July 2009

VOLUNTEERING NEW ZEALAND FOCUS:

Small Changes proposed to the Volunteer Expenses Reimbursement Provisions in Tax Bill

Parliament's Select Committee which considered the Taxation Bill containing the volunteer reimbursement expenses section has proposed two amendments to these provisions. One will enable one payment to cover both reimbursement of expenses and an honorarium payment. If such payments are made to volunteers, that part which relates to expenses reimbursement will not be subject to tax but the other part will be. The organisation making the payment will have to be able to identify the expenses element of the payment and will have to deduct withholding tax from the balance of the payment.

The other change is to remove the requirement that a 'volunteer' be a New Zealand resident in terms of the legislation. The Committee was informed by Inland Revenue that non-residents who earn New Zealand sourced income are required to make a tax return. If a non-resident receives a reimbursement for voluntary services, the payment must be declared as income and the income incurred claimed as a deduction. The Committee's recommendation would mean no return would be required if this was the only form of income received by a non-resident.

The Bill will now go through its second and third readings in Parliament before being passed into law. We will monitor progress especially in terms of any further changes. It is understood the provisions relating to volunteer expenses will be applied as soon as the Bill becomes law.

Work and Income to work with Volunteer Centres

Work and Income is to work with Volunteer Centres to assist employees participating in the Job Support Scheme find volunteer roles for their non-paid work hours. This news was given by Hon Tariana Turia, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector in a letter to the Generosity Hub. The Hub had written to the Minister encouraging such a step as part of the Nine Day Fortnight Progression Plan.

There are three options which Work and Income may follow. One would be to follow the structured Volunteer Wellington/Work and Income partnership. In the second option Work and Income would provide information to employers and employees on volunteering options and enable Volunteer Centre interviewers have access to Work and Income resources in assisting potential volunteers find suitable roles. Option three would be the provision of an information sheet to employers and employees participating in the Job Support Scheme.

VNZ is liaising with the Volunteer Centres on how it can assist them in this new initiative and a number of centres will establish their own relationship with their local Work and Income offices.

"Volunteering Unleashed" Conference early bird registrations close Mid August

Early bird registrations for the Volunteering Unleashed" conference are scheduled to close on 15 August. The early bird rate is $350 GST incl and the full rate is $450 GST incl so there is a saving to be made by registering now. August 15 is also the date when applications will close for the special scholarships registration fees ($112.50 GST incl). Registration can be made through this link. The same link can be used to access the Scholarship Application Form.

Excellent speakers and opportunities to contribute will be a feature of the conference. Professor Margaret Tennant has joined the high calibre speakers who will be featured at the 'Volunteering Unleashed' conference. She will bring a very interesting historical perspective to volunteering in New Zealand. Other confirmed speakers include Steven Carden, author of New Zealand Unleashed, Melissa Moon, champion mountain biker and committed volunteer, Marcus Akuhata Brown founder of Tukaha Global Consultancy, Andy Fryar OzVPM and Martin J Cowling, People First Total Solutions. The updated draft conference programme can be found at this link .

Volunteering Now is indeed for the Future

Comment from Volunteering NZ Communications Officer Branka Cicak
Lately there are many discussions around the recession and its influence on increased/decreased interest in volunteering. Other very hot topics are whether volunteers are looking for short instant volunteering or long term commitments and then what type of roles do volunteers look for; just anything or something to use their full potential and add value.

As an example, there are lots of critics of one time off roles which they consider ineffective and wasteful in comparison to the long-lasting contributions. But is that really true?! Just remember the recent Australian bushfires and NZ Red Cross helpline getting overwhelmed with 'willing to help' calls. A couple of hundred of these calls were cleared by one single employee volunteer in a one single day. Yes, it was a short show, but no, it was not meaningless or superficial. It is even a good practice example which should not be forgotten.

