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Dear Valued Members, Supporters and Friends,
The August 2012 issue of The Centre for Volunteering's e-newsletter, The Voice of Volunteering, includes:
- Less than three weeks left to nominate for the NSW Volunteer of the Year Award
- Features: News from Volunteering Tasmania and Volunteering Queensland
- Training & Events Calendar: New training from SVM
- Latest Volunteering and Volunteer Management News
- Updates from The Centre for Volunteering
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Nominations close 31 August 2012
Ever wondered how to let the volunteer or volunteers in your life know they are appreciated? The Centre for Volunteering has the answer. Nominate them for the only State-wide award program open to all volunteers in NSW – the NSW Volunteer of the Year Award.
The NSW Volunteer of the Year Award recognises and celebrates the outstanding efforts of the two plus million volunteers in NSW and promotes the importance of volunteering to the community.
Now in its sixth year, the NSW Volunteer of the Year Award, is announcing a new award for not-for-profit organisations – 2012 Excellence in NFP Volunteer Management Award – made possible through the support of the NSW Government's Office of Communities.
Nominate your friends, family, colleagues, volunteers, staff, NFP… Anyone can nominate, it's easy!
Read more about this year's categories, closing dates and how to nominate:
Nominations can be made online or by downloading, completing and returning the nomination form. |
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 2007 NSW Senior Volunteer of the Year at the 2012 Olympics
The Olympic games is a special event for many, but Barbara and Laurie Smith have taken their passion for the games to the extreme. Laurie Smith was the winner of The Centre's first ever NSW Volunteer of the Year Award in 2007.
Watch Barbara and Laurie on NINE's Today Show (24 July 2012)
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Tasmanian Volunteering redefined under new breakaway principles
Volunteering Tasmania (VT) has developed a new set of principles to redefine what it means to be a volunteer. "Emerging trends that challenge the current Volunteering Australia definition of volunteering such as roles organised through Job Service Agencies that are tied to income support, prompted our move to revisit the definition," Picone said.
Read Pro Bono Australia article | View VT's Characteristics of Volunteering statement |
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 Experimental volunteering web series
Volunteering Qld has developed Volunteering Banned an experimental, fictional web series. Set in the year 2031, in a world where all volunteering has been banned. Anyone who the Agency, run by the Big Bad Baron, catches doing good deeds has their kindness wiped. The story follows Riley, the leader of the Volunteer Resistance (a.k.a. the most epic volunteer manager of all time) as she orchestrates support to create a world where everyone can make a difference.
Watch Volunteering Banned
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National Standards
update
The National Standards for Involving Volunteers is now available to download online for free. The National Standards is a set of three books comprising of the National Standards, an Implementation Guide and a Workbook. The National Standards are supported by an Implementation Guide and Workbook which are now available for sale through Volunteering SA&NT.
Find out more or download the Standards
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Volunteer Manager Networking Event: How communication can improve your life
When: Tuesday, 21 August 2012, 2–4pm
Speaker: David Fisher Dobin, The Centre for Volunteering
Location: 3/40 Gloucester Street, The Rocks 2000 (get directions)
RSVP: by Friday, 17 August 2012, info@volunteering.com.au or 9261 3600.
Life would be good if...it wasn’t for my volunteers, staff, colleagues and management. Be honest. Have you ever had similar thoughts? If you have, come and be a part of this fun, informative and motivating discussion and find out what you can do about it.
David will outline four styles of communication: assertive, aggressive, passive and passive-aggressive. He will show how the assertive form of communication is the only one that leads to long-term solutions to problems. He will also explain why the other three are more frequently used and how they are the cause of a lot of communication problems.
We are constantly training and being trained by others as to which communication style works best. The consequences can have a tremendous impact on your effectiveness, ability to manage, lead and wellbeing. Come and be a part of this uplifting, fun presentation and discussion and become a better communicator. |
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Reward your staff and get paid...Skills Recognition and Training Funding available
Are you over 50? Want your workplace skills recognised? Announcing the Federal Government's Investing in Experience Skills Recognition and Training (IIE-SRT) funding. Let the School of Volunteer Management assist you reach your goals.
