VOLUNTEERING NEW ZEALAND FOCUS:

Public recognition of volunteering timely as our country faces recessionary challenges

Comment from Volunteering NZ Executive Director Tim Burns

Our Governor-General, Anand Satyanand encouraged all New Zealanders to contribute to their communities through volunteering (see his full message below). In doing so he gave his own special endorsement to a key message Volunteering NZ wishes to see repeated and acted upon throughout our society. It was equally important that the news media in reporting his message headlined his call for New Zealanders to all become volunteers.

What is also most encouraging is the increased reporting throughout the news media about volunteering, including recognition of the diverse ways in which people volunteer and the contribution they make to their communities. Just one example of this has been a report on TV One News about the volunteer fire-fighter who was killed when his fire truck crashed on the way to assist at another motor accident. The news item reflected on his contribution as a volunteer and that he was prepared to put his own life at risk as a volunteer.

Another media item to be mentioned was an in depth article on volunteering in the Your Weekend magazine which canvassed the current issues facing volunteering. While indicating the challenges being faced, it was a positive article.

It is important that volunteering continues to be reported regularly and positively because this will aid recognition of the role that volunteering has to play in the current recession. This role has been well stated by Volunteering England in the nine-point challenge issued in December and reported below.

As the VE statement says volunteering will be the route to employment for many people. Volunteering enables those wanting employment to connect or stay connected to their communities, to maintain skills and learn new ones. It will be important that Government and community organisations maintain funding for volunteer services and management.

Businesses have their role to play in providing support to community services. Employee volunteering also offers businesses the opportunity for their staff to gain new skills and maintain good morale. It can even be an alternative to laying off staff. A report from the UK said one plant operated by the international company Caterpillar, was putting staff on paid leave and this time would include the staff working on community projects.

Mary Woods' life time contribution to volunteering acknowledged

Volunteering New Zealand offers its warm congratulations to Mary Woods, who was honoured in the New Year's Honours with a Queen Service Medal for her service to volunteering. Mary retired from the Board of VNZ at its AGM last year.

Mary has lived a life as a volunteer working with other volunteers. Her paid employment included research work, facilitator and trainer. Her long volunteer journey followed the usual parental path of playcentre, schools, sports and church. She was a volunteer with Pregnancy Help NZ Inc since it started in 1976 became National President 1986 -1990 and was their first paid national field officer 1991 -1993.

In 1991 she received a Churchill Fellowship to explore volunteering in Canada, USA and Britain. Since then she has been a supervisor and trainer for volunteers and paid workers from many NZ voluntary organizations. She has presented workshops on volunteering at conferences in New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

She has worked in a variety of roles including setting up spiritual and community support for people with intellectual disabilities who were deinstitutionalised from Templeton Centre, Canterbury, NZ. This involved recruiting, training, working with, and supporting church volunteers from all denominations.

Mary served on the Board of Volunteering New Zealand from 2004 to 2008 and was Deputy Chairperson in her last year of office. She is continuing to contribute to VNZ's work and is a member of its Conference planning group. Mary also served on the Board of Volunteering Canterbury from 1996 to 1998 and from 2003 to 2008.

She is author of "Volunteers: A Guide for Volunteers and their Organizations" Hazard Press NZ 1998 - the only New Zealand text book on volunteers and their management. She has written a chapter: "Spirituality and Volunteers" in "Spirituality and Social Care" edited by Mary Nash and Bruce Stewart (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London, UK 2002) as well as various articles on volunteering published in NZ and USA. Sometimes she writes poetry.

Mary has Bachelor of Science from Otago University and Certificate in Volunteer Management, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA.

Employee Volunteering Health and Safety Guidelines project

In 2009 Volunteering NZ will be developing Employee Volunteering Health and Safety Guidelines with funding assistance from Mobil Oil New Zealand. Formalised employee volunteering has been rapidly growing in New Zealand in recent years. One indicator of this comes from projects organised by volunteer centres. In the 2006/07 year they arranged 147 projects involving 1491 employee volunteers and in 2007/08 arranged 188 projects with 2641 employees taking part.