But no doubt most of the polarised opinions come from equally polarised experiences, which just make us conclude firstly, volunteering today is no longer tailored to be put in a single-shaped box; secondly, no matter who volunteers, or when, where or how, he/she has to be managed adequately (but this is another topic). True, there are many organisations struggling to attract volunteers. Then again, judging on stats I've been receiving from different sources in the last couple of months, most of the Volunteer Centres are experiencing highly increased demand for their services. Lately, we even had people walking in into our VNZ office to ask 'if they could get anything faster with us' as they just got an appointment in Wellington's Volunteer Centre in three weeks time and they don't want to wait so long. Surely, it is not that Volunteer Wellington's team suddenly pulled into the low gear; they are just overwhelmed with increasing volunteer market.

Then we come to the type of roles and level of skills. Many people do walk in, and ask for long term roles with the long term goals, but many do not nor want such roles. Thus the organisations involving volunteers or willing to do so, should start being creative and diversify their offers. The recent lay-offs unleashed many valuable skills floating from one door to another searching the means to keep them from rusting away and preserving them for better economical times. They won't compromise with a 'sorting the mail out every Friday for the next 2 years' role. Then, I go to VolunteerNow and see in whole NZ, there are only three positions for volunteer lawyers required. However, I get excited when I see 55 IT roles advertised, but after having a closer look I notice most of them are either data processing or something which involves the use of computer - not 'The Real IT' roles. This makes me think the remark from one community worker I read few days ago was the sign of the issue and not an isolated opinion; he said his organisation is very careful with redundant people as their situation is unstable and the organisation wants long term commitment. Hmm, if someone was made redundant, does that by default mean that he/she can't be committed?!

Finally, Kerrie Spinks recently discussed in an online forum how volunteer managers often just manage volunteers but forget to involve skilled enthusiasts to directly assist their day to day work. Both, a painful and well pointed remark, it made me feel good. While I'm not really to manage any volunteers in my role, there are more and more of them around our office making things faster, easier, better.

Thus, the next couple of weeks while enjoying the Mediterranean summer (please note I'm on the annual leave from 01/08 - 15/09. For any urgent issues contact Tim or Glennis) I'll be sure 'life won't stop' and that most of the 'really need to be done' stuff and even beyond that will be in hands of our qualified and enthusiastic volunteers. Nick Ruane will be again researching and writing the stories which will be delivered to your inboxes by the end of August. Peri Te Wao helps us with designing publications such as the annual report; and, we have a newly formed 'IT volunteer team' Leo Stretch and Mike Lin. They have begun work on improving the VNZ website which will enable us to add new features. And that's not all; they will also make sure you are brought up to date with our conference developments. So, don't forget to check this out every now and then.

And a last thought, try to live in the current times: more volunteers, more skills, more values - nothing to be afraid of.

New VNZ members

GirlGuiding New Zealand delivers programmes to enable girls and young women to reach their full potential and make difference in the world. Programmes are delivered by volunteer leaders and balance physical, mental and social development within a values framework. Their volunteer service comprises of over 2,100 leaders throughout New Zealand.

Girls' Brigade New Zealand is a voluntary Christian youth organisation for girls from age 5 years upwards. The organisation follows a holistic approach that develops a girl's educational, physical, spiritual and social growth. It has 2843 members including 439 volunteer leaders who are supported through different training courses and annual recognition.

NZ Council of Victim Support Groups is a NZ's principal and nationwide provider of support to victims of crime and trauma. It operates with a team of 1200 volunteer workers who have direct interface with the victims along with 100 fulltime staff members. Volunteer operations are supported by regional district managers and service and specialist coordinators located in the local districts.
The Young New Zealanders' Challenge of the Duke of Edinbourgh's Award is a voluntary, non competitive programme of leisure activities for those aged 14 - 25, designed to offer a personal and individual challenge. It encourages friendships amongst those taking part, and across the generations with adults who give up time to share skills and help organise the programme. There are around 700 volunteer coordinators who are delivering the programme along with estimated 40,000 volunteers who support young people participating in The Challenge.

