult to be a volunteer coordinator managing all the challenges and limitations of the position at the best of times. It becomes much harder when Forgotten Australian volunteers disclose very personal and often disturbing childhood memories of their time in institutional care. Practice self-care as a professional person. If you feel you are out of your depth when hearing these stories, admit this to the volunteer, then offer them alternative options to help them to tell their stories. Have on hand, an up to date list of organisations, counsellors, social workers and allied health professionals who will be better equipped to help both yourself and a Forgotten Australian volunteer. Reassure the volunteer you are in no way “fobbing them off” but that you simply need more qualified support to help them on the road to recovering from their experiences. Set boundaries on your personal spaces outside of your work with volunteers and maintain a courteous and compassionate but professional distance whenever possible. Remember that its okay to say “yes!” but its equally okay to say “no!” too, particularly if a situation is beyond your professional capacity and experience.

The above would be required in instances where a prospective or serving volunteer discloses that they are a Forgotten Australian. Some people might use other terms but their experiences could be similarly traumatic, requiring patience and understanding. There will be volunteers who never disclose their childhood experiences in institutionalised care. There will be some – albeit rare – who remember their time in care as being a positive experience. As with all volunteers – it is important to manage them with supportive and inclusive processes, including a volunteering structure that provides everyone with a sense of purpose, worth and dignity. The National Standards for involving volunteers is a good place to start to get these processes and structure right for all volunteers regardless of their background and personal histories.

There are many resources available via the following links which will provide further information on Forgotten Australians and the challenges they face. This blog post was written with the assistance of a booklet produced by the Alliance for Forgotten Australians entitled “Forgotten Australians: Supporting survivors of childhood institutional care in Australia”. A PDF version of this booklet can be downloaded here.

Other organisations working to assist Forgotten Australians include the following:

Vanish: An organisation assisting people who were in Victorian institutions. Vanish is based in Melbourne and funded by the Victorian Dept. of Human Services.

Indigenous family history searches can be started from the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies site.

Broken Rites: This organisation assists survivors of church-related sexual abuse.

Families Australia: This is an independent, not-for-profit organisation serving as a peak advocacy body for Australian families.

Prepare for National Volunteer Week 2010

2010-04-29T11:09:00.001+10:00

Volunteering: Now, more than ever…

There is just over a week left before National Volunteer Week 2010 begins. May 10-16^th will give groups, organisations and the general public opportunity to acknowledge and recognise the enormous contributions of volunteers across all kinds of Australian communities – city and country. Groups can also utilise the week for recruiting volunteers.

The importance of volunteers to Australian society can never be underestimated. Without the contribution made by volunteers and volunteer involving groups, our nation would not be able to provide services and opportunities to individuals, the disadvantaged, migrant, indigenous, the aged, the socially isolated, the sick, children or families. The list is probably endless! The cost to the tax-payer could well be prohibitive and our standard of living would perhaps, be significantly reduced (although this last one is a value judgement that is almost impossible to prove) without the contribution of volunteers.

National Volunteer Week began in 1989 with the International Year of the Volunteer celebrated in 2001. For the past 20 + years, volunteerism has been a focus of many governments across the world. Many countries have their own definition of what constitutes formal volunteering, however the following definition is recognised by Australia - notably through Volunteering Australia our national body for Volunteers and Volunteerism – defining it as follows:

Definition of formal volunteering

· Formal volunteering is an activity which takes place through not for profit organisations or projects and is undertaken:

· to be of benefit to the community and the volunteer;

· of the volunteer’s own free will and without coercion;

· for no financial payment; and

· in designated volunteer positions only.

Groups that are defined as “community participation” groups such as interest and sporting clubs, progress associations and many other innumerable Aussie collectives run by volunteers or members don’t always fit with this definition though. Wimmera Volunteers however, does recognise that an enormous amount of community support and volunteer effort does get done by these small groups across the Wimmera and we attempt to support groups with information and assistance with volunteer information and issues. These groups are also encouraged to acknowledge and recognise their volunteers during National Volunteer Week.

So? How does your group acknowledge your volunteers during National Volunteer Week 2010? Some ideas might include:

Holding a free barbeque and inviting along volunteers and their families.

Producing simple Certificates of Appreciation on the computer and presenting them to volunteers.

Having a free film night with supper for volunteers and their families.

Placing a general thankyou into the local paper.

Encouraging your local council to hold an event with a personal thank you from the Mayor for Volunteers in the region.

Holding a colouring competition for children to “Thank a volunteer” and then deliver entries to individual volunteers as a “Certificate of Appreciation”

Write a personal thank you note to volunteers.

Organise a voucher for a free cuppa for volunteers. Volunteers hand the voucher to participating venue’s to receive their freebie thankyou cuppa. The venue returns the collected vouchers for reimbursement from your organisation.

Hold a tree-planting day in a designated area in honour of volunteers. Individual trees could be “dedicated” to particular volunteers as a long-term recognition for their contribution to the community.

The list is as endless as the human imagination.

Remember to include promotional materials about what your group does in the community and what volunteer opportunities you have available too, at your National Volunteer Week event. This way, the possibility of recruiting new volunteers becomes available. Volunteers are attracted to organisations that are organised and are very clear about their objectives. A suitably designed methodology for inducting, training and supporting volunteers will go a long way to ensuring the longevity of your services in the community.

Finally, I’d like to personally say a very BIG THANK YOU to all the volunteers from across the Wimmera who contribute so much to our community. Your efforts and willingness to go “above, and beyond” the call of duty are very much appreciated and applauded. Now, more than ever you are vital and fantastic! Well done!

Feed volunteering issues through to Government via your Volunteer Resource Centre

2010-03-10T11:44:00.001+11:00

Volunteer Resource Centres like Wimmera Volunteers are sometimes able to feed back to Government departments what the current issues are that dog small community groups and volunteer involving organisations. It’s even better when a politician can run with a volunteering issue and raise its profile amongst their peers.

Our elected representatives may have a lot of “Stuff” coming at them but if they don’t hear about the burning issues that affect a significant number of people they are representing – they can’t take it on board and find solutions. These are the people we expect to be able to come up with solutions after all.

Volunteerism will be again a world-wide focus in 2011 being the 10^th Anniversary of the International Year of the Volunteer in 2001. Governments around the world will be asked to review how well volunteers and volunteerism has been supported and what is being done to continue to recognise the value and work of volunteers in every corner of the globe.

The Australian Government currently has developing a National Volunteering Strategy in response to this call. It is hoped that the strategy will provide consistency in the practice and delivery of volunteerism across the nation.

Thing is – we need to remind Government that volunteering in regional Australia can be quite a different thing than volunteering in the heart of our metropolitan cities. At present it sometimes seems that much of the focus of Government and peak bodies is on structured and highly organised volunteering groups and organisations with small isolated “community participation” groups being somewhat neglected in the rush.

The rural volunteer and volunteering context is not “always” different, but it is important that Government recognises the implications of cost, access and policy for rural volunteering in this strategy even so.

Across regional Australia there are many small community groups, often with aging volunteers and members, which are struggling to keep their townships and communities thriving. The legislative costs of administration and insurance is whittling away the ability of these small groups to keep doing what needs to be done. These groups have as much right to the ear of Government too. Government needs to hear about the particular and unique volunteering issues of country and rural volunteers and volunteer involving small groups. Solutions may perhaps be difficult to find but being heard is half the battle. It is a two-way street too. There are some things that small groups do need to do to be in-line with the evolving nature of volunteering but that’s a thought for another day.

So how do you get your volunteer issue heard?

Talk to Wimmera Volunteers either by email, face to face, phone or letter and, as objectively as possible, state what it is that is both good and what is “of concern” in the not-for-profit world you inhabit. We want to hear about volunteering from your perspective including the funny stories, the wins and the frustrations. It’s all important and it needs to be heard.

Please go to our website for more information and to find our contact details.

Occupational Health & Safety Equipment Grants

2010-03-01T12:08:00.001+11:00

The Victorian Council for Social Service is providing one last round of grants to assist not-for-profit groups and organisations to purchase specific safety equipment. The grants offer all small groups an opportunity to ensure that workplaces – even for volunteers – are as safe as possible.

These funding opportunities come around rarely and given this will be the final round for this kind of funding grant through VCOSS, all groups are encouraged to make a thorough assessment of their OH&S around the places where paid Staff and volunteers conduct their work.

Elimination of risk is becoming an increasingly important forward-planning component of most organisations, including small community groups. Halls, venues, meeting places, vehicles, play-ground equipment, tools, devices and office spaces require a careful eye and a realistic assessment of the risks to human health and safety.

This isn’t just about fire extinguishers or trip hazards either! This is about the overall health of the individuals who spend their time at these places conducting the work of the organisation or group. Factors such as the height of work stations, training of Staff and volunteers in the use of fire extinguishers, alarm systems and work-place bullying are also on the ever-growing list of things groups and organisations must be ready to assess and minimize to the very best of their ability.

These grants give groups an opportunity to afford the costs often inherent in this process. Please read the documentation on the site carefully and remember that this final round is only available until the closing date of March 31^st 2010. There will be no future grants of this type being offered by VCOSS so this is a final call to take advantage of funding and create a safe working environment for your valuable volunteers.

Free Community Resources for Aussie Not-for-Profits

2010-01-19T09:20:00.000+11:00

The website ourcommunity.com.au is proving to be a brilliant resource for community groups across Australia. It doesn't matter how big or small these groups are, the fact remains that this initiative is helping many communities access a wealth of ideas, information and options.

For example, I have noticed in the past that community and not-for-profit groups have suffered over the years from a lack of financial information. Questions often plague small groups such as:

Where can we find money?
How can we help the Treasurer to manage the paperwork?
What the process is for achieving Deductible Gift Recipient Status with the Australian Tax Office?
What kinds of fundraising tips and hints should we be looking at?