In discussions with the Department of Labour about ACC coverage for volunteers, the question asked was whether employee volunteers who are on 'paid leave' when involved in employee volunteering project should be considered to be at work if injured resulting in an absence from work. This highlighted that there are special health and safety issues relating to employee volunteering projects and hence the need for special guidelines. These would need to cover the responsibilities of the employers, the employees and the host community organisations.

In a first step, VNZ is seeking to find out current practices from the employers perspective. With assistance from the volunteer centres it is undertaking an on-line survey looking for responses from companies and other organisations participating in employee volunteering in NZ. This will assist VNZ Volunteering NZ develop the guidelines, which it will do in conjunction with those who have been involved in employee volunteering programmes including volunteer centres, participating companies, host community organisations, and individual employees who have participated in volunteer projects.

It is planned to print a limited number of the guidelines with them also being made available online through the VNZ website. The guidelines are expected to be published by the end of 2009.

Governor-General encourages volunteering in his New Year message

The following is the full copy of the Governor-General's New Year message.

The New Year is often a time when we take stock. We look back at what we have achieved and muse on those things we have yet to accomplish. But we also look forward and set goals as we work towards the future.

Since being appointed as Governor-General in August 2006, I have had the opportunity to see New Zealanders and our country at their best. I never cease to be amazed by the positive can-do attitude New Zealanders bring to their lives.

Supported by my wife Susan, it has been an honour to meet and recognise many of those who have excelled. Many of those events have had a high profile-including meeting the New Zealand athletes to the Beijing Olympics and travelling to the United Nations to receive the Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award on behalf of all New Zealanders.

But they have also included less public events, such as awarding scholarships to young New Zealanders who have shown great academic promise or presenting life memberships of various charities to people who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to assist others in need.

What these people have shown are leadership, engagement with their communities and an underlying recognition that enjoying the rights and benefits of a democracy also involves obligations and responsibilities.

The spirit of volunteerism is the glue that holds our society and economy together-our health, education and social service sectors would grind to a halt without the countless hours of voluntary work many people provide. Voluntary work does not have to be a lifelong commitment to an organisation, but we all have skills that can assist voluntary organisations, even if only for individual projects. Voluntary work not only has its own intrinsic benefits-making friends and even offers of employment-but it also adds strength to our wider communities.

Engagement also means being engaged in New Zealand's democracy. Late last year, New Zealanders engaged in the ultimate form of civic involvement-voting in a General Election. The election was a demonstration of the strength of our democracy and the civil liberties we all hold dear.

While New Zealand is a young country, ours is an old democracy. Democratic rights should never be taken for granted and are rights that continue to be denied to many people throughout the world. It behoves all New Zealanders to remain engaged in all aspects of our democracy, such as serving on juries and participating in local and central government processes.

In six years' time we will mark the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, a founding document for New Zealand's government and for our nation. Our forebears, often isolated and without the trappings of wealth, sought to build a society based on hard work and 'getting on with it.' They all gave something of themselves for what we have today. As we relax and enjoy the summer holidays, let us make a resolution to work towards the future with renewed community spirit.

Conference Planning Progressing

The development of volunteer management will be a major theme of VNZ's 2009 conference to be held in Wellington 28 and 29 October. The full conference planning committee has had its first working meeting with its professional conference organiser, Events Management Services and reviewed the work programme ahead. Deciding on the key themes, the timelines to be met, the best structure for the conference and the funding strategy are the priority areas for action. A key first step has been taken with the Wellington Convention Centre becoming a major sponsor.

Volunteer Awareness Week promotional materials to go

Volunteering NZ has promotional posters and balloons available for this year VAW which will take place from 14th until 20th June all over the country. Posters displaying Volunteer Awareness Week dates are available in A4 and A3 format. Generic red balloons can be obtained, too.

If you would like to receive any of the materials, please e-mail your orders (amount you would like to have and your mailing address) to Glennis at office [at] volunteeringnz [dot] org [dot] nz. All materials will be sent to you FREE of any charges.