NEW ZEALAND NEWS

A good time to visit CommunityCentral

If you visit CommunityCentral you'll be in for a surprise - the design has been spruced up. This freshening-up also heralds the arrival of Private Workspaces and Discussion Networks.

CommunityCentral members are already starting to share, connect and learn with Private Workspaces and Discussion Networks. Visit CommunityCentral today and check the list of Discussion Networks you could join. You cannot view a list of Private Workspaces. This is because they are private and therefore not publicly available. You have to be invited to join one. We are also accepting new registrations for Discussion Networks and Private Workspaces.

Our attention is now turning to helping all our members make good use of the platform, and telling lots more people about what is available. We have set-up a members directory so you can search for members. We appreciate your feedback; any suggestions received will help us make the website better for everybody.
So, now is the time to spread the word! We will soon be packing our bags and coming on the road to a venue near you. CommunityCentral will run information workshops in the coming months. These will cover how you can use the website platform within your organisation and the opportunities open for individuals to join or start Discussion Networks. These venues will be confirmed on CommunityCentral and through VNZ Update.

Minister's Turia on Volunteer Wellington's AGM

Volunteer Wellington held its annual meeting on 25 July and the speech was suppose to be delivered by Hon Tariana Turia, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector. Due to health issues, Minister Turia was unable to attend and her speech was delivered by Rahui Katene, MP for Te Tai Tonga instead.
You can access the full speech here.

One million volunteeing hours at LifeLine

It may only take five or ten minutes but sometimes that's all the time that's needed to help talk someone through a crisis. Over the 45 years LifeLine volunteers have contributed over one million hours to operating the phones at LifeLine twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

When LifeLine Christchurch began in July 1964, it was the first service of its kind in New Zealand and was modeled on a similar service that had recently been opened in Australia. The number of people making use of the confidential counselling service has increased substantially from its early days and while the volunteer counsellors took just over 400 calls in LifeLine's first year of operation, last year they answered over 15,000.

Attitude Awards - call for entries

DEADLINE: 4 September 2009
In December last year New Zealand held its first Attitude Awards, dedicated to honour the outstanding achievements of Kiwis living with disabilities. The event was a success and is being held again this year. ACC is a sponsor, and would encourage you to consider participation, in particular for the Attitude ACC Employer Award.

The winners in each category of the Attitude Awards and an overall Supreme Award winner will be announced on December 3 at Eden Park Function Centre, ASB Lounge, Auckland, coinciding with World Disability Day.

Categories include the Attitude Community Award, the Attitude Sportsman and Sportswoman, Courage in Sport, Person of the Year, Artistic Achievement, Youth, Spirit of Attitude, Attitude Hall of Fame and ACC Employer Awards.

For further information see the attached document.

AAVA Volunteer Administrator Award of Excellence

NOMINATIONS CLOSE: 1 September 2009
Australasian Association of Volunteer Administrators is inviting the community organisations and individuals across New Zealand and Australia to nominate their candidates for the 2009 Volunteer Administrator Award of Excellence. The nominations are open to all people managing volunteers in either country.

AAVA annually recognises a manager of volunteers for his or her outstanding contribution to the profession of volunteer management. The Award of Excellence is an opportunity to recognise these people in our region. Whether the volunteer manager has been on the front line putting their lives at risk for the sake of their community or working in the community for sporting groups, the arts, local government, hospitals or community welfare organisations, these people are ensuring the true value of volunteer contributions are felt.

The winner will be announced on International Volunteer Managers Day, November 5 2009. For further information and nomination documents please visit newly launched www.aava.asn.au.

Vodafone Foundation's World of Difference

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 21 August
Vodafone Foundation's World of Difference programme is currently accepting the applications to pay the salary and expenses of six passionate people each year, so they can work with the youth-focused cause of their choice.