All the resources and information to answer these questions - and more - can be found at the ourcommunity website. Highly Recommended is the Community Treasurer's Guide, available as a .pdf to download for free from the website. You will need the free application Adobe Reader in order to read .pdf documents and that can be easily downloaded from here.

The site itself is enormous - even by internet standards! There are coloured tabs that lead the individual through to themed "rooms" - for want of a better word - to where related topics can be searched.

Individuals are also well catered for with the fantastic giving project through the Australian Giving Centre (www.givenow.com.au). Donating via the internet is a huge phenomenom that is set to become the normal way of giving to charity in the future!

A large Policy Bank has samples of policies to assist Committees and boards manage more effectively. There are literally hundreds of help sheets available!

Aussie Community groups and Not-for-profit organisations are encouraged to browse the ourcommunity website and bookmark it for ease of access.

Changes to the Incorporated Associations Act Victoria (1981)

2009-12-18T15:14:00.000+11:00

The Victorian Government has made some changes to the Incorporated Associations Act 1981(Vic) ('the Act') this past year.

Some of the changes are still to come into effect, but others are now already being implemented.

It is the responsibility of all Victorian Incorporated Associations to ensure they understand what these changes mean and then go about the proper processes of including these changes into their model rules or constitution. In time, a new version of Model Rules for an Incorporated Association will be produced which will contain the new changes, but in the meantime, the changes are listed in the Associations Incorporation Ammendments Act 2009 (Vic).

The relevant changes to the Act can be found at the following excellent resources:

PILCH
Associations Incorporation Ammendment Act 2009
Consumer Affairs Victoria

The following article from the Our Community website may be also be useful to groups and organisations who wish to make their own relevant modifications to their Rules or Constitution.

Modifying your Rules

National Volunteering Strategy begins.

2009-11-25T16:10:00.000+11:00

You can read the rest of the article here

It will be intesting to see how small country community participation groups are recognised in the strategy.

It will also be very interesting if there will finally be recognition of the support - both financial and in-kind - that is required to assist our vollies to keep doing what they do best "for free but not for nothing"!

Heroes

2009-11-11T10:15:00.000+11:00

Today is Rememberance Day in Australia and across most of the Commonwealth countries of the world.

World War I formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918when the Germans signed the Armistice Agreement.

Today, 91 years later, we remember not just the brave young men and women who fought in this war but also the men and women who serve and have served across any number of campaigns across the world in recent years.

Volunteering as a Soldier of War back then was considered a noble act of sacrifice. In many ways, it was viewed in much the same light as we now revere and acknowledge those who serve so valiantly in our emergency services.

These days, serving in the army is a career as much as any other and it isn't considered "volunteering" as much anymore. However, in 1918, it appears that electing to become a soldier was very much about "volunteering" and this was deemed something so valued and honorable a decision as to be considered heroic - even before actual heroism could be practised in the field.

All volunteers are heroes!

Whether they volunteer to protect us in extreme situations like war, famine, disease, and emergency or whether they give a few moments to help a disabled person wrap christmas gifts, devote years of service to the Country Women's Association, their local bookclub or on a committee or board of management.

Volunteering is altruism in its purest form. That being said, what volunteers get back from their giving is often far more valuable. Various resources are now claiming that volunteering has a positive impact on the volunteers health and wellbeing. Who are we to argue with this? We see it in practise all the time in the country! Thankfully, volunteering isn't about dying on battlefields anymore - it is about celebrating Life - in all of its fulness.

Remember our soldiers today. Give thanks for their contribution to the work that they do and have done. What they did - and what they still do - gives the volunteers of today the opportunity to keep making the world a safer, better and more amazing place in which to be alive.

How will JSA affect volunteering in the Wimmera?

2009-10-21T10:54:00.000+11:00

Various Australian Governments over the years, have sought to somehow, improve the employability of long-term unemployed Aussies through various schemes which integrate volunteering as a pre-requisite requirement, or option. Individuals may elect to volunteer in recognised or registered volunteering organisations as way of meeting obligations for receiving government payments.

In the past 15 years, these strategies have included the following:

Work for the Dole.
Volunteer Work Intiative.
Mutual Obligation.

The latest version of these types of schemes is under the new Job Services Australia (JSA) program. The program is a further attempt, by government to give long-term, unemployed individuals more options for improving their employment prospects. Of the nine available types of Work Experience Activity, voluntary work in the not-for-profit sector is included.

We all know that volunteering is good for the soul - that it provides social, health and psychological benefits that can't be quantified by statistics or objective analysis. For the long-term unemployed, volunteering can have a beneficial impact far beyond that of just gaining new skills. That being said - we must also remind prospective JSA volunteers that volunteering in and of itself is no guarantee of directly gaining paid work.

It will be interesting to see how this will affect volunteering groups and organisations across the Wimmera. We are not "like" major metropolitan centres with a closely connected hub of volunteering organisations which have a high turn over of volunteers. The Wimmera is vast; it's communities are small and isolated and somewhat disadvantaged - often unable to access services most city people would take for granted. Many Wimmera people volunteer as a matter of course across a larger than average number of small groups, committees, projects and township planning groups. These volunteers may have done these roles for a quite a long time too. In a few cases it's decades of volunteering commitment! Things don't change as fast here and the art of volunteering is quite a different beast, I think, than in the big city context.

For most JSA job-seekers, I imagine that their volunteering contributions may be limited to the amount of hours they are required to do to meet their job-search requirements. This means that JSA volunteers will be effectively short-term volunteers. There are implications in this for small groups and volunteering organisations. Many of our smaller groups may not have the capacity or the resources, or even the ability, to suddenly open their doors to a potential influx of prospective job-seekers wanting to fulfil short term job-search obligations through volunteering work.

Other questions that come to mind are:

1) Will job-seekers want specific kinds of volunteering roles that expand on their existing skills and qualifications?

2) Will job-seekers be willing to continue their volunteer role with the group or organisation beyond the set amount of hours determined by the JSA program?

3) What kinds of supports, including material and financial resources, will be needed to help smaller groups and organisations deal with JSA volunteers?

4) Will JSA providers be able to effectively partner with Volunteer Resource Centres to share knowledge on volunteering - particularly in a rural and remote context?

The time to prepare for a potential increase in volunteering enquiries from job-seekers is now! Small groups and not-for-profit organisations will need to identify the opportunities as well as mitigate any risks due to the potentially short-term nature of job-seeker volunteering.

As the Volunteer Management Program project worker, I invite groups and organisations to speak to me about their concerns and their plans for involving volunteers from the JSA program. I've a lot to learn about this program too, so right now, I'm very interested in how the new JSA program will impact on rural volunteering, if at all.

The benefits for proactive and forward-thinking groups and organisations maybe wonderful though too. Prospective job-seeking volunteers may have skills and qualifications, offering quite valuable experience and assistance to groups for short-term projects and events. The trick for groups will be to identify early, what projects need what kinds of skills and then promoting these strategically, through agencies such as Wimmera Volunteers and other Volunteer Resource Centres.

Even so, small groups and volunteering organisations are increasingly, going to find that managing volunteers AS IF they are paid workers (even though they are not) will be a crucial factor in their on-going success in their communities. The bare minimum requirement is a simple awareness of the possibilities and the potential problems in helping volunteers to effectively engage in, with and for their group whether they're from the JSA program or not.

New Cross-Border Bus Service from Naracoorte to Horsham

2009-10-09T13:14:00.000+11:00

People living in Naracoorte, Apsley, Edenhope, Goroke, and Natimuk will be able to get into Horsham in time to connect with other trains and buses, with the launch of a new trial bus service funded by the Victorian Government.

Launching the trial service in Edenhope today, Member for Western Victoria, Jaala Pulford said the six-month trial will provide a bus service that will link people living near the border to major Victorian regional centres and to Melbourne.

“Accessible transport is vital to everyday life in regional Victoria, and crucial to enhancing community connectedness,” Ms Pulford said.

“Local people said there was a need to be able to attend things like medical appointments in the city and this service is a terrific way of helping them to do that.”

Ms Pulford said the new service complements the existing daily service, with the early departure and late return times intended to allow people to travel to Melbourne and back in one day, avoiding the expense of an overnight stay.

“The service will run every Friday, leaving Naracoorte at 4.30am, arriving at Horsham at 7.00am, she said.

“Stops along the way include Apsley, Edenhope, Goroke, and Natimuk and from Horsham, passengers can then catch connecting services to Bendigo, Geelong, Ballarat and Melbourne.
The return service departs Horsham at 10.08pm and will arrive back in Naracoorte at 12.55am.

The Minister for Community Development, Peter Batchelor said the Victorian Government had committed a further $80 million dollars to support 32 Transport Connections programs across the state.

“The Transport Connections program makes a huge positive impact on communities, because access to local transport is a key factor in people being happy with where they choose to live,” Mr Batchelor said.

“This is a great example of the Victorian Government working with local residents to plan and deliver innovative local solutions that improve transport in their community.

“I encourage local residents to get behind the trial and make it a huge success,” he said.

Location of Disability Parking Bays Brochure for the Wimmera

2009-10-09T09:10:00.000+11:00

Wimmera Transport Connections has updated a pamphlet that outlines the location of disability parking bays for disabled persons in the Wimmera. The pamphlet has the location of the disabled parking bays for the major towns in the shires of Hindmarsh, West Wimmera and Yarriambiack as well Horsham Rural City Council.

Wimmera Transport Connections coordinator Bill Lovel said the pamphlet is a great resource for a disabled person allowing them to plan their journey or trip throughout the Wimmera or within their own town, there is in excess of 100 disabled parking spaces available in the region. The pamphlets have been distributed to all of the municipal offices and other agencies all through the Wimmera.

