The Power of Volunteering. Imagine the Possibilities! Presented by Sue Noble CEO Volunteering Victoria
Sue Noble - Volunteering Victoria - Imagine the Possibilities: The Power of Volunteering to Build/Transform Communities and Lives
Aug 12, 2015
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The Power of
Volunteering.
Imagine the
Possibilities!
Presented by
Sue Noble CEO
Volunteering Victoria
Definition of Volunteering
Volunteering is time willingly given for the common good & without financial gain
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IMPACT OF
VOLUNTEERING
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Impact of volunteering: ABSo Between 1995 & 2010 volunteer numbers doubled from 3.2 to 6.1 million
o Recent ABS statistics (2014) show a 5% decline in volunteering to 5.8 million.
o The ABS report on volunteering stated:◦ Voluntary work is recognised as a valuable part of life in Australia. It contributes to
community participation & the building of social connections. In the General Social Survey (GSS), a volunteer was defined as someone who, in the previous 12 months, willingly gave unpaid help, in the form of time, service or skills, through an organisation or group. In 2014, 5.8 million people or 31% of the Australian population aged 15 years & over, participated in voluntary work. Over a 12 month period, voluntary work contributed 743 million hours to the community.
o ABS only collects statistics on formal volunteering – so a significant amount of volunteering is not captured by the stats
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Impact of volunteering
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The latest ABS statistics highlight what we already know, including:o Volunteering is evolving/changing
o Volunteers are looking for something different – to match their interests & lifestyle, to fit in with their other commitments, to tap into their motivations etc.
o To attract & retain volunteers you need to offer different volunteering product/s to match what existing & potential volunteers are looking for
o There are many new & innovative volunteering models, which we need to embrace, promote & support (alongside more traditional models) e.g. virtual volunteering, bite-size volunteering, episodic volunteering etc.
o Also, many people do not self-identify as volunteers even when they are (by our old & new definition) volunteers
o We need to continue to paint a richer picture of what volunteering is & could be so people recognise what they do as
Impact on volunteersFor all age groups volunteering can .........
o Support individuals’ empowerment & self worth
o Improve physical health & longevity
o Build general wellbeing, emotional resilience
o Improve mood & happiness
o Build satisfaction, pride, purpose, accomplishment
o Help develop new skills, expand life & work experience
o Build work & social networks, connectedness & community cohesion
o Demonstrate a volunteer’s motivation, values, proactivity
o Provide a pathway to economic participation
o Refer to Health & Wellbeing Information Sheet
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Impact on the communityo Significant economic impact of volunteering:o In 2010 formal volunteering contributed $25.4 billion to the Australian economy
o Recent estimates value formal & informal volunteering at $290 billion annually
o Significant social impact: o strengthening communities, connectedness & networks
o supporting civic & economic participation
o mitigating disadvantage
o Imagine the cost if we had to pay to deliver services delivered by volunteers.......
o Imagine what would or could not be done if we had to pay for volunteer services.......
o Imagine our world without volunteers.......
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Without volunteering…..o Many community support services will not be delivered
o Community sport will grind to a halt
o Many cultural institutions will close
o Our environment will degrade & wildlife will disappear
o Reduced protection & slower recovery from disasters
o Breakdown in social connectedness, cohesion & resilience
o People will live unsafe, unhealthy, lonely, isolated, disconnected & poorer lives
o People will die
Challenge: to build a resilient volunteering culture & workforce
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NATIONAL &
STATE
DEVELOPMENTS
National & State Developmentso Victorian Governmento Parliamentary Secretary for Carers & Volunteers: Gabrielle Williams
o Ministerial Advisory Council (MAC) on Volunteering
o Commissioner for Senior Victorians
o Spontaneous emergency volunteering
o DSS Funding: impact on VIOs and VSOso Senate Inquiry – report due on 19 August
o Increased reliance on volunteer workforce
o PM’s Community Business Partnership
o Labor’s Community Sector Partnership
o ACNC Sector User Group
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National Standardso Updated National Standards for Volunteer Involvement released during NVW 2015
o The new Standards:o Reflect best practice in volunteer management in Australia’s current work environment
o Provide are easier to follow & are adaptable to different organisation types & different forms of volunteering
o Help improve the volunteer experience
o Provide good practice guidance & benchmarks to help organisations attract, manage & retain volunteers, &
o Help organisations manage risk & safety in their work with volunteers
o A flexible, tiered voluntary certification (‘Quality Mark’) to be developed
o Standards are free to download: o http://www.volunteeringaustralia.org/policy-and-best-practise/national-standards-and-
supporting-material/
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Work for the Dole (WfD)o In July 2014, WfD started for younger job seekers in 18 selected areas
o From 1 July 2015, now covers all eligible job seekers, in all areas of Australia
o Jobactive replaces Job Services Australia & includes:o Jobactive providers: assist job seekers to find a job and support them to complete WfD
o WfD coordinators: source suitable WfD activities in eligible host organisations
o WfD hosts can be NFPs or government agencies
o Many NFPs considering whether they will participate in WfD
o It may seem like a win /win but the reality is more complex
o NFPs need to carefully assess all the pros and cons of participating in WfD
o Refer to our Position Statement: http://volunteeringvictoria.org.au/work-dole-q-revised-statement/
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Work for the Doleo It doesn’t meet the definition of volunteering - don’t call it ‘volunteering’
o You are not obliged to participate
o It’s a strategic business decision
o Is it compatible with your purpose, values & priorities?