This national capacity-building programme provides youth-related causes with an extra paid resource for 12 months, enabling organisations to start or complete projects, extend and improve services, up-skill staff and volunteers and in some cases give the organisation the leg-up they need to move forward more effectively.

Applications are open to all New Zealand residents aged 18 years and over. There are six places available, so if you want to spend next year making a difference to Kiwi youth, apply at www.worldofdifference.co.nz. Alternatively, if you know any stars working in the NZ youth sector (or who should be) or if you know of any organisations that would benefit from capacity building, please forward this information to them. To read about the difference 38 recipients have made since 2002 check out www.worldofdifference.co.nz.

Federation name change

At their recent AGM, the New Zealand Federation of Ethnic Councils members unanimously endorsed the council to be known as New Zealand Federation of Multicultural councils.

The Federation is the only pan ethnic and a truly multicultural national organization with networks nationwide. Moving forward the Federation will be carrying the new brand name "Multicultural New Zealand".

The outgoing President Pancha Narayanan was succeeded by Prem Singh, the former Vice president of NZFEC, along with Ms. Alexis LewGor of Rotorua, as Vice President, Al-haj Gul Zaman of Counties Manukau, Secretary and Mr. Vijeshwar Prasad of Wanganui, Treasurer.
The Federation is looking forward to a sustainable future to build through its Capacity and Women's projects to provide New Zealand with well trained volunteers and assist successful settlement of immigrants.

VOLUNTEERING PEOPLE

New Appointments at Karori Sanctuary (Zealandia)

Both the new Board and the Guardians have been appointed at Karori Sanctuary Trust. The Board comprises seven trustees with three trustees appointed by Wellington City Council and four appointed by the Guardians. The new Guardians are the individuals with a long-standing involvement in the Trust. Richard Bentley has been appointed chair of the Guardians and Peter Allport has replaced Richard as Chairman of the Karori Sanctuary Trust board.

The new Board members are: Peter Allport (Chair), Catherine Judd, Don Huse, Charles Daugherty, Graeme Mitchell, Paul Callaghan and Russell Ballard. The Guardians are: Richard Bentley, Jim Lynch, Michael Morris, Andy Foster, Colin Miskelly, Stephen Fuller and Peter Love.

New Management at Volunteering Western Bay of Plenty

Di Walters just started as a new Office Manager at Volunteering Western Bay of Plenty. She returned to NZ in 2000 after 13 years living on the other side of Tasman, and finally settled in Mount in 2003. Her background covers a very broad range of roles from managing a local Subway bar to the role in Ministry of Justice in Rotorua & Tauranga covering Family, Civil & Criminal Jurisdictions issues. In her role with Volunteering WBOP she will manage relationships with other stakeholders, provide information to the General Public on prospective volunteering opportunities, promote Employee Volunteering Schemes and assist members in recruiting volunteers.

Di succeeded Beverly Rudd who retired earlier this July after 8 years of dedication in promoting volunteering in the region. She was a founding manager of the Centre and has successfully profiled it throughout the years by bringing on board 55+ member organisations and more than 1000 volunteers.

VOLUNTEERING RECOGNITION AWARDS

TrustPower Award Winners

Nelson Tasman
The Friends of Motueka Hospital Trust took the Supreme Award for the Nelson Tasman region at the function held on 13 July at Seifrieds Vineyard and Function Centre. The Trust was established in 1993 to represent the medical interests of the wider Motueka community. Since then the Trust has been raising money, purchasing land and preparing to build a new hospital.

Last month the Trust's 45-bed community hospital in Motueka was officially opened. The facility caters for aged care, continuing care, dementia, hospice and GP beds. It was built with approximately 5 million dollars of community donations and fundraising, however the actual value of the hospital is estimated to be around 12 million.