Mr Lovel said it not only provides the street location of the bays but also gives basic information on what the Victorian Disabled Persons Parking Scheme is about, what the eligibility criteria is for the permit and where and how to apply for the permit. The permit is applicable throughout Victoria and is valid for three years. Application forms for the scheme are available at each of the municipal offices.

Any persons wanting a pamphlet can contact their local municipality or Wimmera Volunteers.

Wimmera Transport Connections is a joint initiative of the Department of Planning and Community Development, Department of Infrastructure, Department of Human Services and Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Transport Connections is about communities in rural, regional and outer metropolitan areas working together to improve local transport.

Wimmera Towns Transport Directory

2009-10-09T09:07:00.000+11:00

Wimmera Transport Connections has updated the Wimmera Volunteers Wimmera Towns Directory. The directory has details of public and community transport available in the shires of Hindmarsh, West Wimmera and Yarriambiack as well Horsham Rural City Council. The directory also has information for towns from outside those areas being the shires of Buloke, Mildura, Southern Grampians, Northern Grampians and Ararat. Some of those towns included are Donald, St.Arnaud, Serviceton, Speed and Watchem to name a few. There are 34 towns in total that have their public and community transport details displayed.

Wimmera Transport Connections coordinator Bill Lovel said the directory is a great resource for organisations or an individual planning to travel throughout the state of Victoria; it also includes inbound and outbound transport journeys to Adelaide. He said each municipality has at least one copy of the directory with others distributed to organisations in the region, the directory is in an easy to read format.

Mr Lovel said it not only provides public and community transport details but has information on travel links, travel funding and assistance to travellers in Melbourne, included in the document. The 185 page document is available on the Wimmera Volunteers website; if you only want your particular town those details can be extracted from the directory he said.

Wimmera Transport Connections is a joint initiative of the Department of Planning and Community Development, Department of Infrastructure, Department of Human Services and Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Transport Connections is about communities in rural, regional and outer metropolitan areas working together to improve local transport.

For more information regarding this press release contact Bill Lovel at Wimmera Volunteers on 53 82 5607.

Festival seasons need many hands!

2009-09-30T15:06:00.000+10:00

Here in the Wimmera, the advent of Spring, with its warm sunny days, breezes and bees floating on flowering shrubs, brings a kind of weird, buzzy, zippy sense of anticipation to the region!

Volunteers of all shapes, sizes, ages, dispositions and abilities indulge their passions in a vast variety of ways through... *drumroll*..... "The Festival".

The number of Festivals and other events that are planned for October and November across the Wimmera is astonishing to say the least.

There is absolutely SOMETHING for everyone to get involved with in some way, either as a participant or as a volunteer. The old saying about "Many hands make light work" is never more true than at festival time!

The short-term volunteering roles on offer here at Wimmera Volunteers, are coming in thick and fast. These kinds of roles are generally very simple and often don't take more than a couple of hours to do. They are roles that add to the quality and impact of a festival, making the work of the volunteer organising committees that much easier. These people like volunteering over the long haul, but for those of us who are just too busy to commit to anything too major - there are still volunteering opportunities in abundance where we can assist or contribute, even if for just a couple of hours!

Across the Wimmera, small organising committees have been planning and organising quite significant events for a number of months. They need lots of assistance on the ground, near to and during their event, to get those labour intensive "little" jobs done like setting up, acting as hosts and hostesses, packaging give-aways, distributing posters, taking surveys and packing up afterwards.

These roles may sound mundane and a little bit "boring" when written down, but most people often find that their contribution in doing these things is valued and appreciated far beyond the actual duties of the role itself. There is something earthy and fundamentally inspiring about gathering with other people to DO things that make a difference. It can be great fun to chip in and give some of your time and your talents to help get a festival or event off the ground. It doesn't require a degree in time management or a PHD in some scientific field of endeavour, but it does require enthusiasm for community and a general willingness to contribute in some way.

It's the practical, hands-on, down-and-dirty stuff that just needs to get done that makes or breaks a festival or event. This makes ALL volunteers critical to a festival's overall success. The under-rated, unpaid, often unseen tasks, done in the background for no other reason than to make sure the community can have a "good time" are incredibly important really. This is foundational stuff and it makes a huge difference to our collective sense of community and also how participants and festival goers feel afterwards.

The ripple on feel-good effects that festivals have on communities, enhance the well-being and subsequent health of the individuals that make up those communities - so it does help to remember that these basic, hands-on volunteering roles are essential in achieving this positive effect.

One extra cool point about all the short-term volunteering opportunities that exist at this time of the year is that businesses can also get on board and directly contribute to their communities through business volunteering. Business owners and managers can create real links and promote and/or market their businesses as being socially conscious and community minded by releasing staff for a few hours to assist in some of these short-term roles. Business volunteering in this way is simply, good for business and worth considering as part of a corporate social responsibility strategy.

So... if you are looking to feel a good dose of well-being and pride in your capacity as a human being...then volunteer short-term for a Festival or event in the Wimmera this coming month. We may have a simple, hands-on, down-and-dirty, engaging, social, great fun volunteering opportunity that will suit you! :)

Festival season is here! Come in and see us if you want to help make a difference!

Recognising Victoria's volunteers.

2009-09-15T14:01:00.000+10:00

The Herald Sun last Sunday (September 13th 2009 edition) had a small article in it that caught the boss's eye. It was titled "Let's be in tune with volunteers" and mentioned the high profile celebs and dignitaries who are supporting the Victorian State Government's newly launched statewide campaign called Volunteers for Victoria.

The Volunteers for Victoria website gives ordinary Victorians opportunity to send a personal word of thanks to the vast numbers of emergency services volunteers - particularly those who assisted during the February 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. You can leave a personal message of thanks on the website or send an sms "Vols" and your message to 0488 505 050.

The position the Government is taking is admirable in this. Thanking volunteers is critical for encouraging people to continue to serve and join services such as the CFA, SES and Life Saving Victoria. It's good to thank people for their willing and unpaid services to others.

The CFA is coming into a critical time of year now. The fear and stress that many heroic volunteers would have faced in the last horrific fire season, must be weighing on their minds and hearts again as they mentally gear up for yet another, potentially, lethal summer period. I guess the best thanks we can give our CFA and SES volunteers is to PREPARE our homes and properties appropriately in readiness for the season! That way we minimise the risks to them and lessen the stress on everyone.

So while its good to thank our volunteers via modern tools such as internet or mobile phone... it's even better to listen to their experiences, follow their skilled advice and act upon that advice appropriately.

On another tangent to this subject. Wimmera Volunteers encourages organisations and groups to recognise their volunteers in ANY capacity they may serve.

I'm talking about the ordinary people doing extraordinary things - every day, every week, every year - that don't end up with celebs and pollies falling over themselves to shower kudo's all over them. There are tiny community groups all over the country keeping their local communities alive and flourishing, because they give and give and give without any other recognition than a spoken word of thanks from someone or the occasional "Life Membership" plaque...if they're lucky!

Remember these volunteers too! Not everyone can be an amazing, heroic and highly trained CFA or SES volunteer...but everyone can volunteer, and as such,deserves equal recognition, acknowledgement and appreciation.

International Volunteers Day is fast approaching. This is a perfect opportunity to start thinking about how you will thank your amazing and valuable volunteers for this past year of service. Whether their contribution has been stoic, heroic, short-term, long-term, "basic" or "complex" - it doesnt' matter, they have contributed freely of their time and talents to help and deserve recognition anyway!

We'll have some suggestions and ideas for you soon on this, but in the meantime, do thank your volunteers, often! :)

Michelle

If you need more volunteers... put the jobs on paper.

2009-08-21T14:14:00.000+10:00

Recruiting volunteers is a big issue for small groups. It's especially difficult in remote rural communities where the whole community is so dependent on the services done by small groups.

Here in the Wimmera, it's common to hear that there are a very few "familiar faces" volunteering across a variety of groups within the same town. Volunteer burn out can be a huge issue as a result. For most small groups in our communities the idea of actively going out to "recruit" new blood is daunting in the extreme. Far too often, members of committees find it hard to "convince" a family member, friend or associate from the community to step into a necessary role especially on their word alone! Most people are time-poor; some are nearing "retirement"; and, these days, saying "No!" has become a perfectly legitimate boundary for young and old alike.

Somehow, small community groups still keep on keeping on and that is a great thing. Many in our tiny towns realise the importance of keeping alive the groups that make the up town's heartbeat, so do chip in and help whenever possible.

There are so many volunteer roles that still need doing in communities across the Wimmera though. Lots! These jobs are often not properly identified or promoted however, and most are just picked up ad hoc as groups realise they need doing - usually by the same overly busy and tired volunteers already doing too much. The community also, may have very vague ideas indeed, about what roles are actually out 'there' where they could be volunteering too. Not everyone needs to be ready to fill the role of a committee member in order be a volunteer!

Identifying current voluntary roles and doing a thorough audit of what jobs need doing can go a long way to helping your group attract volunteers. It may seem like extra paperwork but this process is actually very valuable. By detailing a volunteer position as if it were similar to a job description for a paid position, you can give the volunteering role credibility and this will, most likely, attract new volunteers to your group or organisation.

With the jobs down on paper in simple Duty Statements or Volunteer Position Descriptions, promoting volunteer positions becomes much easier because the duties and characteristics of the position become clearer. Certain qualifications and skills from the community can be tapped into much more readily, because people are attracted to stuff they know they can do or are willing to learn.

The task of writing volunteer position descriptions can begin with the current roles already being done by volunteers. This should include volunteers in positions on committees and on boards. Volunteers can identify all the duties they perform which should help to shape and refine the position description so that it reflects what they actually do.