Although there are still some months ahead of the event, please place your orders now so we could make sure you receive the materials on time.

NEW ZEALAND NEWS

Volunteering Wiakato's largest group project

Volunteering Waikato started the new year at full speed organising a volunteering group project for young people attending the Christian Youth summer camp in Ngaruawahia. On 6 January 230 young people from the camp undertook a range of tasks At the Rauawaawa Kaumatua Charitable Trust - digging the vegetable garden, cleaning and restacking the store and resource rooms, sanding and painting the buildings, painting a mural on one of the concrete walls and many other jobs.

For further information on this and other projects in the Waikato region please contact Denis Ross at services[at]volunteeringwaikato.org.nz.

Building Better Government Engagement project open for consultation

Submission deadline 31 March 2009

The project reference group has finalised a report to the OCVS on community engagement entitled 'It's More Than Talk'. It includes options for building engagement skills, knowledge and values in the public service.

The reference group is keen to supplement the content of the report with input from communities and a consultation period is now open. Written submissions are invited and there will be focus group meetings during February/March 2009 in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch for people experienced in community engagement, to supplement written feedback.

For further information please visit www.ocvs.govt.nz or contact ocvs[at]msd.govt.nz.

New guidelines for police volunteers

The National Community Police Group is revamping its guidelines for police volunteers in what it sees as an important step to improve how the Police supports its volunteers. The guidelines will include many of the best practice models already in use in districts.

This initiative will add some other extra features such as database of volunteers that will be accessible on Lotus Notes, new 'Volunteer' ID cards and new pre-Police Volunteer vetting form.

New MOU between NZ Police and Neighbourhood Support

The Memorandum of Understanding between NZ Police and Neighbourhood Support was signed recently as a confirmation of long-standing cooperation among these two groups. With this MOU they are reinforcing the commitment to engage productively with regard to crash and crime reduction which is to improve the quality of community life.

VOLUNTEERING PEOPLE

New President for Volunteering Australia

Janet Stone was recently elected the President of Volunteering Australia Board. She replaces retiring President Ian Rentsch who has completed two years as Volunteering Australia President.

Janet is Chairperson of Volunteering SA and NT Inc. and a ministerial appointment to South Australia's State Government's Volunteer Ministerial Advisory Group and Volunteer Task Force.

She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and an Associate Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute.

New CEO for Singapore NVPC

Laurence Lien joined National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre recently as its Chief Executive Officer. He brings to NVPC the extensive executive experience in the Singapore Administrative Service which he gained by working for various Government bodies such as Ministries of Community Development and Sports, Home Affairs, Finace and Education.

He holds degrees from the Oxford University, the National University of Singapore and the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University and is actively involved in community sector in Singapore.
Further information on Laurence, NVPC and IAVE World Volunteer Conference they will be hosting in 2011 please visit www.nvpc.org.sg.

VOLUNTEERING RECOGNITION AWARDS

Singapore National Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards 2008

This award honours the recipients who have set excellent benchmarks in volunteering and philanthropy in Singapore. For 2008 the winners are:
New Non-profit Initiative Award: Wheels of Hope Project
Non-profit Organisation Award for Volunteer Management: Samaritans of Singapore
Outstanding Non-profit Organisation Award: YMCA of Singapore
Corporate Citizen Award for Volunteering: Merrill Lynch (Singapore) Ltd.

EVENTS

Philanthropy NZ & Community Trusts combined conference

18-19 March 2009
Te Papa Tongarewa
Wellington

This combined conference is a must for everyone working in the philanthropic sector in New Zealand. Over 300 people are expected to attend this premium event in the philanthropic calendar including: Family Foundations, Community Trusts, Individual donors, Statutory Grantmakers, Gaming Trusts, Corporate Citizens offering community support, and influencers in social policy.

The conference will provide a cutting edge discussion illustrated by exemplary practice throughout the philanthropic sector.
All of the information incl. costs, speakers, accommodation and the registration form is available from www.giving.org.nz/conference.

