volunteering - what_s it all about- 30-06-06

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Inspire volunteers to join your organisation and lay the groundwork or a mutually rewarding

relationship – tools and advice or managers holding inormation sessions on volunteering.

Toolkit

VOLUNTEERING: WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

NVSC is a project of Volunteering Australia

Funded by the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs



ToolkitVOLUNTEERING: WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

© Commonwealth o Australia, 2006Published by Volunteering AustraliaFirst Published June, 2006All rights reserved. This work is copyright, but permission is given to trainers and acilitators or volunteers to make copies by photocopying or other duplicating processes or usewithin the volunteer involving organisation or in a workplace where the training is being conducted or volunteers. This permission does not extend to the making o copies or

use outside the immediate training environment or which they are made, nor the making o copies or hire or resale to third parties. For permission outside o these guidelines,apply in writing to Volunteering Australia Inc. These learning materials are published by Volunteering Australia or the National Volunteer Skills Centre and unded by the AustralianGovernment Department o Families, Community Services and Indigenous Aairs.Enquires should be directed to:Volunteering Australia Level 3 / 11 Queens Road Melbourne Vic 3004T: 03 9820 4100 F: 03 9820 1206 E: [email protected] W: www.volunteeringaustralia.orgARBN 062 806 464 ISBN 10: 0-9757386-2-3 ISBN 13: 978-0-9757386-2-7This publication is supplied with the understanding that the authors, designers and editors are not responsible or the results o any actions taken on the basis o inormation in thiswork, nor or any errors or omissions; and the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, engineering or other proessional services. The publisher, authors and designersdisclaim all and any liability to any person, whether a purchaser o this publication or not, in respect o anything and o the consequences o anything done or omitted to be done byany such person in reliance, whether whole or partial, upon the whole or any part o the contents o this publication.

Weloe to the toolkit, Volunteering: What’s it all about? The resoures in this toolkit will assist you to design andondut an inspiring inoration session on volunteering. It ay also help you build your own knowledge aboutvolunteering in Australia. The presentation is aied at people who have never volunteered or have not volunteeredor a long tie.

The resources are generic in nature, and we invite you to customise them to suit your circumstances and the nature o yourorganisation. Our suggestions are meant more as prompts than instructions.

You can either deliver this material as a PowerPoint or slide presentation or, i you choose, it can be delivered solely as an oralpresentation without visual aids.

HOW THIS RESOURcE cAN ASSIST WITH REcRUITING VOLUNTEERS

There are many reasons why you might hold an inormation session on volunteering. Many organisations hold inormationsessions or the purpose o raising the prole o volunteering and recruiting volunteers. This toolkit has been designed with thisin mind, and will assist you deliver sessions with the ollowing goals:

1. To promote volunteering as an activity which benets the community and the volunteer, and inspire people tobecome volunteers;

2. To recruit volunteers or a specic eld or area within the volunteering sector, such as the sports and recreation eld,arts and culture, health, or community services;

3. To recruit volunteers or a specic organisation.

We have oered an initial ramework to support each o the three scenarios listed above. Whichever one you choose, you willbe equipping prospective volunteers with inormation that enables them to make an inormed choice about volunteering. In ourexperience, this leads to better volunteering experiences and outcomes or all concerned.

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ontentsPART ONE: PLANNING THE INfORmATION SESSION

Taking a marketing approach 5

A general structure or your session 7

A strategy or making your session successul 9

Checklist or an inormation session 10

PART TWO: RESOURcES

Running sheet or the PowerPoint presentation 13

PowerPoint Presentation (downloadable) 15

Presenter’s Notes 16

Slide 1 Session introduction – Participate, activate, create: Volunteer 17

Slide 2 What we’ll cover 18

Slides 3 – 5 Topic introduction – Volunteering – it’s not what you think it is 19