Other winners were:
Supreme Winner Tasman District: Keep Motueka Beautiful Inc
Supreme Winner Nelson City: Founders Park Bookfair Team

Heritage and Environment: Nelson Railway Society Inc
Health and Well Being: Murchison Ambulance Service
Arts and Culture: Nelson Multi-Ethnic Council Inc
Sport and Leisure: Nelson Mountainbike Club
Educational and Child/Youth Development: The Nelson ARK

Taupo
The Tuwharetoa Polocrosse Development Squad has won the Supreme Award presented to them on 20 July at a function at the Great Lake Centre in Taupo. The Tuwharetoa Polocrosse Development Squad is a community group that provides opportunities for Ngati Tuwharetoa youth, through programs that foster achievement in Polocrosse. Their aim is simple - to develop their children within the sport of Polocrosse thereby reaping ongoing benefits for their future. In the last year, the volunteers of the Squad decided they needed to develop a venue and facility to develop the team's potential and allow the community to host international events.

Other winners were:
Heritage and Environment: Mangakino Bring 'n' Buy
Health and Well Being: Mangakino St John Ambulance
Arts and Culture: Taupo School of Music
Sport and Leisure: Taupo Half Marathon Society
Educational and Child/Youth Development: Taupo District Group Riding for the Disabled

Taupo Youth Spirit Award
Hazel Monkman from Tauhara College has been named as the winner of the inaugural TrustPower Youth Community Spirit Award. Hazel is Head Girl at Tauhara College this year, and is involved in every aspect of her school from sporting, academic, service and even culturally. In the community, Hazel has been a Taupo Cycle Challenge volunteer, collected money for Cystic Fibrosis at Ironman, raised money for Australian Fire victims, volunteered at the Oxfam Trail Walk, and also does netball umpiring.

Huge Personal Contribution Recognised by Special Award

A lifelong commitment to helping others was ackgnowledged when Annie Coates was recognised at the Prime Ministers Social Hero Awards presentation dinner held in Auckland on Friday 24 July. The Awards recognise businesses that support charities through longstanding partnerships.

Annie was nominated by ChangeMakers Refugee Forum for her tireless work in supporting refugees forced to flee Myanmar to resettle in NZ. She migrated from Myanmar in 1983 and settled in Wellington where she has given many refugees and migrants resettling in New Zealand a helping hand. Through her Golden Lotus restaurant refugees and migrants gained their first work experiences, possibility to earn for their university course fees and organise fundraising dinners.

NATIONAL EVENTS

Biennial Hui: Looking Towards a New Dawn

6-7 October 2009 The Brentwood Hotel, Kilbirnie, Wellington
The theme on NZCOSS'biennial hui will try to look ahead towards the times of the economic recovery, how to plan for it, what positive social policies will emerge from harsh times we are living in at the moment and how NZCOSS and its member and associate organisations can have a significant part to play in the formulation of these policies. A couple of inspirational speakers will join the event and there will be enough of down time for training, interactive workshops, networking and contemplation.

NZCOSS members will be funded fully (not including travel costs). The cost for the others is $300 all inclusive (no travel included) for the two days or $100 per day without accommodation and travel included. Meals and teas on both days are included in the registration fee. Registrations will be available shortly and for further information, please feel to get in touch with either Ros or Jill at NZCOSS, 04 472 3364 or nzcoss [at] nzcoss [dot] org [dot] nz.

2009 National Youth Mentoring Conference

12 -13 August 2009, Auckland
If you work with young people in NZ, you should not miss this event. The conference will be to facilitate an environment of information sharing, networking, learning and where possible professional development for national Youth Mentoring Programme Providers. It will bring together Youth workers, Educators, Mentors, Mentor programme providers, Government agencies, community workers and all those working with young people in New Zealand.

Further information is available at www.youthmentoring.org.nz.

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

12th IAVE Asia Pacific Regional Volunteer Conference

26-29 November 2009 Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Asia Pacific IAVE conference will be hosted by IAVE Taiwan and Kaohsiung City Volunteer Association. "Volunteerism as a Lifestyle for Social Solidarity" will be the theme for the conference and there will be six streams:
1. Volunteer Management in the Large Scale Event
2. Corporate Volunteering and Its Impact on Asia Pacific Society
3. Volunteerism and Information Communication Technology (ICTs)
4. Volunteering within the Asian Pacific Region of Culture Diversity
5. National Volunteer Centers
6. International Volunteering
A youth forum will also be held as part of the conference. For further information and registration visit http://iave.npotech.org.tw or e-mail iave [dot] 2009 [at] gmail [dot] com.