12th IAVE Asia Pacific Regional Volunteer Conference

26-29 November 2009
Kaohsiung, Taiwan

"Volunteerism as a Lifestyle for Social Solidarity" is the theme of this regional IAVE conference hosted by IAVE Taiwan and Kaohsiung City Volunteer Association. The conference will be an opportunity of NPOs, governments, and the corporate sector to work together on the issues such as Volunteer participation in large-scale international events and conferences, Corporate Social Responsibility, Application of ICT use in Volunteer Programs, Diversity and Community Engagement: Volunteering and immigration in the community, Collective Work of Volunteer Action and Intercultural Volunteering Service.

For further information and registration please visit www.iave.org.

NCVO Annual Conference 2009 - Civil Society: Building trust in uncertain times

18 February 2009
London, UK

This Annual Conference will examine how uncertain economic times and a potential change in government presents many challenges, but also with opportunities. Participants will be able to explore the voluntary and community sector's role within civil society and to identify those issues which will matter most to the people and communities work with in the future.

For further information and registration please visit www.ncvo-vol.org.uk.

Skills to Make a Difference - The National Non-Profit Sector Conference 2009

19-20 March 2009
War Memorial Conference Centre, Marine Parade, Napier

The programme features keynote addresses and workshops from experts in their field and draws on best practice commercial sector expertise and extensive NFP experience. The conference will identify the 'tool box' that NFP management and boards can use to be successful in an increasingly competitive market and challenging times.
Visit www.nfpconference.co.nz for further details.

NZ Bluelight Ventures conference

7 - 10 May 2009
Queenstown

This conference aims to provide information and training to the police service agencies and community groups dealing with 'at risk youth' and 'youth offenders' by bringing to the attention the variety of programmes used internationally with young people.

Topics covered: Programme planning and risk management; team building; Youth at risk projects; Youth justice and community relationships; Blue Light programmes; Sponsorship

For further information and registration contact Jill Johnston at jill[at]bluelight.co.nz or visit www.bluelight.co.nz.

ConnectingUp: The Online future of the Nonprofits, Are we there yet?

11-13 May 2009
Brighton Novotel, Sydney

This is Australia's National Nonprofit Technology conference gathering variety of stakeholders to discuss the issues of ICT in voluntary sector. They are looking for great stories about how your organisation or community has used technology which would be presented in a workshop during the conference. Further details and expressions of interest at www.conectingup.org/conference or www.connectingup.org/blogdoug.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

The cost of volunteering discussion outcomes

As part of the International Volunteer Day celebrations an interesting discussion on the costs of volunteering took place on Volunteering Australia online forum.

Both volunteers and practitioners took part in the discussion pointing out number of costs produced by individual volunteering which are beyond the usual financial expenses. Some of them were:

• Pensioners find the costs of volunteering hard to meet. We know that volunteering has real benefits for health, wellbeing and social involvement. The worry caused by the impact of costs could be detrimental to pensioners continuing to volunteer and ultimately feelings of wellbeing.
• Reimbursement of costs would enable people to volunteer more often.
• A suggestion that volunteers and minimum paid employees be reimbursed for trips made at the direction of the organisation during working hours.
• The point was made that even though volunteers might be reimbursed for the cost of fuel, they will continue to make a financial contribution towards their volunteering because the costs of vehicle depreciation including insurance, registration, tires, etc. remain.
• Cost to family: volunteers give freely, but the cost to family is sometimes considerable. Support from government, industry and organisation could help alleviate some of the stresses on volunteer families by providing some special services or events to help families gain quality time together. This issue is yet to be explored widely outside the fire/emergency area.
• Volunteers have changing needs. There could be someone in their family who has lost his/her job, and a subsidy could at least help them even in a little way, deal with their crisis in life. Parking fees and phone call expenses have started to affect them too.

For more details this forum, please visit www.volunteeringaustralia.org.