o Consider outcomes for job seekers
o Clarify what you will be required to do
o Consider resourcing/cost implications
o Negotiate ‘hard’ with WfD coordinators about payment
o Consider the impact on staff, volunteers, clients & other stakeholders
o Consider risk management & legal issues
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MOTIVATIONS,
BARRIERS &
CHALLENGES
Why people volunteer
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Volunteering is personal & motivations differo Support personal goalso Because someone they know volunteerso Build social networks & connectednesso For organisations, in places, at times that suit themo Affinity with causes & issueso Belief they can make a differenceo Sense of purpose & empowermento Sense of satisfaction, pride & accomplishmento Skill utilisation, development & transfero Work preparednesso Contribute & connect to the community
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Barriers to volunteering
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o Limited meaningful volunteering opportunities that utilise skills & knowledgeo No interest o Regulatory barriers, including insurance, police checks etc.o Do not have timeo Unable to make a long term commitmento Competing time demands e.g. work & informal caringo Do not know how to get involvedo Health problems or physical ability o Financial costo Mismatch between volunteering opportunities & volunteers motivationo No-one asked
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Volunteering evolution
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Volunteering is evolving. Volunteers are different o Diverse social, cultural, linguistic, religious backgroundso Different generations, characteristics, motivations, understanding &
experience of volunteeringo Life-cycle & life-style changeso More mobile & tech-savvy o Have multiple roles, experienceso Seek options, opportunities to develop or use skills o Seek reciprocal, collaborative, inclusive relationshipso Seek to build social networks & connectednesso Seek organisations, causes, in places, at times that suit them
Volunteering challenge
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o Adequate support & resourcing for volunteeringo Balance organisations’ & volunteers’ needso More effort, negotiation, calculated risk taking o Need to be flexible, creative, innovative to:
o Accommodate different motivations & expectations
o Remove or minimise barriers to volunteering
o Respond to the challenge of evolving volunteering landscape
o Support intergenerational volunteering
o Support socially inclusive volunteering
o Leverage diversity & new technologies
o Engage (not merely manage) volunteers
o Build a resilient volunteer involving organisation
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BUILDING
RESILIENT
VOLUNTEERING
Resilience defined
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o Volunteering Victoria’s vision:
◦ Resilient communities & empowered & active citizens through volunteering
o Resilience: a recently emerged concept, still ill-defined
◦ The capacity & capability to grow, to tolerate & adapt to change & any excessive demands & stresses, & to bounce-back after an adverse event
o Applied to individuals, organisations, communities
o Built 2 ways:
o Experience: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
o Built purposefully by capacity building activities
Resilience defined
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o Adaptive capacity:o Confront disruptive challengeso Respond & adapt quickly to change
o Sustainable, well managed workload & resourceso Aligned strategy, structure, systems, processes o Forward thinking, preparedo Superior performance, higher productivity & creativityo Access to timely, accurate, relevant informationo Embraces diversity, manage complexityo Actively engaged, proactive, empowered, ownershipo Good personal support systems, work-life integration
Enabling leadership
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Strong, effective leadership o Core characteristic of resilienceo Supports the other characteristics of resilienceo Enabling, not inhibitingo Inspiring, not demoralisingo Empowers communities & individualso Critical to build communities resilient to change & disasterso Progresses, reinforces, sustains a resilient volunteer workforce
Role of Volunteer Manager is critical
VOLUNTEER
MANAGEMENT
The volunteer manager
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o Expert in volunteer managemento Key player, central enabler, driver of innovation to:
o Build a resilient volunteer workforceo Identify & capitalise on the motivations for volunteeringo Reduce the barriers to volunteering o Anticipate & respond to volunteering trends & issueso Ensure great volunteering experience
o Face significant challenges in changing environmento Often under-valued, under-resourced, undersoldo Management recognition & support essential:
o Resources & tools to do their jobo Leadership training & development to adapt
The volunteer manager
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Apply good HR principles, policies & practices:o Workforce planning, job designo Develop a portfolio of volunteering programs e.g.