Find out more information and how to apply today |
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 Like SVM on Facebook
The School of Volunteer Management's Facebook page will keep you up-to-date with new and upcoming workshops and registered training as well as NFP and volunteering news. Like it today |
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| Speak Up! Speak Out! 1 Workshop: Tuesday, 12 September 2012
School of Volunteer Management, Level 3, 40 Gloucester Street, The Rocks 2000
"I found the session to be most worthwhile and consider other people interested in improving their confidence and speaking skills should attend one when available in the future", said Nicole Brown of Animal Liberation NSW.
Learn more and enrol today
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NEW Cross-Cultural Solutions Workshop: 11 October 2012
School of Volunteer Management, Level 3, 40 Gloucester Street, The Rocks 2000
Culturally diversity is part of Australian life: people from other countries and cultures make up 25% of Australia's population. Organisations with culturally diverse employees and clients face challenges related to cultural issues – but they may not be aware of culture's influence. The Cross-Cultural Solutions workshop has two goals: to increase awareness and understanding of cultural influences on workplace behaviour, and to develop participants' skills and strategies for mitigating typical issues that arise from cultural differences. Learn more and enrol today
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Speak Up! Speak Out! 2 Workshop: Thursday, 22 November 2012
School of Volunteer Management, Level 3, 40 Gloucester Street, The Rocks 2000
This public speaking workshop builds on the skills gained from Speak Up! Speak Out! 1 Workshops and enables a participant to further develop their public speaking skills. Learn more and enrol today |
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 Social Inclusion Report Card Revealed
Pro Bono Australia
Australia's latest social inclusion report card finds that despite national prosperity, not all Australians are enjoying access to the same opportunities, with a significant group of people still missing out.
Read article | View report and fact sheets
Volunteers and the new WHS Laws: Resource kit
Safe Work Australia has launched of a new work health and safety resource kit for volunteers. The kit will help remove uncertainty about how the new WHS laws apply. This initiative came out of round table meetings hosted by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Bill Shorten, with representatives from peak volunteer organisations earlier this year. View kit
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Time-Banking – A volunteer initiative, giving back
NBN News
They say you get back what you put in. And that couldn't be more true for a new volunteering initiative called Timebanking, being trialled in the Hunter and Central Coast. Watch video
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App Aid - Coding for a Cause
Vodafone
Australia's top app developers to unite with charities to create apps for the greater good. The Vodafone Foundation is proud to launch their first App Aid event in Sydney on Thursday–Saturday, 20–22 September 2012.
The Vodafone Foundation App Aid Event will be an exciting and fun fuelled 48 hours where selected charities and app developers work together as teams to create working prototypes ready to present to a judging panel of industry experts. The Charities role will be to provide details to the app developers of how a smartphone app will add value to the community it supports. Applications close Wednesday, 22 August 2012. Find out more and apply |
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Want to volunteer? Join the queue
Sydney Morning Herald
Taronga Zoo received 400 applications for its annual volunteer recruitment in March. About 150 were given interviews and just a few zoo-keepers selected. Last year, the Wayside Chapel at Kings Cross filled 200 Christmas volunteer roles in an hour. But while some organisations are forced to turn away applicants, others struggle to supply their volunteer programs. The Centre for Volunteering's Tony Frew comments. Read more
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NEW Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers in local New South Wales HACC Community Services: A Volunteer Perspective
La Trobe University in partnership with TRI Community Exchange
The main aims of this research were to capture: the perceptions of existing groups of volunteers in relation to their retention within the program, the views and needs of potential volunteers and existing volunteers in terms of their views of recruitment into the program, and the voices of local people, both volunteers and non-volunteers, within local HACC agencies. This study was funded by the NSW government Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care and conducted in partnership between La Trobe University and TRI Community Exchange. Read report
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NEW Social Media Fundraising Guidelines for Aussie Charities
Pro Bono Australia and Fundraising Institute Australia
In the rapidly-changing world of social media, the national peak body for fundraising – the Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA) has launched what it says are the first, definitive best-practice guidelines for social media fundraising. The FIA guidelines cover the management of donations, spamming, privacy issues and the use of images.