UN report on youth wellbeing and their role in civil society released

A new report of the UN Secretary General on the Implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth has been released under the title "Progress and Constraints with Respect to the well-being of youth and their role in civil society" .The report addresses the progress achieved and the constraints that young people face in relation to their role in and contribution to their wellbeing and civil society in which volunteering is one of the main features in development of young people. The report also proposes goals and targets for monitoring the progress of youth in these areas.

The report can be downloaded from: www.un.org.

Nine-point 'recession challenges' of Volunteering England

The recent start of the global economic recession already mobilized wide community and voluntary sector in providing the services to those highly affected. On the other hand, there is a great risk of various stakeholders cutting in or withdrawing from their support to and for the sector.

Here are the nine points Volunteering England confronts the stakeholders with and sums up the new opportunities coming from this economic downturn:

• Volunteering is a route to new employment for many people
• Investing in volunteering projects now will build human capital as well as economic renewal
• Organisations that recruit and involve volunteers need funding to do so
• Job centres must adhere to Department for Work and Pensions regulations that allow time for volunteering while claiming benefits
• Cutting back on volunteer management will be a false economy
• Volunteers must not replace paid staff
• Businesses should give time and money to volunteering organisations
• Employer-supported volunteering will allow businesses to acquire new transferable skills
• The economic conditions set up new possibilities for working with volunteers
  

For the full press release please visit www.volunteering.org.uk.

CSR 'an increasing priority' in business sector

More businesses consider corporate social responsibility a priority than two years ago, shows the survey conducted by the UK based Corporate Responsibility Group (CRG). Senior managers in private companies are increasingly viewing corporate social responsibility as a business priority.

The study was conducted among members of CRG, a network for CSR professionals. Eighty-four per cent of the group's members considered CSR a business priority in their organisations, compared with 72 per cent in 2006. Representatives from 80 of the CRG's 100 member organisations responded to the survey. The proportion of organisations with dedicated CSR budgets had also risen by 9 percentage points to 83 per cent over the two-year period.

For further information please visit www.crguk.org.

Volunteers 'deserve more recognition'

A recent UK survey found that 57 per cent of British public believe that local groups of volunteers did not get enough appreciation

The poll, commissioned by the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, which gives awards to local groups for voluntary work, says that 57 per cent of the 2,041 people surveyed thought the groups were not shown enough appreciation for their work, and 8 per cent thought they were.

The 749 respondents who said they had volunteered in the past year were also asked why they did so. The most popular reason - true for 47 per cent of respondents - was that they gained a "sense of personal achievement and satisfaction". Thirty seven per cent said they did it because they wanted to improve the local community and help people.

The region with the highest proportion of volunteers was Northern Ireland, where 44 per cent of respondents had volunteered in the past 12 months. The area with the highest proportion of people volunteering at least once a week was Scotland, with 23 per cent.

RESOURCES and EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

With the new academic year approaching there is a new potential volunteer force coming into town. Students willing to experience, learn and give might knock on your door or you might need to invite them yourself. Don't forget that students are amazing, vibrant, enthusiastic and innovative volunteers who will really make things happen!
This issue provides some tips and inspiration on what to do in both case scenarios. Final reminders about volunteer management workshop and this year Retreat are here, as well.

How to involve student volunteers?

Extract from "Making It Happen, A guide for small organizations on how to involve student volunteers"***

Motivating Volunteers

Thinking about volunteers' motivations when advertising could have a major impact on your recruitment and retention of volunteers. Think about the messages they might like to see and how to let them know what your volunteering opportunities offer.

Remember also to talk to your local student volunteering project - they may be able to offer assistance in designing an effective marketing campaign and you may even be able to recruit a student volunteer to help you with the marketing!

