2010 Ignite Volunteering Conference Report
By Jacqui Hastings, Communications Coordinator, The Centre for Volunteering
On Friday, 21 May over 100 volunteer managers and coordinators from 75 organisations converged on Pitt Street, Sydney for this year's Ignite Volunteering Conference.
The Hon. Peter Primrose, Minister for Volunteering opening the conference, emphasising the vital role that volunteer managers play in our community. Throughout the day, delegates attended plenary sessions, networking sessions, workshops and panels on a range of topics.
The session topics included:
- Recruiting, training and supporting volunteers;
- Social networking;
- Collaborations and partnerships;
- Inclusive programs;
- Corporate volunteering;
- Motivating and recognising volunteers;
- Are you leadership material
- and many more.
Conference speakers hailed from a range of backgrounds including volunteer managers, academics, trainers, managers, board members and CEO's from the community sector and from industry.
In keeping with National Volunteer Week, the conference theme was "More hands… now more than ever".
Feedback from delegates has been positive, with a number of delegates suggesting topics for future conferences and workshops. Over 95% of delegates surveyed regarded the conference to be quite useful or very useful to their professional development. One delegate commented "Great conference, enjoyed every minute", while another shared that "[this was] my first conference as a volunteer manager and I found it very valuable." Another delegate commented "Thank you for organising this event! I always find them useful."
In 2011, the Ignite conference will return to the two-day format. This year's conference was kept to the one day, as Volunteering Australia is holding the national conference over three days in October in Melbourne (held every two years).
Thank you to all the Ignite delegates for networking so enthusiastically, and for actively participating in the plenary and workshop sessions.
All presentations at the conference are available on The Centre's NEW Members-Only website.
The Centre for Volunteering will be launching its new Ignite Masterclass series soon.