Volunteering NZ asks any New Zealanders who plan to go to this Asia-Pacific conference to make contact with Tim Burns VNZ Executive Director at ed [at] volunteeringnz [dot] org [dot] nz. We would like to ensure any New Zealand representatives are acknowledged at the conference.

International Not-For-Profit Convention & Exhibition

11-13 November 2009 Sunshine Coast, Australia
This event brings you three days of essential learning for these changing times. There will be opportunity for peer-networking, professional development and organisational capacity building in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere INCE09 represents a prime growth opportunity. It is now open for registrations - check it out on www.nfpn.com.au.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Social Media for Social Causes Study: The Results

Source: Mashable The Social Media Guide
Earlier this year US based "Philanthropy 2.0″ project undertook The Community Philanthropy 2.0 survey a research on social media. The goal of the survey was to provide non-profits with the information they need to best serve donors and advocates with meaningful conversations about their causes - if they could cultivate significant donors online, and how that can be accomplished.

The findings show a tremendous opportunity for nonprofits to participate as trusted providers of credible information and ultimately cultivate the next generation of major donors through the social web. The analysis showed that the group of donors who responded to the survey was younger than the traditional composition of donors one would find in a charity's database. Forty-seven percent were aged 30-49, 40 percent were under the age of 30, and only 13 percent were 50 or older. Almost two thirds (62 percent) were female.

Main results:

• Only 4 percent of those under the age of 30 donated US$5,000 or greater in 2008, 20 percent of those between the ages of 30-49 gave more than US$5,000 and those of 50+ 47 percent gave more than US$5,000
• Both the new 30-49 age group and the over those of 50+ have used social media to discuss philanthropy. This confirms social media is a potential growth area through which major donors can be cultivated.
• Email is donors preferred method of contact with charitable organizations
• There is a growing market for distribution of information via social networks
• Trust in social media is significant among social media would-be donors
• There is a high participation in social networks, blogs and message boards
• Group social media is preferred over the individual ones, with the exception of blogs.
• Respondents demonstrate a significant opportunity for foundations to provide social media
• Privacy was not much of a concern for most of the respondents who said they mostly look on philanthropic social media for information from a highly credible, quality source or a trusted organisation and they would like to interact with other donors.
• The type of conversations for which the donors were looking were about organizational impact, success stories, learning more about the organizations they are participating with, about the causes they care about and financial accountability

More results from the survey are available from here.

US Volunteering in Focus

More than 5.400 volunteer leaders attended the recent National Conference on Volunteering and Service organised by the Points of Light Institute and the Corporation for National and Community Service.

During the conference, the US First Lady Michelle Obama inaugurated the 81 days long United We Serve initiative which seeks to engage US Americans in serving their communities and solving local problems. Michelle and the cabinet secretaries participated in community service projects and helped to build a public playground at an elementary school in San Francisco. Her and other appearances from the conference can be seen here.

Another initiative initiated during the Conference was AL!VE (the Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement) - a new national professional organisation for volunteer resource managers in the United States. This new body will serve to enhance and sustain the spirit of volunteering in America by fostering collaboration and networking, promoting professional development, and providing advocacy for leaders in community engagement. It will use its collective voice to advocate for professionalism in volunteer engagement and will offer a network for those in the field to share experiences, best practices and knowledge, while furthering their professional development.