It's not really useful for small groups to think a volunteer role is "closed" to new volunteers just because someone is already doing it. By continuously promoting the existing opportunities your club, group or organisations, you're effectively ensuring that what is happening will go on happening. Prospective volunteers may well be interested in being on a committee but want to ease into roles gently and get the right training and orientation first before committing to executive roles.

(Note: It's always a good idea to cap the amount of time an individual can officiate in an executive role on a committee. A general rule of thumb is three years, after which time an individual must step down from that role. This needs to be put into the constitution however and must be ratified by the whole membership of your group or organisation).

Here at Wimmera Volunteers, we have a great need for community groups to identify as many volunteering positions as they can and get them down on paper, into clearly written Volunteer Position Descriptions. That way, we can let the community...ergo prospective volunteers... know what is out there to do. We need as many short term and long term volunteering roles as groups and organisations can identify from across the Wimmera. We want to help promote volunteering in this community so that small groups across the region have a better chance of attracting volunteers. It is also useful for members of the general public as they will be able to select from the wide range of volunteering options available.

Whether you are a tiny scout group in the Hindmarsh Shire or a larger not-for-profit organisation(and every other group in between), by identifying all your volunteer positions within your group and organisation, you will do better - much better - at attracting volunteers to do the work required.

Why?

People like to help but they also like to know how and when they can help! They like to know up front what is expected of them. They like to know if the purpose for volunteering is going to inspire them and give them the sense of achievement they want. They want to know who they are answerable to; who they are helping and how. They want to know if they need to have certain types of skills and if they will be trained to do the work properly.

General pleas for help don't work like they used to because "help" is too general a term now. What does "help" actually mean? How much time does it involve? What am I supposed to do? Where do I go?

Writing a simple volunteer position description doesn't need to be rocket science though. At it's most basic level, it's about valuing volunteers enough to treat them as you would if you needed to pay them. You are effectively "hiring" someone's free will and time so it helps to lend credibility to volunteering roles by putting them into well written and clear volunteer position descriptions.

Here at Wimmera Volunteers we can help you to:

1) Isolate and identify your volunteering roles
2) Design your volunteer position descriptions
3) Help your group promote your volunteering opportunities in the community.

So identify your volunteer jobs that need doing, that are being done, that will need to be done, and promote your group in your community more effectively as a result. :)

ciao

What I learned writing "The Report"

2009-07-29T12:35:00.000+10:00

It's report writing season!

Chairpersons, secretaries, volunteer co-ordinators are setting fingers to keyboards and pen to paper to document what they've been doing in readiness for Annual General Meetings and for government funding aquittals.

There are lots of different ways to write a report and it does depend on the audience you are writing for as to which style to use. A Presidents report for AGM documents will be a different style than a report to a government funding agency. However there are a few things to remember when writing any report.

My own recent attempt at writing an activity report for a Federal Government department has been a challenge to say the least! Those who have read this blog will know I'm not exactly the succinct type when it comes to words. (ahem!) This was my first ever government report based on a very busy previous six months of data. My first draft was, quite frankly, a disaster. By draft 7, I was beginning to get the hang of the process at last.

So what did I learn writing my report? A lot! If you are currently in the process of writing a report, especially for government or to wind up a funding project, hopefully the following tips will assist you.

1) Understand the questions you are answering. Yes! That's right, "Read the Question". For Government reports, these questions might be in really simple English words, but in long convoluted sentences, those same words can become quite confusing. Spend time, prior to writing, to pull apart the question word by word so you fully comprehend what information is required. Isolate key phrases and words that show the focus of the question. Where there are no questions to answer - make some up of your own so your report follows a very clear structure.

My report included these critical phrases, which I only fully understood once I pulled the content of the question apart.

"Describe How"
"Strategies implemented"
"To facilitate"

Understanding what these really meant made writing, a lot easier.

2) Be prepared to write and write and write and then have it all chopped out. I like words and my style is more creative than functional when writing. It was a frustrating experience to constantly go back to the drawing board to edit and delete so much of my wordy creative, work. If this is the same for you, you'll understand how difficult it is to actually see all that extra "padding" you have around the core elements. For example, I'd say something like:

"We are very proud of the additional three resources we created during the past six months."

My style of report simply required a line like the following as a bullet point:

"Produced three brochures."

Basically, if you don't need extra words, don't add them. This process is a bit like making a movie; lots of your work ends up on the "cutting room floor" until you get every word (every 'scene') to count.

3) Just report. Don't waffle on about what you will plan on doing in the future. I was tending to do this to justify gaps where I thought there wasn't anything significant to report. I felt that I needed to explain things in a very detailed way why something wasn't working and what I was going to do to solve that problem. Government reports don't need this kind of writing. Report on what has been done and put your strategies for filling the gaps into a 'Work Plan' which is quite a different document and a blog post for another day. :)

If something didn't work or eventuate, state it very simply, give a reason why if necessary and leave it at that. Occasionally, you might want to add one very succinct sentence to demonstrate you've got the problem covered and that you are going to try a different strategy if what went before hasn't worked. You don't need to include too much detail about that strategy at this point.

4) Keep to facts. No one wants rubbery figures in a report. Same goes for rubbery words like "many", "some" or "occasionally". They're nice words words to use and very handy for blog writing and newletters, but they're not useful in certain kinds of reports. The more specific the data you need to report on, the less likely you will need these kinds of words. Of course you will use them on occasion, but keep them sparse, otherwise they can make it sound like you're trying to hide things you don't actually know. Keep your report as real and as factual as you can.

5) Don't be afraid to repeat things if you need to. In my report, I found I needed to repeat certain activities a number of times throughout the report. However, I did need to re-word them in ways that met the requirements of the specific question.

I think the main thing I've learned is that, essentially, report writing is a style that requires Relevance, Accuracy and Agency.

Relevance means that you write specific to the needs of the audience who will read the report. Your information will be relevant to the questions asked too.

Accuracy means you write succinctly and as precisely as possible, stating facts rather than making vague and general allusions. For certain styles of reports, there is an art to telling the right kind of story for a general audience, but for government, report writing appears to be akin to filleting fish - you trim away what you don't want to get to the essential bits you need; not too much, not too little.

Agency means that the report shows where you've been active, what you've done and whether you've achieved, or hopefully surpassed, your outcomes. Agency in report writing is about making it all count towards positive growth on the ground. This is, afterall, what governments and funding bodies hand out monies for - they want to know that their dollars are making a difference through your activities.

So? Have I missed anything critical? Join in the conversation! Post a reply with your experience and tips and help the rest of us write great reports... at draft one, not draft seven ;).

All the best to the report writers out there.

Michelle

Making sure the work is ready to go...

2009-07-14T17:06:00.000+10:00

Has anyone noticed how the United States of America is going gang-busters with volunteering of late?

I'm amazed at the surge in volunteerism currently being experienced by the Not-for-profit Sector over there. President Obama has enshrined into law, the act of volunteering and now organisations are being swamped with requests and registrations from people wanting to "make a difference" in their community. Anecdotal evidence suggests the primary motivating factor for most of these new volunteers is "Because the President said I should!".

That last bit is probably the only thing that is "weird" about all of this! I can't imagine ordinary Aussies volunteering because "Our Prime Minister says I should"! :)

That little bit of weirdness aside though, and without having read much about this rising interest in volunteering over in the USA, I do wonder if the strategy will work. Maybe I have a cynical side but I do think it's important that the necessary supports are put in place for the volunteer management side of this equation!

Volunteer Managers always get a bad rap, quite frankly! They are often paid workers with extensive Duty Statements/Job Descriptions working in high pressure positions within their departments; however, because they are seen as being "in community development", they're expected to be able to handle volunteers within the organisation as well as their "real" work.

Volunteering and volunteers aren't that simple, unfortunately. It takes time and dedication to effectively implement a decent infrastructure to successfully recruit, train and retain quality volunteers. Valuing the position of a volunteer manager means that this role isn't treated as a mere adjunct to other "more pressing priorities".

So here we have American people rising up to do something "good" and all I can see is a lot of volunteer coordinators and managers gasping for air trying to figure out where to PUT all these wonderful new recruits.

The concept by the Obama Administration, for motivating the people to get involved in the national recovery process is an admirable one for sure; but, is it a genuinely clever strategy? Or,is it just providing "something" for people to do so they don't get agitated and rebel? There is always that tendency for disenchanted and isolated people to get a bit tetchy during exceptionally difficult times. Idle hands and all that jazz!

From the few accounts I have read, this 'Call from on High' has caught the American Not-for-profit sector slightly off-guard and volunteer managers are finding their, usually, quiet summer break somewhat frentic at the moment. Their main issue is finding proper volunteer work for all those willing hands to do! People are being laid off from their paid work only to find that volunteering is equally as competitive an environment in which to gain a position! How ironic!

The two fundamental tenets of volunteering are that it is something that: Benefits the Community and is done for no financial reward.

This means that any volunteering roles must not replace paid roles in the community. The fine line that American volunteer managers may face now, is that because so many people have lost their jobs, those formerly paid roles could perhaps be filled by volunteers which would be highly unethical to say the least!

This means that if organisations and not-for-profit groups don't figure out what kinds of volunteering roles they can ethically create for the growing numbers of willing volunteers - then volunteer managers may be left with no other option but to turn people away. This will disengage people from volunteering completely - possibly permanently - and no one wants that!

This "problem" that American volunteer groups are having may become increasingly evident here in Australia too if we aren't careful. For example, here at Wimmera Volunteers, we have organisations and groups registering their volunteer vacancies with us so we can promote them with prospective volunteers. On first look, there appears to be a plethora of opportunities for people to volunteer in, but, in reality, not enough organisations in our vibrant community are promoting their roles, which means the community isn't hearing about them. When push comes to shove - it's becoming a lot harder to find enough volunteering roles for our rising number of prospective volunteers.

