The 2018 Volunteer of the Year Awards – a celebration of giving and community spirit
May 1st, 2019
The 2018 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards were an incredible celebration recognising 112,000 nominees from 470 organisations across the state.
We travelled more than 10,000 kilometres over eight weeks to meet with these volunteers at 20 regional ceremonies held in every corner of NSW.
We were joined by our State and Federal Members of Parliament, Mayors and councillors, and community and business sector leaders as well as family and friends of our special volunteers.
It was a celebration to say thank you. To highlight the dedication and support provided by the volunteer sector.
And to provide a platform for these organisations to share their stories.
The regional ceremonies culminated in the Gala State Ceremony in Sydney in December where we announced our NSW Volunteer of the Year Award winners. The event was attended by more than 300 finalists, family and friends, who were entertained by Australian pop icon Paulini.
Special messages of congratulations were sent by the NSW Governor, the Premier of NSW and the Prime Minister of Australia.
It was an appropriate way for our volunteers to be reminded that their work is truly appreciated and celebrated.
We could not have brought their amazing work into the spotlight without the help and support of our Principal Award Partners; ClubsNSW and the Family and Community Services NSW.
We would like to thank them again for helping to make these awards a success.
Community focus
The volunteers and the awards were also highlighted in local, regional and state-wide media coverage, as well as being celebrated across social media and digital channels.
More than 280 media stories across radio, TV, print and online media were generated, including stories and interviews on The Today Show, CH10 national news, ABC Radio Breakfast, ABC Radio National and The Sunday Telegraph.
Additionally, six stories were published in the Centre’s e-newsletter, which is sent to more than 3,000 subscribers each month, almost 50 electronic newsletters were sent to our members, stakeholders such as Members of Parliament, Local Councils and media; and 35 pieces of content on the awards were published on the Centre’s website. All material recognized the support of our award partners.
About 140 posts were published across The Centre’s Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts generating a combined reach of more 350,000 users.
We look forward to meeting an even bigger group of volunteers for our 2019 Awards celebrations; and sharing their inspiring stories with the people of NSW throughout the year.