Slide 6 What is a volunteer? 21

Slide 7 Things to remember about volunteering 23

Slide 8 Everyone counts 28

Slide 9 Why is volunteering important? 30

Slide 10 Volunteering: give it a try 31Slide 11 It takes all types… 33

Slide 12 Who benets? 35

Slide 13 Topic introduction – What’s it like to volunteer? 37

Slides 14 – 15 Volunteering happens everywhere 38

Slides 16 – 17 What can you do? 40

Slide 18 Your rights as a volunteer 42

Slide 19 What do organisations expect o you? 44

Slide 20 Topic introduction – Change your world – start now! 45Slide 21 Choosing how and where 45

Slide 22 The application process: diligent, but not daunting 47

Slide 23 Questions? 49

Slide 24 Change your world – START NOW! 50

Appendix 1: Frequently asked questions 51

Appendix 2: Make your PowerPoint powerul 54

Appendix 3: Getting the most rom your handouts 56

Appendix 4: Determining a volunteer role 57Appendix 5: Denition and principles o volunteering (downloadable) 58

Appendix 6: Volunteer rights and volunteer checklist (downloadable) 58

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Part one

PLANNING THE INfORmATION SESSION





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PART ONE: PLANNING THE INfORmATION SESSION | PAGE

PART ONE: PLANNING THEINfORmATION SESSION

Taking a arketing approah

When you recruit a volunteer, your organisation is gaining their time and skills. Keep inmind, however, that the volunteer is also seeking value rom the experience. They mayseek the satisaction o helping others, or have other personal needs such as gainingwork experience in exchange or contributing their time and skills. They may wish tolearn new skills, or extend their social networks. There are many reasons why peoplevolunteer. Understanding volunteers’ motivations is central to the successul involvemento volunteers in your organisation or program.

When planning your inormation session, consider how it will show a prospectivevolunteer that there is real value to them in volunteering, and how it can satisytheir needs. I you are not a volunteer yoursel, you may wish to involve one o yourorganisation’s volunteers in the delivery o the session, or parts o the session. This way,participants will hear irst hand just how rewarding volunteering can be. It can also help

you demonstrate or reinorce the positive messages contained in your presentation,especially those around valuing volunteers’ contributions and the opportunities thatvolunteering provides or people to engage with their community.

Figure 1 on page 6 is based on marketing theory and shows the relationship o needsbetween the volunteering organisation and the volunteer. The main point is that aprocess o exchange takes place: there is value to the organisation in drawing upon theservices o the volunteer, but in order to achieve this, the volunteer must derive valuerom the organisation. Understanding this relationship can help you address the keyissues that motivate a prospective volunteer to take the next step.

Figure 1 also illustrates that being a volunteer requires commitment and reliability.This does not necessarily mean that a volunteer must commit to an organisation over along period o time, but rather that the volunteer can be relied upon to carry out agreed

activities. Similarly, organisations have responsibilities to their volunteers. These aspects ovolunteering are addressed in the resources in this toolkit.

In your experience, you may have seen that people continue to volunteer becausethey take pride in their volunteering work. Oten, taking pride in one’s work is closelyconnected to how that work is dignied and valued by others. Part o respecting thework o volunteers involves providing the support, interest and guidance which theirtime, skills and commitment warrant. This includes setting expectations and recognisingwhen these have been met or exceeded. This is an important point because it givescontext to the relationship between the volunteer and the organisation. Bearing this inmind, your inormation session can not only communicate the benets o volunteering,it can also lead prospective volunteers to understand and value what is required andexpected o them.

As the presenter o an inormation session, you need to achieve a balanced view– on the one hand motivating and enthusing people and on the other sensitivelyconveying the commitment that goes with being a volunteer. In addition to this, it isimportant to communicate the responsibilities a volunteer-involving organisation has orits volunteers, and to ensure that volunteers are aware o their rights.



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Value from the volunteer’sperspective – what is thevolunteer seeking?

A volunteer may be seeking avariety of things ranging from:satisfaction from helping others;new experiences and skills; activeparticipation in the community;new social networks; the meetingof Centrelink participation

requirements.

Investment required of thevolunteering organisation –what must the organisationoffer?

The volunteering organisationmust offer a volunteeringactivity which satisfies whatthe volunteer seeks, bearingin mind that volunteers havedifferent needs.