Read article | View FIA's Standard of Social Media Fundraising Practice  |
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Rural volunteers keeping country towns alive
ABC Central West NSW
Living in the country sometimes means having to do without the facilities and services of our metropolitan counterparts. But in rural communities across the country, volunteers are stepping up to fill the gap. Lynne Dalton is CEO of The Centre for Volunteering, the peak body for volunteers in New South Wales. She says nearly every country town has a higher rate of volunteerism than our capital cities. Read more |
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ABS Statistics differ on volunteering rates
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
The ABS has recently published a paper which compared the differences in measuring volunteer work. The paper found that a personal interview approach used in the 2006 ABS General Social Survey provided a better quality estimate of the rate of volunteering, compared with the method used in the 2006 Census of Population and Housing. Read more |
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More Volunteering and Not-for-Profit News
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2012 Ignite Volunteering Conference in review
Over 180 delegates from NSW and throughout Australia joined together for The Centre's annual conference on volunteer management – the 2012 Ignite Volunteering Conference – at Pullman Sydney Hyde Park, Sydney CBD, on Friday, 27 July 2012.
This year's conference theme was Innovation and Partnerships with 18 speakers delivering 19 workshops and plenary sessions on topics within volunteer management and the NFP sector.
The conference was opened by the Hon. Victor Dominello MP, Minister for Citizenship and Communities, followed by Martin J. Cowling and Peter Slattery– all delivering inspiring words to the group. Special guests included Lisa Pierce, Chairperson of the Volunteer Centres Network and Simon Watts, Senior Manager of the Volunteering Unit in the Office of Communities, who was a workshop presenter as well. Also generously offering his support once again was John Casey, currently located at New York University but home for a brief stint. And of course we were honoured by the presence of quite a number of volunteers.
Delegates attended a broad range of workshops with topics including Be part of an Advisory Support Group, Help your Organisation to become a Volunteer Magnet, Teamwork in Volunteer Programs and Across Your Organisation and many more. 96 per cent of delegates rated the standard of plenary presenters as very good or excellent and over 97 per cent of delegates rated the the standard of workshop presenters as very good or excellent.
Thank you to all delegates for your high level of participation through the day, and to speakers for making the day so valuable to all attending.
The Centre would like to thank conference organiser, Jacqui Hastings and her team of staff and volunteers on a hugely successful Ignite conference once again. Watch for photos and video on our website and on Youtube. |
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New Acting General Manager
The Centre for Volunteering would like to congratulate Tony Frew on his appointment as Acting General Manager. Tony will continue to act in the
part time role of Research, Development and Policy Manager. |
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New research project
A national investigation into the impact of national Work, Health & Safety legislation as well as that of the introduction of an Australian Charities & Not-for-Profits Commission has commenced. This project will provide policy statements on the impact to Australian NFP's in relation to these two important changes and also investigate the issues around reporting. The Centre will endeavour to develop a reporting model that accurately identifies NFP's social impact as a measure of its resource allocation. This investigation will be done as a collaborative effort with the other national peak volunteering bodies' and will include a roundtable of academics and corporate representatives. If you is interested in providing a submission or being involved in the project, please phone Tony Frew on 02 9261 3600 or email tfrew@volunteering.com.au |
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Volunteer rights consultative program
With one of the platforms of the NSW Government Volunteer Strategy, the Minister for Citizenship, Hon Victor Dominello, has invited The Centre for Volunteering to assist him to undertake a consultative program around volunteer rights. An initial forum of CEOs and senior staff of large NGOs met recently to commence the strategy which will include many visits to regional centres. The consultation process will include organisations and especially volunteers to get feedback about the issues facing both organisations in dealing with the day to issues around volunteer management and also to get feedback from volunteers about their experiences as a volunteer. Keep an eye on our website for the regional forum dates and places which will be announced in the near future.
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© The Centre
for Volunteering 2012, All Rights Reserved (ABN 28 002 416 024) |
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