o Take advantage of new technologies (virtual volunteering)o For skilled or time-poor volunteers (bite-sized volunteering)o Leverage corporate social responsibility via EVP
o Recruitment, induction, departureo Training, development, performance managemento Communication, acknowledgement, recognitiono Policies, processes, continuous improvemento Work environment, rostering, relationship with paid staff, OH&So Conflict management, disciplineo Apply National Standards: best practice volunteer management
Supporting volunteer managers
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Support for volunteer managers:o Sector leadership & support o Research to identify trends, build a bank of evidenceo Thought leadership & policy development o Information, resources & toolso Foster collaboration & networks e.g. Volunteer Management SIGo Volunteer management training, consulting serviceso Mentoring programo Identification & promotion of good/best practice programs o Capacity buildingo Advocacy (internal & external)o Promotion, PR, profile raising
IMAGINE THE
POSSIBILITIES…
Imagine the possibilities…o It is part of Volunteering Victoria’s purpose to support the growth &
empowerment of the volunteering community
o Imagine the possibilities is our campaign to raise awareness of the value of volunteering to our community & the diversity of ways volunteering happens
o It has been developed in consultation with the volunteering community
o It has involved a significant investment of time & expertise by a team of skilled volunteers from the disciplines of marketing, communications & design, in collaboration with Volunteering Victoria staff
o The development & implementation of the campaign is a working example of the power & diversity of volunteering
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Imagine the possibilities…o The campaign features real organisations, from real locations,
aiming to help real people & causes
o It showcases the diversity of volunteering & the true, full impact of volunteers
o Its bursts a few stereotypical myths & ideas about volunteering
o It highlights that volunteers are active citizens making a difference & that volunteering can transform lives & communities
o Each organisation has used the campaign to promote their service or cause, showcase the value of their volunteers & attract new volunteers
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Campaign objectives
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Change the language & dialogue: o Position volunteers as active citizens o Recognise the social & economic impact of volunteeringLead & encourage behaviour change:o By volunteers & volunteer managerso By government, corporates, VIOso Grow volunteering across the communityExpand perceptions of volunteering by showcasing:o Diversity of people who volunteero Variety of types, ways, places, reasons for volunteeringo Recognise importance of volunteer management o Support & integrate with our advocacy efforts
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Campaign overview
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Utopia/dystopia theme:o Imagine a world without volunteers (dystopia)o Imagine the world with more volunteering (utopia)
Multi-layered campaign:o Implemented & evolving over time with different communication channelso Adapted to specific communities, sectors, scenarios, VIOs
Target audiences:o Volunteer managers & VIOso Government, policy makers, funders, corporate supporterso Volunteers of all ages, across all sectors
Walking the talk: o Campaign developed with volunteers
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Website
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Website
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Posters & postcards
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Posters & postcards
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Policy & advocacy
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o Imagine the possibilities supported by policy & advocacy activities
o Priorities include:
o Formal recognition of volunteers’ role as part of the community sector workforce
o Appropriate investment in volunteer management
o Appropriate investment in volunteering ICT technology
o Respectful treatment of the sector, including:
o Acknowledgement & representation
o Consultation & collaboration when developing policies & programs
o Negotiation, especially regarding funding
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/VOLUNTEERINGVIC
Volunteeringvictoria.org.au
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