Investment required of thevolunteer – what must thevolunteer contribute?

The voluntary giving of time,

skills and commitment.

Value from the volunteeringorganisation’s perspective –What is the organisationseeking?

The unique qualities onlyvolunteers can bring to anorganisation or program;support to fulfil theorganisation’s mission ordeliver a service.

Both partiesderiving value

from investment.

Balance between whatthe organisation seeks

and the investmentrequired of the volunteer.

Match between what thevolunteer seeks and what the

organisation offers.

VOLUNTEER PERSPEcTIVE ORGANISATION PERSPEcTIVE

Figure 1: Exchange o needs between the volunteer-involving organisation and the volunteer



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A GENERAL STRUcTURE fOR YOUR SESSION

As discussed earlier, this toolkit is designed or those holding an inormation sessionor one or all o three reasons: promoting volunteering and inspiring people to become

volunteers; recruiting volunteers or a specic eld or area within the volunteering sector,such as the environment or arts and culture elds; or, recruiting volunteers or aspecic organisation.

Once you have decided the purpose o your session, you will be able to structureit so that it meets your needs, as well as the inormation needs o the volunteers.This may mean discarding or changing some o the PowerPoint slides we haveprovided in this toolkit.

Figure 2 on page 8 illustrates how having a clear objective or your session canand should determine its structure.

No matter which objective you choose, we suggest that your inormation sessioncover some core topics. The slides and presenter notes contain detailed inormation

about these topics.

1. Weloe and introdutionExtend a warm welcome to attendees and express appreciation or their attendance.Summarise the purpose o the session and how it is structured, and outlinehousekeeping matters.

2. What is volunteering? Discuss the nature o volunteering in Australia, including the denition and principleso volunteering. Seeking comments rom attendees is a way o getting them activelyinvolved, and will give you insight as to what they are looking or.

3.Why be a volunteer? Outline the diverse ways that volunteers contribute to the community and nd

personal reward. Communicate the benets volunteering brings to the community.You may be able to ask the attendees to oer examples. This is the perect opportunityto involve a volunteer in the delivery o the session and ask them to share theirpersonal perspective.

4. Being a volunteer Communicate the rights o volunteers and discuss the commitments required o avolunteer, according to their level o interest and the needs o the organisation andits stakeholders. Discuss how organisations can and do support volunteers to get themost out o their volunteering experiences.

. Beoing a volunteer Provide guidance on the next steps to becoming a volunteer. Outline any relevantprocesses, such as police checks or training. Keep this section motivational – showthat the relevant processes are not threatening, but are reasonable and consistentwith good practice. Show how these processes underscore the importance and valuedstatus o being a volunteer.

When you present your inormation session, you will be taking your participants on a journey rom interest to action.

When you begin, your participants will have an interest in the topic, but the nature othis interest will vary rom person to person. As you progress through the session youwill learn more about their motivation because you will have invited their contributions.At the conclusion o the session, you will have guided participants to take the next stepand become volunteers.

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Is the information sessionpromoting volunteering?

Is the information sessionsupporting recruitment

of volunteers to aspecific field?

Is the information sessionsupporting recruitment of

volunteers to a specificorganisation?

NO

YES

WHAT IS VOLUNTEERING

WHY BE A VOLUNTEER

BEING A VOLUNTEER

BECOMING A VOLUNTEER

YES YES

NO

Welcome attendees andexpress appreciation for theirinterest in the volunteering.

Invite reflection upon the

nature and value ofvolunteering within our

community. Note: This is a strategy to encourage activeengagement with the session.

For a session promotingvolunteering - Give guidance

on either selecting a field (andorganisation) that is of

interest, or how to approach afield or organisation that is

already of interest. This shouldinclude helpful literature and acontact person to give further

assistance if required

For a session on recruitmentfor an organisation –

Encourage the volunteer to actnow - provide information onhow they can volunteer withthe organisation. This should

include any literature about theorganisation, its mission and its

volunteer policy. Provide acontact person. This might be aperson who is willing to act as

a buddy to new volunteers.