So I guess this is a plea to all the hobby groups, sporting clubs, health care providers, Landcare groups, LGA's, youth organisations and so on to ask some questions about where they're at with volunteers in their group or organisation.

You might want to ask:

1) Have we reviewed the volunteer roles our organisation currently has?
2) Have we determined if there are volunteering gaps in our services?
3) Should we look at designing new volunteer positions for our group that fill these gaps?
4) Do we have the infrastructure in place to be able to train and support new volunteers?
5) Should we register with Wimmera Volunteers so that the volunteers coming to us are already well informed about volunteering in general?

The answer to these questions would, hopefully, be a resounding YES! Wimmera Volunteers CAN be of assistance to your group or organisation in helping you to recruit amazing people who want to do something worthwhile in the community they live in.

It's not rocket science, but we still need your help to find and promote the voluntary work that is begging to be done in your community!

America is facing an enormous opportunity to engage its citizens in volunteering; an activity we here in Australia seem to have embedded in our psyche and culture. America is also facing an enormous challenge to quickly engage and channel individuals into suitable volunteering roles within their communities before their interest wanes and disatisfaction sets in!

This, in turn, means that the Not-for-profit sector and volunteer groups in America - and here in Australia too - need to identify and promote ALL their volunteering opportunities effectively so that prospective volunteers are well informed and opportunities are not missed. This way both countries will build and grow strong, cohesive communities.

Being 'Change Agents' in a Climate of Change.

2009-07-07T09:10:00.000+10:00

My idealistic side has surfaced this morning whilst reading the latest Pro Bono Australia Not For Profit e-newsletter.

The newsletter usually contains interesting information for the Corporate and the Not-for-profit sectors but this little tit-bit about the Red Cross Warning on Climate Change, really piqued my interest - and that surge of idealism.

I really can't get my head around the numbers in the article though! It's a bit mind-boggling to think that the world is moving very rapidly into a time of enormous climatic change. The potential increase in natural disasters could perhaps decimate whole populations, maybe whole races of people, at any given moment.

The International Federation of the Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is making a conscientious stand by demanding that the global community need to do more towards prevention and protection of the worlds most vulnerable peoples and habitats.

So?

What does all this have to do with small volunteering groups in our community?

maybe it won't be that much in the greater scheme of things! Although, I have to say that I am not so sure about this! I think we are connected in some ways to the plight of those in distant places who are in the direct line of potential for future natural disasters. Black Saturday and the Queensland floods are some proof of this. We are affected when large numbers of the Cambodian people are wiped out by massive floods. We are affected when volcano's suddenly erupt at a distance. We are affected by the food scarcities in Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. The effects may be indirect, subtle and hard to identify exactly - but our small groups and communities are affected even so, I think. What happens "over there" impacts on our communities even here!

Probably, the main thing from this article I would take away is the need to think about risk management! The IFRC is saying we need to do better as a global community in understanding how to "Prevent and Protect" people from the increasing risks of natural disasters, including drought, food scarcity, flood, fire, tsunami's, volcanic activity, earthquakes and financial crises. Whether all this is about actual "Climate Change" is moot! There will always be debate about whether it's climate change or just climate variability. The fact is that human beings across the globe are having to manage massive change, disaster and disruption on an apparently increasing scale!

We always do very well to respond when a sudden and dramatic event happens. People rally, respond, re-organise and re-energise wherever and whenever they can. We're rather good at cleaning up after disasters.

When it comes to prevention and protection, however, we do less well. It's as if we prefer to not know about or seek to understand the risks that may be around the corner. We tend to assume a position of "We'll be okay! We'll fix things IF they happen when they happen".

Change is a constant and the constant we were used to is changing! Small groups and organisations, who manage and require volunteers to do the work they do, need to be ready to also manage unexpected change too. We need to identify the possible scenario's that might "decimate" our local communities and develop ways of preventing and protecting the people affected - including our volunteers - from these events.

Does your small group have a succession plan in place?

Does your small group know how it will survive through drought and economic downturns?

Does your small group know what it will do in the event of fire? Flood? Wind damage? Are your insurances adequate? What can you do to minimise the possible damage to people and to property?

Are your volunteers armed with useful knowledge and information about their roles? Does your organisation regularly confer with them to listen and support them? Do you have a Volunteer Code of Conduct and appropriate agreements in place?

These questions may not really seem relevant in light of the Red Cross article. But, I would like you to think about it even so. If you think about change, (whether climate or otherwise), as a factor for having to make risk assessments and appling the principles of Prevention and Protection to the global community - then thinking about our own communities and small groups, organisations and businesses in the light of escalating change is just as legitimate and increasingly important.

What is Business Volunteering?

2009-06-25T08:41:00.000+10:00

As Wimmera business continues to battle the odds under a difficult financial and environmental climate, let's pause to recognise and acknowledge the contributions that business owners - and their employees - make to the Not-for-profit groups and organisations in this region.

Wimmera businesses, have on many occasions stepped up to help assist, sponsor and support local charities, community events and formal volunteering programs such as Meals-on-wheels, all for no financial gain.

We thank small Wimmera business operators who consistently put back into their local communities. These people instinctively recognise that if they do not donate time, money, people and services, on occasion, to worthy local causes and community groups, their overall business will eventually suffer. Strong communities rely heavily on the voluntary contributions of everyone, including those from business. Many small community groups could not exist at all if not for the participation and direct support they receive through local business owners and their staff.

Business volunteering - or Corporate volunteering as it is sometimes known - is where a business allows staff to volunteer at a Non-profit agency "within the course of employment". A business may recognise that in allowing staff to volunteer in a not-for-profit organisation, that their job-satisfaction and loyalty to the company - as well as an increase in their skills - is beneficial to the business overall. The proprietor or manager may see business volunteering as being of benefit for the staff person involved as well, because happy staff make for a more productive business environment. It's also of benefit to the organisation they are involved in, as it enhances the community overall, keeping it strong and viable.

Here in the Wimmera, most small businesses probably don't even realise they are actually engaging in Business Volunteering or even that they are participating in their communities through their pro bono contributions. They may not have the resources or the capabilities to release staff to volunteer, 'within the course of business', like city corporations do, but they do participate in their communities in other ways and these contributions are relatively as significant as those of big city corporatations.

From donations in kind to allowing staff to photocopy or type up documents for their local footy club on the work computer, businesses here in our region are actually contributing a significant amount of time, money, energy and resources to our communities, often for little recognition.

Volunteering and not-for-profit community groups need to be sensitive to the needs of the business community when seeking their support for their activities.

Encourage your members to shop at those businesses that are demonstrating their willingness to support your group. Encourage members to participate in events such as champagne shopping tours and gala shopping days. Develop partnerships with local business so that reciprocal benefits can be achieved for both parties.

Business may appreciate a commitment by your members to purchase goods and services from them or having their logo's and acknowledgement of their in kind support incorporated into your promotional materials and activities.

The key factor to remember is that business is as much a part of the local fabric of your community as volunteers. Seek to work together rather than in competition where ever possible. Your community needs everyone to be involved to thrive and grow.

Michelle
Volunteer Management Program

Who needs volunteer "management"?

2009-06-15T13:56:00.000+10:00

The Wimmera is rife with deeply committed community souls who give and give of their time and energy to keep the place where they live ticking over like a well-greased wheel. To tell these wonderful people, that as a volunteer, they need to be well "managed" seems a little picky and unneccessary on first look. I mean - why would you want to 'control' the community volunteering spirit so evident in these worthy souls?

The first thing to note is that managing volunteers is NOT about controlling them in such a way that curbs their desire to contribute and get things done. Managing volunteers is a strategic approach to ensuring that the people doing this work for "no pay" are well looked after and can continue for as long as they want to - happily and with genuine purpose.

Volunteers often making an investment into their own lives in terms of how valuable they feel their contributions are to the communities in which they live. They want to make a difference, belong, contribute and add value. For many volunteers, much of what they do is stuff they see that "Needs to be done." as well as "If we don't do it - no one else will!". They roll up their sleeves, get in, do the job as they see fit for the most part. However, volunteers exist in every organisation who burn out from doing too much and volunteers who become disengaged because they are left wondering what it is they can - or are allowed to - do! Much of the Community Sector is now heavily governed by legal obligations that can potentially add barriers to volunteers just "chipping in" like they always did in the past. Managing volunteers assists and protects volunteers, and the organisation they are dedicating their time and interest to, as well as ensuring all the legal and statutory bases are covered.

An organisation with clear policies and procedures for ensuring their valuable volunteer "workforce" is efficiently and compassionately managed will go a long way to attracting and retaining valuable volunteers within the community.

Managing volunteers, therefore, is more about enhancing volunteering experience and adding value for both the organisation and the volunteer, rather than control. It's a vital component of good organisational policy and practice.

As an organisation, it may help to ask the following questions:

Does our organisation need to look at how it manages volunteers?

Do we know who are our volunteers are?

Do we know what they already do?

Have we asked our volunteers if they know what needs to be done? Do they see things we've missed?

Are we able to effectively recruit, train and support our volunteers?

Can we name three volunteers who do most of the work?

Can we name three volunteers who want to do more work?

Does the task of looking after our volunteers, properly, seem too big for already over-worked staff?

If you answer Yes to ANY of the above, your organisation may need to employ a staff person to manage your volunteers. It is much more cost effective and feasible for larger volunteering organisations to have this kind of management support incorporated into their structure, than managing volunteers through individual programs or in an ad hoc way.

Managing people requires time, commitment to details and many complex personal relationships between staff, clients and the volunteers themselves. By having a central person - or persons - able to flexibly manage, recruit, train and co-ordinate volunteers across programs so that they are mentored, supported, encouraged, and guided efficiently in their volunteering duties, will make life with volunteers in your organisation much more exciting and worthwhile for everyone.