Fast-track Gains through Volunteering in the UK

Source: Third Sector Online
Two recent decisions from the different UK authorities will transform volunteering into a tool to achieve individual gains faster and easier.
The first idea came from London where BTCV, the London Wildlife Trust, v and Transport for . London signed up to a scheme that allows young people in the city who have lost their free travel passes because of bad behaviour to earn them back by volunteering for environmental conservation work. 3,620 Oyster cards have been confiscated from youngsters for breaches of the behaviour code since the introduction in June 2008 of the free travel scheme for students aged 18 or under.
Another initiative will be on much wider national scale. It will provide migrants applying for British citizenship to have their applications fast-tracked if they do voluntary work, under measures contained in the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act.

The act introduces an "activity condition" that allows immigrants who have been in the UK for five years to gain citizenship within a year rather than three if they can prove they have been an "active citizen" by volunteering.

But it does not create a definition of volunteering or indicate how much activity would be required to get citizenship faster. Third Sector reported last week that volunteering organisations felt the bill was being rushed through Parliament and were worried it could make volunteering a tick-box exercise.

RESOURCES and EDUCATION/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This month we are entering a great hallway of social media. Social media guru Max Gladwell is going a step further with his very up-to-date ideas on how to use the available resources. However, none of his ideas will sow any results without considering why people in non-profit organisations avoid online interaction and how this issue could be solved. An article from e-Volunteerism might answer some questions. At the end, there are two examples of blogging and video media for you to use both as a resource and inspiration.

How to Change the World through Social Media

Extract from 10 Ways to Change the World Through Social Media by Max Gladwell***
Our children will inherit a world profoundly changed by the combination of technology and humanity that is social media. They'll take for granted that their voices can be heard and that a social movement can be launched from their laptop. And they'll take for granted that they are connected and interconnected with hundreds of millions of people at any given moment.

What's most profound is that these represent parts of a greater whole. They represent a shift in power from centralized institutions and organizations to the people they represent. It is the evolution of democracy by way of technology, and we are all better for it.

For most of us, social media has changed our lives in some meaningful way. Collectively it is changing the world for good. Given the pace of innovation and adoption, change has become a constant. Every so often we find the need to stop and reflect on its most recent and noteworthy developments, hence the following list.

1. Twitter with a purpose
This list could be exclusive to Twitter. From Tweetsgiving, the Twitter fundraiser that raised enough money to build a new classroom for a school in Tanzania, to Twestival, which organized 202 off-line events around the world to benefit charity: water, it's become the de facto tool for organizing and taking action. Tweet Congress won the SXSW activism award, and celebrity Tweeps Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Rose Tweeted their two million followers about ending malaria.

2. Choose your cause
Facebook is a powerful platform for change and community action. Apps like Causes have united users around important issues from global warming to poverty, AIDS research, and animal rights, and rallied them to action.

Large companies are recognizing this tool for change, and creating campaigns around it. For example, Target's newly launched "Bullseye Gives" campaign allows users to vote for one of 10 charities on the company's existing Facebook page. The percentage of votes for each charity determines the percentage of a total $3 million dollars Target will donate to the organizations. This is a smart and simple way for both Target and Facebook users to make a big difference using social media.

3. Host a social media event
This is the year of the social media event. No meaningful gathering of people is complete without an interactive online audience, especially when it's so easy and cost effective to pull off. Essential tools include a broadband connection, laptop, video camera, projector, and screen. Add people and a purpose, such as entrepreneurship. Promote it through social media channels, and you have a social media event.

A recent example in the green world is the Evolution of Green, which was hosted by Creative Citizen, a green wiki community. It celebrated the launch of a new web property, EcoMatters, while also establishing a new Twitter tag. By posing the question, "How can we go from green hype to green habit?" and including the #GreenQ hashtag, it sparked a conversation between attendees and the Twittersphere in real time. Thus was born a new mechanism for getting answers to green questions via Twitter.

4. Travel the world
Tim O'Reilly knows the potential for social media to change the world. In his opening keynote at this year's Web 2.0 Expo, he called for a new ethic in which we do more with less and create more value than we capture. Social media has enabled each of us to have an audience. Whether through Twitter, Flickr, YouTube , or a personal blog, each of us can have influence and reach. What's more, it can be used for good.