For a session on volunteering in aparticular sector – Give guidance

on how to find furtherinformation about the field, andhow to select and approach anorganisation of interest. Thisshould include appropriate

literature and a contact person togive further assistance if helpful.

Present an overview of the process ofbecoming a volunteer. Begin with the

decision to become a volunteer and theselection of a volunteer-involving

organisation. Progress through anystatutory requirements for particular fields(training requirements, in the emergency

services area, for example), and thespecifics that may be requested by

organisations (police checks, for example).

Present the case for being avolunteer, bearing in mind the

diversity of individuals and

their motivations.

Present the case for being avolunteer in your organisation.

Address housekeepingmatters.


Invite reflection upon thenature and value of

volunteering within ourcommunity.

Invite reflection upon thenature and value of

volunteering within ourcommunity.

Present an overview of thevolunteering field and the role

of your organisation withinthis field.

Present an overview of yourvolunteering field.

Present the case for being avolunteer in this field.

Present a balanced view of the relationship between the personal rewardsof volunteering and the commitment required to make an effective

contribution to the community.


Welcome attendees andexpress appreciation for their

interest in your field.

Welcome attendees andexpress appreciation for theirinterest in your organisation.

Figure 2: Structuring your session



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A STRATEGY fOR mAKING YOUR SESSION SUccESSfUL

Set your objetive

Design, promote and conduct your session with a clear objective in mind. It shouldmeet the needs o both your organisation and your participants.

Pith your essage

While you may have a clear objective in mind, you may not always know why yourattendees are coming along – motives will vary rom person to person. This requires youto be alert or messages you can pick up rom your audience, so you can shape yourremarks and the amount you involve participants in the presentation. Given that youraudience will probably have diverse interests and needs, you need to keep your antennaup. Don’t worry i you don’t get it all absolutely perect, especially i you have to cover alot in a short period o time.

It is probably easier to deliver a presentation that ocuses on a specic organisation or

volunteering area. You will be able to address the particular unctions o that eld andthe typical role o a volunteer. Because the participants will already have an interest inthe eld, you may be able to hold their attention more easily and or a longer periodo time.

Prepare your presentation

Plan your inormation session to meet your objective. Prepare a schedule (includingactivities that encourage active participation) that ts the available time.

The way you use PowerPoint slides and handouts will depend on your personal styleand objectives, as well as the environment in which you deliver the presentation.

The context o your presentation can also vary. In some instances, the inormation

session is a stand-alone presentation. In others, it may be integrated with a site visit,a guest speaker or other tactics. For example, a session or volunteer reghters mayinclude a visit to a re brigade, and a ‘meet the volunteers’ barbecue.

Evaluate the session

Evaluation is part o the process o continuous improvement. I possible, seek eedbackrom the participants about what they ound useul and what they did not. Follow upwith volunteer-involving organisations to see whether they have received applicationsrom volunteers as the result o your inormation session. Use this inormation to reneand improve the session.



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PART ONE: PLANNING THE INfORmATION SESSION | PAGE 10

Do you have a well-inormed understanding o what your participants expect rom the session?

Is your session content fexible enough or you to assess participants’ needs and adjust the session accordingly?

Do special arrangements need to be made or any participants? For example, will you need an interpreter (or language issuesor hearing impairment)? Are there any cultural or personal condence actors that may infuence how much people activelyparticipate in the session? Do you have wheel-chair access?

Does the venue meet your requirements, including access, seating and equipment?

Have you practised the presentation to ensure it can be delivered in the time available?

Do you have all your support materials available (including slides, brochures, handouts and registration orms)?

BEfORE THE SESSION

Are you inviting and supporting participants to contribute with questions and comments? Is this working according to planand in a way that is appropriate or your audience?

Note: Not all participants will want to speak up, but they will want to eel they are being included and their interestis acknowledged.

Are you keeping on track with timing?