The Volunteer Management Program here at Wimmera Volunteers aims to support and assist Volunteer Managers in organisations so that win/win solutions are made possible between all stake-holders.

Volunteer Management is not so much about controlling volunteers, it's about making sure they are well-supported and that legitimate procedures are in place to protect people, so that all volunteers feel valued and encouraged in their work and keep coming back to do what they do best.

Giving and Granting...the small group dilemma

2009-06-05T13:49:00.000+10:00

The Wimmera Volunteers Small Grants for 2009 have been allocated. Congratulations to all the small groups that were the beneficiaries of monies for their needs and projects.

Grant writing is a rather trying thing really. I totally relate to how difficult it can be to source money to fund even the most simple of things, like new stoves for scout halls, and hot water urns for community clubs. That kind of seemingly inconsequential amount of money is just ludicrously difficult to source for many small, rurally isolated volunteering groups these days!

That's why the Wimmera Volunteers Small Grants Scheme was established. It was in answer to the issues many small community groups now face in trying to just keep their heads above financial waters and still do what they want and need to do in their local communities.

It was a bit heart-wrenching to turn many worthy causes down though. Many very valuable and worthy projects had to be set aside and did not receive funding because of two major things:

1) The grant writer did not read the funding criteria

2) The grant writer did not append the appropriate supporting documentation.

If you are a member of a small group, and you're struggling to find funds to buy that urn - which you so desperately need to use at local events such as funerals, fund-raisers, meetings, or for which you hire out for other community groups to use for their own needs - then it is critical that when you receive a grant opportunity, you carefully read the funding criteria.

The criteria isn't meant to be gobbledy-gook designed to head you off at the pass, but if you are having trouble understanding what is meant by certain words or key phrases, then a quick phone call to the funding body to ASK is a good starting point. Most funding criteria will have a list of key action words embedded in those wordy sentences, so if you can spot those, you should be able to get a feel for what the funding body is willing to put money forward for.

Here are some tips to help you with writing out a grant application.

1) READ the entire document carefully and then read it again. This includes the actual form where you would write all your details and application information. Just read it at this point - don't write anything yet!

2) Get someone else in your group to read the entire document too and then talk to each other about what is required from your understanding of the wording.

3) LIST down in your own words what is required. What is the grant going to fund? What does "For the Community" actually mean? What kinds of documents do I need to append?

4) Develop a comprehensive draft of your funding submission. Word things in a way that will meet all the funding criteria you have read in the document. Include those key action words from the funding application criteria in your sentences describing your project. Make it clear that your project specifically matches the funding criteria to a "T". Write very clearly and concisely within the space provided. Answer each question directly.

5) Note how much space has been allocated within the actual funding document for writing your application answers and DO NOT EXCEED the allocated space wherever possible. This means you need to be succinct and strategic in making clear what your purpose and reasons are for requesting the money you need to fund your project.

6) Gather all your supporting documentation and ensure it is up to date and in order. Check off your list so you know everything is accounted for.

7) Do your sums! Some funding submissions that were rejected asked for money that was way in excess of the maximum amounts that could be applied for. Others, sent invoices for items already purchased but then asked for an amount that did not equal those invoices. Others again, made simple mathematical errors in their calculations that did not add up. Be as accurate as you can when doing the maths. Gather together quotes and factor in expenses you may be likely to expect such as delivery costs or postage and note these also. Ensure that the total you are asking for does not exceed what the funding body has said is the maximum allowable amount to be applied for.

8) Most funding bodies want to fund projects and items that will benefit the community beyond the scope of the immediate organisation seeking funding. Word your application in such a way that proves that your project or funding request is going to be of benefit to more people than just your immediate club or interest group. It's all well and good for a Tuesday Evening Book Club to apply for funds for a new kettle, but if that is only to help the groups members and no one else, it is unlikely to be a funding application that will be supported. If however, the Tuesday Evening Book Club, regularly has fund-raisers to help build the local School Auditorium that many in the community will be using, then that may be a different matter altogether! Work from the assumption that if it's 'really good' for your group, then it be needs to be 'really good' for outside of your group as well?

9) If you are unsure about whether your funding submission is going to fit the criteria in the funding application, then do please phone and ask. It's better to spend 5 minutes finding out that your kettle application isn't going to fly than to put in the work to find out 6 weeks later that you can't get it at all! If you don't really know if your project is viable - gather your courage and good sense and just ask.

10) Ask yourself this question many times "How does this project satisfy the requirements of the people who are offering to pay for it?". This is, in essence, what funding is all about; it is a project or service you are delivering but which someone else is going to pay for. Remember that the purchaser wants value for money and to get what they paid for.

If you can manage these above tips, then you should be on the road to successfully obtaining funding for your project. If you still don't succeed, then phone the funding body again and ask them how you could have improved your application's chances next time.

BONUS TIP: This tip won't really apply to the Wimmera Volunteers Small Grants per se. However, that being said - I would like to briefly mention that, under the current mood about money in the world today, it would behove very small groups to seriously consider developing partnerships with other small groups in their area and having an administrative auspice when seeking funding from any source!

In the future, it is likely that ALL government agencies and philanthropic trusts will want groups seeking funding, to have DGR Status with the Australian Tax Office. This will be almost impossible for very small community participation groups unless they partner with a number of other groups in their communities so as to be eligible to apply for such a thing.

DGR will effectively open up a much broader range of funding opportunities for small groups and organisations and I encourage you to contact me here at Wimmera Volunteers so we can work together to find out how you can do this.

Writing grant applications is now a fact of life for small groups in the Not-for-Profit sector. It is especially important that volunteers and participants in your group are well managed and supported but that for whatever your reasons for applying for funding, you can at least demonstrate that you are providing a service to your wider community which strengthens and builds it effectively, for everyone.

Michelle
Volunteer Management Program

Musing on what "Best Practice" means for small volunteer groups.

2009-05-26T16:44:00.000+10:00

One doesn’t often think of the slightly pretentious sounding term, “Best Practice”, when talking about volunteers or volunteering. I mean, WHY would anyone need to consider having that stuff…its “just” volunteering after all not big business? Isn’t it?

Wellllll….

As I get to know the different aspects of working with volunteers and volunteering organisations, I’m beginning to think that “Best Practice” is like a kind of mountain range that one travels over. There are peaks to cross and valleys to meander through. It’s about a journey of discovery for new sunrises and sunsets… all the possibilities that will enhance the life experience. The stumbling blocks will provide lessons learned and road maps will be drawn to show the best way through.

This Best Practice idea is not about climbing ONE mountain as in finding the Mount Everest of all possible options that will make an organisation inherently “The Best” at what it does for the duration of its lifespan in the community.

I don’t think so, anyway. For me, the concept of Best Practice in the volunteering sector is very much an ongoing and wholistic frame of reference relevant to the times, culture and the people who are in that organisation. It’s looking for the next peak but not expecting that peak to be the last peak.

Best Practice isn’t something that is a fixed end goal, although many organisations tend to treat the concept as a series of emphatic rules rather than an ideology for achieving potential vision…a vision that might change in time. I think it’s less about tools and rulings used and more about processes being continually refined.

In Volunteer management, the concept of Best Practice is that the organisation will do whatever it takes to make the experience for the people involved, be they staff, volunteers and/or clients, one that works, and keeps working well!

So if Best Practice is essentially something that is “working well”, what would that actually look like?

Perhaps it’s in the way a volunteering organisation makes sure that when it looks at the way it is governed, the way it manages people and its procedures that it seeks to identify methods, principles, practices and processes that manages those people and services with clarity and compassion. The organisation is showing it wants to be the best at what it does in the way it sorts out any issues that could, or do, cause problems amongst its people. Service delivery to the community for no profit does not negate the need to continually improve and define the processes that will best serve the needs of everyone.

The idea of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” is not Best Practice, because Best Practice is not meant to be set in stone. Society changes, as do customs, ideologies, philosophies, theories, culture, language and the reasons for doing things in the community. The changes may be subtle and apparently insignificant but they can mount up through the years and if volunteering organisations can’t move and change with the culture it serves, they will die. Best Practice is a continual process of building in what works into the foundations of the organisations processes with the understanding that what works now may not work in a decade or even next year.

Many smaller community groups assume that big government will deliver what is considered Best Practice through legislative injunctions that that group is more or less forced to comply with. That is only partially true; however a small group can find creative ways of delivering their services to the community through processes that allow people to know they’re doing and getting “The Best” there is from that group, above and beyond what has been presently legislated by government.

Can a group be so small it can’t “do” Best Practice?

I don’t think so. All groups can “do” Best Practice. It does not need to be complicated. Best Practice simply identifies the documented steps, methods and procedures that show that something WORKS and is actually working really well. Everyone “gets it”; everyone knows the procedures; everyone knows WHY it’s done like that and everyone encourages the culture of the organisation to follow those processes without fear mongering, bullying and favouritism. The people in that organisation also know that its executive, board of management and the community are always seeking ways that things can be improved so that what is good now...can be better. Sometimes that also means leaving something that IS working well, working just the way it is for the time being too!

Organisations that manage their volunteers will know that stuff “just works” and is working well when:

They know who their volunteers are and care about their welfare beyond the input and contribution they’re making.
There is acknowledgment from across all sectors, that the services being provided by the organisation are meeting critical community needs.
That things just “flow” in the organisation through processes and procedures that are sensible, ethical, people-friendly and simple.
Give all who work and volunteer in the organisation a sense of achievement and value.
That the organisation is flexible and open enough to changing what isn’t working anymore into something that will work.
That innovation is an acceptable principal and is regularly executed and that it is not used at the expense of traditional processes that consistently work well over time.
That volunteers, staff and the community are consulted regularly to help identify where there are gaps in the organisations processes so that these can be improved as well as what does already work effectively.