5. Build it on Drupal
You may not have noticed, but the open-source Drupal content management system (CMS) has quickly become the dominant player on the social web. While we still prefer WordPress as a strict blogging application, Drupal has emerged as the go-to platform for building scalable, community-driven websites. It powers Recovery.gov, a key part of President Obama's commitment to transparency and accountability. (Note - CommunityCentral is built on Drupal.)

6. Unite the world through video
Matt's dancing around the world video inspired many to tears. Today, more than 20 million people have viewed his YouTube masterpiece, where he performs a kooky dance with the citizens of planet earth. The most recent example of this approach is Playing for Change, which connects the world through song. The project started in Santa Monica with a street performance of the classic Stand By Me and expanded to New Orleans, New Mexico, France, Brazil, Italy, Venezuela, South Africa, Spain, and The Netherlands.

The project was superbly executed via social media, complete with a YouTube channel, MySpace, Facebook, and Blog. It's received tremendous mainstream media exposure and also benefits a foundation of the same name.

7. Rate a company
The conversation about corporate social responsibility (CSR) takes place across the social web on blogs, Twitter, and YouTube, but a central hub for this information and opinion is still to be determined. SocialYell seeks to address this by building an online community around the CSR conversation, where users can submit reviews of companies together with nonprofit organizations and even public figures like Michelle Obama.

The major topics are the Environment, Health, Social Equity, Consumer Advocacy, and Charity. The reviews are voted and commented on by the community in a Reddit-like fashion with both up (Yell) and down (shhh) voting. The site is relatively new and still gaining traction, but there's no question that a resource like this is needed to shine a bright light on CSR and and other related issues.

*** to access the full article please click here.

Why Can't We Persuade Our Field to Interact Online?

This resource provided by e-Volunteerism touches the challenge of getting people in our sector to interact more online. In spite many efforts and initiatives there is still often a struggle to get really dynamic interaction in our Keyboard Roundtables. The article covers the topics: why should volunteer managers interact online and how can they do it and what works and what could we do to move interaction beyond the basics of volunteer management.

After you read this here, you'll know where next to go: http://communitycentral.org.nz. Its new workspace feature is waiting for you.

Energize Book Blog - a new inspiration for readers

The Energize Book Blog has been launched as a new resource for sharing information about published resources (online or in print) that focus specifically on managing volunteer programs and leading volunteers more effectively.

In addition to colleagues posting comments, the following features will be included:

• Interviews with volunteerism authors - and a chance for readers to ask questions
• Recommendations of books that will help with current trends in volunteering
• Materials written for wider audiences, but that have helped leaders of volunteers strengthen their skills
• Other features suggested by blog visitors over time
  

Video Volunteers on YouTube

The Internet video phenomenon YouTube has launched a very "21st century" way of doing good in the world online community with a new program called YouTube's Video Volunteers.

YouTube's Video Volunteers platform hopes to connect Not for Profit organisations with skilled video makers who can help them broadcast their causes through video, reaching new audiences online and driving action around issues and projects that matter to them. YouTube (which is owned by Google) has some big support from organisations like idealist.org and All For Good.

Here's how it works: The Video Volunteers page shows video-related volunteer opportunities that have been posted to allforgood.org. As a result, a visitor to YouTube who is eager to help out might find a listing like "Video for the Centre of Blind and Visually Impaired + a ticket to Alaska", etc.

They follow the links to find out more about what the organisation is looking for in terms of a video promotion. The site offers examples of work already done and the growing list of opportunities. So far they all appear to be US Not for Profits but with the incredible success of YouTube which gets millions of hits a day often setting the news agenda with user generated content, the opportunities for other countries won't be far away.

To learn more and advertise your posts please visit www.youtube.com/videovolunteers.

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 "Do a World of Good - Volunteer" 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 [dot] org [dot] 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.