Students want to:

• develop their skills and abilities
• make new friends
• widen their horizon
• be challenged
• have responsibility
• augment course learning with practical experience
• 'taste test' possible career paths

Think about the following when planning your recruitment of student volunteers:

• Highlight team-working opportunities.
• Provide information on positions available within your organisation and give them a title. Think about any opportunities to influence the decision making process.
• Encourage new volunteers to come forward with and follow through ideas for new project development.
• Emphasise that every volunteer can make a difference to the local community.
• Promote any opportunities to be on a committee.
• Display information on volunteer role descriptions, training opportunities details of any accreditation or recognition schemes.
• Highlight previous successful events and projects and display any thank you letters you might have from service users and previous volunteers.

Project Models

There are four models for involving students in the community. This guide is designed with the placement model in mind as this is how most organisations initially involve students. In time however you will probably find students will want to have more input in creating opportunities and ultimately they can lead a project within your organisation.

The four models are:

• The placement model
  The student community action/volunteering group acts as a 'broker' between student volunteers and projects or activities that already exist and which are run by other organisations like yours. The group organisers find out what local opportunities exist and, after recruiting volunteers, provide them with the information in a referral capacity. This is sometimes described as a "Volunteer Shop" or "Student Volunteer Centre".
  
  
• The one-off model
  The student community action/volunteering group organises one-off events such as a Christmas party for children, young people or the elderly, often in conjunction with another organisation. This type of event is great for Student Volunteering Week in February, Volunteers' Week in June and Make A Difference Day in October.
  
  
• The partnership model
  The student community action/volunteering group joins with a voluntary, community or statutory agency and runs a project in partnership with that organisation.
  
  
• The student-led project model
  Established Student Community Action projects place students at the heart of decision making: they source community need, recruit student volunteers and manage their projects. Many are registered charities with students as the trustees.

***to access the complete publication please visit www.volunteering.org.uk.

Susan's Tip of the Month: "Setting Expectations with Student Volunteers' Teachers"

by Susan J. Ellis

The new year is also the start of another academic semester, so it's likely you will be welcoming a fresh batch of students into volunteer roles. If the students have come to you for a formal school purpose -- such as to get academic credit for a course, write a research paper, or fulfil a requirement for graduation -- there will undoubtedly be a faculty member with whom they, and therefore you, will interact during the course of service.

It's a good idea to schedule a meeting to clarify the expectations of the school or particular teacher. These days you might be receiving service-learning students from elementary school through graduate studies, with different issues related to each age group. Consider developing a mutual "roles and responsibilities" sheet with the faculty member, to delineate descriptions of who will do what.

Reach agreement on such points as:

• What are the school's goals for the student's service and how do these align with the needs of the agency?
  • Is the primary concern the number of hours logged in or completion of a project or work plan?
  • Does the school prefer certain types of volunteer assignments or staff supervisors with specific credentials?
  • What's the optimal balance between service and learning? Between observing and doing
• How will responsibility for training and supervision be divided equitably and effectively between you?
  • Will a faculty member expect to come on site periodically to see the student? What is needed from the agency staff during such visits? What might you want from the teacher?
  • Will the teacher be conducting any "reflection" discussions in the classroom to help students learn from their experiences? Do you have a role to play in this process?
  • How will you work together to enforce both agency and school rules?
• How often and how will you be in touch with each other during the semester?
• Will the student be graded for the work done in the agency or receive some sort of formal credit for time logged?
  • Who assigns the grade, using what criteria?
  • Do you need to keep any records to help the assessment process? Write a report or recommendation of any sort?
  • What attendance records must you keep?
  • If a student is not providing the agreed-upon hours of service, who will keep track and follow up? In other words, will the school do the enforcing?
• For students under the age of 18:
  • Who will obtain parental permission and generally liaison with parents?
  • Who supplies or reimburses student transportation?
• Deal with administrative questions, such as:
  • Who is responsible/liable for insurance coverage of the students?
  • Will there be an end date to the project or continuous coverage by a new class of volunteers?
  • If the student wants to continue as a volunteer with your organization past the official placement period, how will the transition take place?

Discussing such questions at the beginning will avoid confusing duplication of roles and will establish good working relationships. Be aware that teachers and group leaders may have unrealistic expectations of what your agency can offer student volunteers. Listen to their requests, but feel free to set limits on what will be possible. Your bottom line is service to your clients or consumers.