Best Practice in a small isolated community group doesn’t need to be complicated though. Much of it is about keeping the group informed and “in the loop” so that they feel involved and valued. It’s also about recognising and documenting what works and being flexible and open-minded to know when a better way could be found.

Improving the group for the sake of the group isn’t quite the issue here either. Best Practice is about improvements across the entire board, from the Committee of Management, through to the staff, the volunteers, the clients receiving services, to the profile and performance of the organisation within the community at large.

Doing a “good enough job” is fine but it isn’t “the best” way to achieve outstanding results. Best Practice is a journey that intends to bring about that little sense of “Wow! We’re doing GREAT!” to the ethos of the entire organisation. It doesn’t matter how small your volunteering organisation is, your group can still adopt a Best Practice approach to the way you operate.

If your organisation would like more information and assistance on Best Practice processes in volunteer management, the Volunteer Management Program at Wimmera Volunteers can help. We’re only a phone call away.

A new era emerging in spontaneous volunteering

2009-05-12T09:17:00.000+10:00

Pro Bono Australia had an interesting item in their newsletter today.

A company in the USA calling themselves "The Extraordinaries" are developing an iPhone/smart phone application that allows people to "volunteer" for just a few minutes when or where ever they are. The application provides a range of "micro-volunteering" opportunities that give people choice and access to helping out that has not been recognised in such a way before.

The concept is that in any given day, very busy people may only have 10, 15 or 20 minutes to spare to give away in some kind of volunteering capacity. This technology links these small pieces of time to volunteering opportunities. The Extraordinaries claim that they are "converting spare time into social good". It's a great idea!

How it appears to work is that an iPhone/smartphone user would open a list of micro-volunteering options, choose one and then engage with that option - such as identifying urban bird species - and sending that information direct from their phone to the organisation.

The technology is already here; now it's a matter of sourcing the opportunities and making the connection between the user/volunteer and the need/organisation actually work! The Extraordinaries are trying to make this happen.

Currently, America's volunteering capacity is expanding off the scale. The Obama Presidential campaign started it all with Barack Obama utilising the grass-roots small contributions from a vast and broad contribution base to fund and support his quest for White House occupancy. He didn't rely on the big flashy corporate injection of cash to fund his campaign. He was savvy enough to realise that right now, more than anything else, the American people need to feel a sense of belonging and to feel like they are - as individuals - making a difference.

Now, he has set in motion a strategy that incorporates and even radically promotes the concept of "helping others out for the sake of the nation" through individual contributions of time, talents and resources, through volunteering. The results are speaking for themselves. America's rate of volunteer activity is climbing exponentially as people register and contribute their time to "make a difference".

Let's hope Australia follows suit!

The new iPhone technology for micro-volunteering isn't available quite yet but it will be here "soon". The larger cities in Australia are very likely candidates for the use of micro-volunteering technologies. It remains to be seen if the Australian Federal Government will ensure that rural volunteers and organisations will be able to access the same kinds of opportunities.

of mums and volunteers in the merry month of May.

2009-05-06T10:13:00.000+10:00

The month of May in any given year is both chaotic and wonderful. It's about this time, Australians celebrate two rather important occasions.

The first is that we recognise our Mum's on Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May and the next is when we recognise our volunteers during the following week.

It's kind of cute how we have juxtaposed the idea of Mum/Volunteers within the same week really - or at least so close to each other. Mum's do do a lot of "volunteering" after all! ;)

Well, of course, being a mum isn't exactly considered volunteering per se. The "official" definition of volunteering is that it's work done of someone's own free will for no payment for the benefit of the community. Sadly, mum's who do that stuff, aren't considered volunteers under this definition. They do their job because they're...well!...Mum's! It's a given.

National Volunteer Week recognises everyone who DOES fit into this definition. Everyone who contributes in some way to their community through ANY kind of contribution of their skill, abilities, time and enthusiasm. If you volunteer - it is you who is about to be collectively recognised by the nation between May 11th to the 17th 2009!

The number of events, morning teas, sausage sizzles, and other collective celebrations across the country to welcome, congratulate, support and pamper our volunteers is mind-boggling. This year, in particular, volunteers who went above and beyond the call of volunteering expectations during the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, and the North QLD floods are being recognised as well in big - and small - ways. And, so they should be! It is in the toughest of times that the strength and goodness of the Aussie spirit shines forth as we help each other beat the odds.

Volunteers and volunteering are so integral to the warp and weft of community life in Australia, it's impossible to imagine our culture without it! So many things, in our rural communities in particular, would be lost to us without the freely contributed efforts of willing participants.

Government is attempting to get its collective act together and recognise that volunteers and volunteering stretch across the fabric of Aussie life in both formal and informal ways. Well... we live in hope that they are anyway!

Mum's may volunteer their time and attention for no real thought of rewards within the family unit but Mum's are also volunteers - officially - out there in our communities. They volunteer with formally recognised organisations such as Australia Red Cross, Meals-on-Wheels, Community Visitors Scheme or informally, through participation in their kids schools, in churches, clubs, service and/or interest groups.

Of course, add to this contribution all the dads, uncles, aunties, young people, kids, teachers, public servants, employees, grandparents, retiree's, singles, couples, migrants, and disabled persons too! All volunteers - all making a significant difference - all as worthy as our mum's in being recognised for being wonderful during National Volunteers Week 2009.

2009-04-23T13:36:00.000+10:00

The recent Wimmera Volunteers information sheet for April 2009 is on succession planning, what it is and what is involved in the planning process when developing one.

Now, I suppose most very small community groups would be scratching their heads and wondering why on earth such a thing would be relevant to them. For one thing, some small groups have had a pretty defined way of doing “their thing” over the course of many years. I would imagine that the thought of planning for change is something that doesn’t often cross the minds of the volunteers in these groups. Sometimes a group can have such a history of steady and reliable service by a very few committed and loyal “workers”, it can be hard to imagine what would happen if one of those vital volunteers left - “Just like that!”

Not-for-Profit groups can be so absolutely essential to the core fabric of a small, rurally isolated community, so much so, that a dramatic and sudden change can put a lot of years of vital work in jeopardy. Therefore it’s very important that these groups come together and do some creative brainstorming on how they can remain sustainable for the long-term. Succession planning is merely a tool that assists this process.

As our rural populations’ age, the issue of recruiting new blood to these important community groups becomes ever more urgent. Even keeping the current blood is becoming much harder! People retire, move on to new lives, new places, quit for their own private reasons or, sadly, they pass away. A group can take a long time to recoup and recover from such an event if they’ve not planned what to do in advance.

Simply reacting to these changes will not serve these small groups well – not anymore anyway. What is needed - especially in these rather purportedly gloomy times of climate 'change', drought, economic recession AND tight funding criteria - is for these small groups, and their communities, to stop, take a breather, get their collective brainstorming hats on and take a comprehensive and honest look at all their strengths, weaknesses and possible opportunities available to them.

In order to get to those opportunities, it helps to do some “crystal-ball gazing” and make educated guesses what could possibly occur that would “hurt” a group in the future. This is what good succession planning does. It helps groups define what they’re good at as well as what potential risks they might have to negotiate so as to continue doing what they’re good at, well into the future.

Communities will often NEED their groups to continue, just to be a community anyway – so it’s becoming ever more apparent that no matter how small, how isolated and how long people have served in a group – working out what do in the event of sudden change is essential.

So? Let's start a conversation! Let's talk about planning to keep our small volunteer community groups going and flourishing, keeping the good work they do, moving forward in the communities they serve.

The Alcoa Foundation Outstanding Community Worker Award

2009-04-09T10:28:00.000+10:00

This Award is open and available to any member of YOUR local community who has drive, vision and passion to make the world a better place for everyone, regardless of race, colour, creed or demographic!

There are people in every community, both small country ones and big metropolitan ones who seem to be drivers of things that make that community "Great".

In the past, many of these people worked tirelessly for little reward or recognition other than the satisfaction that they were doing good things in their own communities despite the challenges and even the nay-sayers.

The Alcoa Award recognises that these stalwarts of community enterprise be rewarded for the contribution they make. Of course, this doesn't just apply in the paid commercial workforce either! There are volunteers in our communities who go above and beyond the call to provide services to people that may not otherwise be done.

It's about Passion I think! People who recognise that something has to be done and they don't whinge about it - they just roll up their sleeves and they simply start the journey towards change. They don't necessarily bleat about change needing to happen, although they will certainly keep the flea buzzing in the Powers-that-Be ears to bring about those changes. Still, it's more about Passion plus Action here. These are the people who simply say "THIS, is something I believe is necessary and I want to make it happen!"

Remember the urban legend about Thomas Edison who took about 5000 'failures' to invent the lightglobe? He was quoted as saying he hadn't failed as such - he'd just discovered 5000 ways not to do something but would keep going until he found the way that did. That kind of gutsy, determined, passionate belief in one's vision is what makes a difference - often far beyond what we imagine!

There is someone in YOUR community who has this kind of drive. They may be outspoken radicals or, they may be quiet achievers - whatever type of person they are, you will know they do great things for your community and are key to creating a better life for everyone.

If you know someone in your community who deserves to be recognised with a $5000.00 prize for the amazing work they do, quietly, passionately and consistently, making where you live, work and play, safer and better for everyone, then please nominate them for this wonderful award.

Have a happy Easter by the way everyone :) (I know I am - it's Chocoholics Paradise at the office today *wink*)...Stay safe and keep up the good work you all do as volunteers and supporters of volunteers.

The year is picking up speed!

2009-04-03T09:11:00.000+11:00

Hi.

Michelle from the Volunteer Management Program here. :)

Yes! I am the "instigator" of this little missive from Wimmera Volunteers. "Chipping in..." was a suggestion when I came on board in January for letting the community know about volunteering and volunteer management in the more immediate format of blogging.