Are you addressing all key points?Note: It’s easy to run out of time by getting into too much detail. Aim to give participants an overall understanding. Questiontime at the end of the session is a good strategy to adopt. Questions will both elicit detail on areas of interest to the

participants, and engage participants and make them feel involved.

Are you presenting the session in a way that is inclusive o everyone’s needs?Note: This should prompt you to do things to meet the needs o specic participants. For example, you may want to readout the slides or people with sight diculties.

Are you alert and responsive to signs by individual attendees that their requirements are not being met?Note: Signs that indicate dissatisaction or lack o interest include body language such as rowning or yawning, a slumpedposture or obvious conusion. Taking note o these and nding ways to prevent them are part o the process o continuousimprovement.

Are you delivering an experience that builds on participants’ interest and motivates them to become volunteers?Note: While you will bring substantial knowledge and experience to the presentation, beware o overwhelming youraudience with too much detail.

DURING THE SESSION

Do participants have enough support to take the next step in becoming a volunteer?Note: This support can range rom having appropriate handouts and orms available, to organising an existing volunteerto act as a ‘buddy’. Also, make yoursel available or questions ater the conclusion o the session – some people will beuncomortable asking questions in ront o others, and may wish to approach you ater the session concludes.

AfTER THE SESSION

cHEcKLIST fOR AN INfORmATION SESSION



Part two

RESOURcES





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PART TWO: RESOURcES | PAGE 12

PART TWO: RESOURcES

In this setion you will ind:

A running sheet or a PowerPoint presentation on volunteering;

PowerPoint presentation – a set o PowerPoint slides or you to use as is,or change as required;

Presenter’s notes – a detailed outline o each slide and notes to ensure you areinormed o key acts and other important inormation;

Frequently – Asked Questions on volunteering;

Make your PowerPoint powerul – tips on using PowerPoint;

Getting the most rom your handouts – tips on preparing handouts;

Determining a volunteer role – a tool to help you determine whether a role isappropriate or a volunteer, or should be a paid position;

Denition and principles o volunteering – or inclusion in your handouts;

Volunteer rights and volunteer checklist – or inclusion in your handouts.

Soe notes about the resoures

Presenter’s notesThe notes accompanying the PowerPoint slides are oered to you, the presenter,as background inormation on each section o the presentation so that you will beequipped to answer any questions that may arise. While we appreciate that manypresenters will have in depth experience and knowledge about volunteering, we alsotry to cater to those presenters who are hoping to build their knowledge andunderstanding o volunteering.

We do not suggest that all this inormation be delivered to participants, but we dosuggest that you be aware o all the issues and implications discussed in the notes,and comortable with your level o understanding about these matters. To make theresources easier or you to use, the key messages to be conveyed in the presentationare summarised under the ‘notes in brie’ heading in the side panels.

Also, we have done our best to indicate which slides we think are relevant or each o thethree session scenarios. You will see a ticked checkbox ( ) when we believe a slide isrelevant or your particular session. These are labelled as ollows:

For a session promoting volunteering: Volunteering

For a session to promote a particular eld or area within the volunteering sector andrecruit volunteers: Field / area

For a session to promote a particular organisation and recruit volunteers: Organisation

I we believe that a slide is relevant to you but requires some customisation, you will seethe note ‘customise’ placed next to the checkbox.

Remember, at the end o the presentation a participant should have a clearunderstanding o what volunteering is all about, as well as options or choosinga volunteer position.

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PowerPoint slides

When you open the PowerPoint slides, you will see that the wording on most slides isvery brie. This is to ensure that attention remains on the presenter rather than on readingthe slide.

Having ewer words on the slide also allows you to add photographs or other illustrationsto enhance the presentation. It will also be more attention-grabbing: the simpler thestatement, the stronger the statement. While it is important that some o the text beprecise (particularly statistics), it is also okay to keep some text airly inormal. This willhelp to convey a down-to-earth and approachable impression. Participants won’t eel asthough they will be ‘tested’ at the end o the session, or that it is a sombre and seriousaair. For urther advice about creating and delivering PowerPoint presentations, seeAppendix 2, Make your PowerPoint powerul.

