Fido continues to help members recruit skilled volunteers

4 August 2011 | Denis Porter, The Centre for Volunteering

Fido is a service for members of The Centre which assists them to find volunteers for a wide range of positions. The Fido Help Desk column in the Saturday and Monday editions of the Sydney Morning Herald is available for members to advertise volunteer vacancies. As this is a free service, priority is given to positions requiring qualifications, experience or certain skills.

The Fido column includes positions requested by members through the Fido website and positions which are listed with our Volunteer Referral Service.

Fido also lists vacancies on its website and details of positions are also emailed to around 1600 people registered on the website to receive our weekly e-job bulletin.

Over the last 12–18 months we have advertised a wide range of positions in the Herald and helped a large number of our members to recruit volunteers. Some of the more interesting and unusual positions have included:

• Indigenous youth leaders to attend a youth leadership and community development program in Vanuatu
• Volunteers to spread the word about sustainable fishing to schools and community groups
• A renewable energy advisor to work with a non government organisation to assist the introduction of renewable energy in homes in poor areas of South East Asia
• HIV/AIDS support workers to provide support to people with AIDS and their carers and families
• A librarian for a specialist women's library
• A layperson to join the ethics committee of a major Sydney hospital which  advises on the suitability of research projects
• A scientific research writer to produce articles etc for the public about health issues
• A risk management/ OHS advisor to work with a neighbourhood centre on systems, procedures and staff training
• A volunteer to research and develop lesson plans and classroom activities relating to developing country health issues
• An HR advisor to share their knowledge of industrial relations, employment law and HR policy with a major not for profit organisation
• Female mentors to support women ex-prisoners and provide them with a positive role model
• Volunteers to assist speakers with brain injuries with running of presentations which raise awareness of brain injury issues
• A naturopath to provide advice on nutrition at a youth support centre
• Experienced tradespeople to work on the restoration of heritage equipment on Cockatoo Island

Other positions advertised included a range of IT roles, youth, student and refugee mentors, marketing and special event roles, treasurers and auditors, board/ management committee members, media and publicity officers, English tutors, employment consultants, trainers and peer educators for seniors.

If you are a member of The Centre (and have up to date volunteer personal accident and public liability insurance) and would like to use Fido, you can submit requests through the Fido website. You can also contact Denis Porter who manages the service at liaisonofficer@volunteering.com.au.