Many people are still a little bit dubious of the computer, let alone the internet. They do see it as a tool of sorts for essential tasks but to me, it seems like the "Blog" is still a mystery to many people - particularly in my community. Hopefully, you will come to enjoy the experience of learning about Wimmera Volunteers and our programs through this medium in time. I personally, like to write - a lot - so when I find my "voice" for this blog, I should be able to tell you much of what's happening in the Volunteering sector in the Wimmera.

Things are getting very busy in the office here. The Wimmera Transport Connections Project Worker, Bill, is gearing up for the L2P project, which is to assist young, disadvantaged Learner Drivers, access support so they can achieve their 120 hours of driving experience before they go on to get their P Plates. In a region as large as the Wimmera, with the distances involved, this program will be essential for our young people. The L2P Program will provide the community with new opportunities to contribute by volunteering their time and driving experience in supporting these young Learner drivers. The community wants our young people to be safe on the roads. We can encourage safe driving habits from the beginning in such a program.

Marcy from SHARE is head down and flat out working on the amazing "Sharing our Strengths" Volunteering Conference which will be held on Thursday May 14th at Longerenong College. The day begins at 9:30am and finishes at 4:30pm with many workshops and guest speakers providing information, support, training and networking opportunities for volunteers in the Wimmera. We are currently expecting Bruce Esplin, Emergency Services Commissioner of Victoria to be the main guest speaker for this event. You may remember him from the many TV appearances he made during the aftermath of the Black Saturday bushfires earlier this year.

There will more information forthcoming about the conference. It's being held during National Volunteers Week (11th to 17th May), and I certainly would encourage all our volunteer groups and volunteers to register to be involved. There will be plenty of opportunities to learn heaps of new things that will add to your enjoyment and expertise in your volunteering roles, I'm sure!

Marcy - (Yes! She is a very busy lady! :)) is also coordinator of the Poster competition. I've already mentioned it in an earlier post in 'Chipping in...'. Just click the link to find out more. Don't forget, you have the chance to win $250.00 for your group via this opportunity. I'm sure your volunteers are incredibly valuable to your organisation or group, so acknowledging how valuable and wonderful they are is your way of encouraging and supporting them in their roles. Happy volunteers make for happy communities with everyone chipping in to make life better for all.

Rosie has been back from holidays for a week or two now and has been like a well-oiled machine in coordinating all the various programs she manages!

So as we move into yet another month of what was only a "New Year" not that long ago... the pace moves up a notch.

My own role here as the VMP Project Worker is beginning to make a lot more sense to me. This is week 11 for me at Wimmera Volunteers and it's been a really wonderful learning curve on the other side of the volunteering fence - the one called "Management". There is a LOT to learn in this area so that volunteers AND the groups they are involved with are covered by the proper legal requirements, insurances, information, procedures, forms and agreements. Volunteering is so valuable to the Australian Government now, they recognise that supporting volunteering through effective management is essential to the nations economy and culture. It might seem like Red Tape in many instances, but it's also about making sure people are safe, secure, and are given the right tools they need to do the job they want to do, of their own free will.

So? Okay! Enough rambling from me for now. I'm about to write up the Information Sheet for the month. This one will be about Succession Planning! I can hear the question marks from here! :)

Stephanie Alexander to visit the Wimmera

2009-03-25T15:06:00.000+11:00

The iconic cook, food writer and restaurateur, Stephanie Alexander is coming to the Wimmera for the Art is...Tasty Festival this coming week (March 27th to April 5th 2009).

Two superb opportunities will present themselves for Wimmera residents to meet with Stephanie this coming Sunday March 29th.

The first is the opening of the Horsham North Community Garden Project in Palm Avenue (off Edith St) beginning at 10am.

There will be activities for children and seedling plantings with Stephanie herself.

The second is during the Greymatters forum at May Park, in Horsham on the same day from 4pm. Stephanie will be joined by a number of local food producers who will discuss their philosophies and tips for growing fabulous produce...despite the low availability of water in the region.

Stephanie is the creator and supporter of The Kitchen Garden Foundation providing children in years 3 to 6 with a minimum of 40 minutes a week designing, building, cultivating and growing their own school-based kitchen garden and then spending up to 90 minutes a week cooking and enjoying wholesome meals using their own home-grown produce.

Food is such an integral part of nearly every culture around the world and its just as true here in the Wimmera as it is in the heart the major cities. We have a diverse and rich history of locally produced foods but sadly, the inclination and desire for people to grow their own food is dwindling in recent years due to the extremely dry conditions here and the time-poor nature of many working families now.

Stephanie is proactively keeping gardening and food knowlege skills alive for many people so that future generations can enjoy home-grown, healthy, organic foods, proving it is cheaper and healthier for families and the environment.

Image is courtesy The Age Melbourne with thanks :)

Look out for the "Every Day People Making a Difference Poster?"

2009-03-20T14:05:00.000+11:00

Marcy, from the SHARE program, here at Wimmera Volunteers presented us with this poster she's designed.

It's advertising a fantastic opportunity for groups to WIN a $250.00 cash prize for their group or organisation by simply telling us in 200 words or less what makes YOUR volunteers stand out and why they should feature on a volunteering poster to be developed in time for National Volunteers Week 2009.

The competition begins March 23rd and finishes April 9th, 2009, at 5pm.

Keep an eye out in the Wimmera Mail-Times for entry coupons. Entries can be posted to "Volunteer Poster Competion", PO Box 267, Horsham, Victoria 3400 or dropped into the Wimmera Volunteers office at 20 Firebrace St. Horsham.

A morning tea launch for the new poster and the presentation of the prize will take place on May 11th 2009.

Pop in to visit Marcy here at Wimm Vol Mondays to Fridays for more information or call her on 03) 53825607

Keep an eye out for the poster which should start appearing about the region within the week!

Sportslink Wimmera

2009-03-19T09:23:00.000+11:00

The Wimmera have always been a hard-working, innovative bunch of souls. We're especially devoted to our commitment to sport here. That's a good thing! Sport can do a lot to glue a community together.

Volunteers in the smaller townships in the wider region rely on the social and community benefits of their sporting clubs and community groups. The infrastructure of sport and other activity providers, generally gives communities a central hub that brings social cohesion and a strong sense of commitment to that community by its members. These clubs and providers do more than just encourage a healthy physical lifestyle, they're critical for the social, economic and cultural life of their local area.

Sportslink Wimmera was established in 2007/2008 by a number of interest groups such as the Wimmera Primary Care Partnership, Wimmera Regional Sports Assembly and Wimmera Volunteers , as a way of providing a central online hub for sporting clubs and groups to promote their activities and recruit volunteers. It's a valuable resource for all clubs and we would encourage you to register your sporting club - no matter how small - with Sportslink and use this resource regularly.

The big news however, is that a NEW State-wide version of Sportslink will be launched sometime in May 2009. It will include club webpage functionality and new interactive resources which will allow your club access to the latest industry developmental tools and programs. It will include reminders to clubs to update their details as this information is critical in helping clubs and groups recruit new members. The Sportslink Wimmera Online Physical Activity Directory will be incorporated into this state-wide version.

Sportslink is a fantastic resource for all the community in that it also helps individuals looking to volunteer and contribute to their community find a club or activity provider that meets their interests and abilities. The volunteering world is changing and many people in the community are wanting to be involved but often don't know where to begin. Online databases like Sportslink will link activity providers and sporting clubs to their wider communities. That can only be a good thing!

Clubs and community groups say that they find it hard to market their activities to the broader community and also have limited time to find the sort of support they need to keep groups operating to their full potential. It is anticipated that Sportslink will address this issue and give small and large clubs across Victoria an avenue for information exchange and promotion of their events and activities.

There'll be new information coming soon

Wimmera Regional Sports Assembly are offering a prize of an Athlete's Foot voucher and sportsbag for new registrations, so register your club or community organisation soon to be in the running!

Welcome to "chipping in..."

2009-03-18T14:46:00.001+11:00

Welcome to the inaugural Wimmera Volunteers blog "Chipping in...".

Why "Chipping in..."?

This is an old Aussie slang term for helping out others by donating some coins into a hat, or helping out another to get a job done. It's also about adding comments to an ongoing discussion.

As volunteers, people do "chip in" out of their own free will with time, energy, ideas, and in kind support to not-for-profit groups. Volunteering is and always will be defined by the willingness of the individual to contribute to the betterment of the whole community without payment and often with little recognition.

That last bit is changing! Volunteers now are recognised by Government and communities alike for the extremely valuable contributions they make each and every day. Volunteers are everywhere. They're the cornerstones of many communities - particularly small communities - and the contribution they make is slowly making it's way into the wider consciousness of Australian culture and society.

There ARE rewards to volunteering of course! The sense of achievement, joy, fun and the friendships that can be formed through volunteering in the community are second to none and it is this that makes the difference between volunteering and merely "helping out".

We aim to encourage our volunteers by informing, equipping, training and supporting individuals, Volunteer Managers in Not-for-profit groups, and by encouraging Community Participation by Business, and other organisations. This is the role of Wimmera Volunteers. We are the One-stop-shop for all things volunteering in the Wimmera.

We also recognise that communications and news, accessed via the Internet is the way many people now find information for themselves. Whilst in the past, we have posted info by snail mail and more recently, via email, the use of this Blog to tell our community about volunteering, will assist us to reach and inform a wider audience.

Of course, we will still use the Post Office and we will still inform our networks via email, but this new method of talking to our audience should only enhance our ability to resource, train, equip and encourage, as well as communicate to volunteer groups and individuals.

Welcome aboard and join us as we discover the value of "Chipping in..." to build our communities into better, safer, friendlier, richer places!