Ideally, the faculty liaison will remain your point of contact over time so that you do not have to renegotiate everything for each student who offers services.

FINAL REMINDER: Martin J Cowling volunteer management workshops in February/March 2009

There are still places available for Martin J Cowling's volunteer management workshops which will be hosted by volunteer centres in late February/early March this year. The workshops will be held in the following places with the contact email address which can be used to obtain full details of the topic, specific costs and venue. You inquires are very welcome.

Invercargill 16 February - contact southcomhouse[at]woosh.co.nz
Dunedin 17 February - contact dvct[at]ihug.co.nz
Christchurch 19 February - contact vc[at]volcan.org.nz
Blenheim 23 February - contact vm[at]volunteermarlborough.org.nz
Auckland 25 February - contact volunteer[at]volunteeringauckland.org.nz
Hamilton 27 February - contact volunteeringwaikato[at]xtra.co.nz
Tauranga 2 March - contact mgr.volunteerwbop[at]xtra.co.nz
Wellington 4 March - contact vw[at]volunteerwellington.org.nz

Australasian 2009 Retreat: "COMMON GOALS, DIFFERENT ROLES: Finding our place in Volunteer Management"

11 - 13 March 2009
Binna Burra Retreat Centre, Gold Coast, Australia

This annual educational and professional development opportunity, for volunteer programme managers who feel they are past the 'basics' of their profession and are seeking new challenges, is organised by Martin J Cowling and his colleague Andy Fryar. They will together with DJ Cronin (Aus), Rob Jackson (UK) and Liz Scarfe (Aus) guide the Retreat.

Following are some of the issues that will be tackled during the event:

• As volunteer managers how do we find our place in setting the agenda for volunteering?
• Who decides what volunteering looks like?
• How do we agree on what effective volunteer management is?
• Who should be involved in this decision making process and how is it evaluated both now and in the future?
• What role should government, peak bodies, volunteer resource centres, not-for-profits and training providers play?
• What are the upcoming challenges in volunteer management and how will we be the voice in responding to them?
• How will we ensure our organisations are ready for the future of volunteer management?

There are still few places available. Please visit www.vpmretreat.com.au, e-mail at retreat[at]vpmretreat.com.au or call (Aus) 1300 781 357 / (NZ) 04 889 2450.

Governance Upside Down workshop

This one-day workshop organised by Community Housing NZ and facilitated by Tony Hassed is designed for the needs of new and old board members and directors, office managers and PA's attending board meetings and wider community members wishing to start nonprofit organisations.

It will cover the following issues: The role of the board and role of the director; Strategic planning at the board level; The board's work plan - annual/periodic responsibilities; How to develop an effective agenda; What makes for a successful meeting; How to orchestrate succession planning; Dashboard reporting; The board's responsibility for risk management . The workshop dates are:
Tauranga 2 March
Auckland 3 March
Wellington 9 March
Christchurch 23 March

For more information, contact Dan: projects[at]communityhousing.org.nz.

Volunteer Management Education Books for Sale

Volunteering NZ has for sale copies of four books written by Linda Graff on developing policies and risk management for volunteering programmes. The titles and prices are:

Best of All - Quick reference Guide to Best Practice $46.00
Better Safe - Risk Management for Volunteer Programmes $46.00
Beyond Police Checks - Screening Guidebook $46.00
By Definition - Policies for Volunteer Programmes $36.00

We also have copies of Mary Woods' book
Volunteers, A guide for Volunteers an their Organisations $25.00

Postage and Handling
Up to 2 publications $5.50 3 or more publication $10.00

All the prices are GST inclusive.

Posters and other promotional suitable for general promotions and recruiting volunteers are available free from VNZ.

Orders for all may be faxed to 04 3843637 or emailed to office[at]volunteeringnz.org.nz.

Payment may be made by cheque or credit card. If wishing to pay by credit card we will send you documentation to complete and return.