The slides included in this toolkit are generally most useul when presenting aninormation session to promote volunteering and inspire people to volunteer. Even inthis instance, they are intended as a guide so bear in mind that not all slides may be

appropriate or your particular inormation session. I you are preparing an inormationsession on volunteering within a particular area or organisation, you may want to replacesome o the slides with more specic inormation. You may amend or discard slides asyou see t.

A note about aknowledgents

In preparing this toolkit, Volunteering Australia has drawn rom a range o resources.You will note that when we reer to these resources, we reerence them by naming thesource o the inormation and the year in which it was written. Similarly, these resourcesand authors (including Volunteering Australia itsel) should be acknowledged i youquote or use their work in your handouts.

This is simple to do:

I you draw on an idea or quote rom this toolkit which we have acknowledged asbelonging to another author, you should name that author, the year the work orthe quotation took place, and mention that you obtained the inormation rom thistoolkit. An example o this type acknowledgement is as ollows: Ironmonger, D., 2000,cited in Volunteering Australia, 2006, Toolkit, ‘So you want to involve volunteers?’,www.volunteeringaustralia.org

I you reproduce any text rom this toolkit in your handouts, you should enclose itwithin ‘quotation marks’ and provide the accompanying reerence: VolunteeringAustralia, 2006, Toolkit, ‘So you want to involve volunteers?’,www.volunteeringaustralia.org

RUNNING SHEET fOR THEPOWERPOINT PRESENTATION

Time (or running out o it) is a perennial challenge or presenters. Because we are not in aposition to know how long or short your presentation needs to be, and in which sectionso the presentation you will want to encourage interaction, we have not provided timeindications in the running sheet below. This column is blank, so that you can determinehow long each part o the presentation should run.

Note that the running sheet refects the PowerPoint slides provided in this toolkit,and that some slides in the running sheet are shaded. I you insert or delete slides youwill need to update your running sheet. Slides which are shaded represent coreinormation which we believe is particularly important, and applicable to all o the

three session scenarios.

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Usually, presenters nd that they need to be very disciplined in speaking to each slideto make sure they don’t run out o time. One o the challenges you will have isbalancing the input o participants and conveying the inormation you need to,within time constraints.

We strongly recommend that you encourage participants to ask questions and oer inputas much as time allows – there is nothing more o-putting as a ‘participant’ than beingtalked at or a lengthy period o time. While some participants will not wish to contributeand you should be sensitive to their needs, remember that one o the key themes ovolunteering is participation. I you talk about participation but provide no opportunity orthis during your session, it might generate cynicism or impact negatively on participantsin other ways. Try to avoid discord between the message you are trying to convey and themessage that is being received.

O course, there will be some instances when you need to ocus on providing inormationrather than eliciting others’ contributions. Acknowledge these instances. Tell participantswhen you need to ‘power through’ various topics or key pieces o inormation.

Remember, the main aim o your presentation is to give participants an overview oone o the three scenarios. The summaries o the key messages in the Presenter’s Notesshould help keep you on track and make sure you get the main points across. Detail canbe covered in handouts or subsequent contact with participants.

1 Participate, activate, create: Volunteer Brie, but warm, welcoming remarks to yourpresentation. Housekeeping matters are alsoaddressed at this time, as well as an ice-breakerexercise i desired.

2 What we’ll cover Presenter should read dot points as they arerevealed.

3 – 5 Topic Introduction: Volunteering – it’s notwhat you think it is…

Opportunity to invite discussion - presenter canask participants what they think volunteeringis, and what sort o roles are available. Revealthe unusual, engaging examples o volunteerpositions one by one, and explain the context othe role.

6 What is a volunteer? Includes the denition o ormal volunteering.Equally applicable or a generic or a customisedpresentation.

7 Things to remember about volunteering This section is about the principles ovolunteering. Equally applicable or a generic andcustomised presentation.

8 Everyone counts Useul background inormation, with keystatistics. Read this inormation as it appears onscreen and inorm participants o key trends.

9 Why is volunteering important? This inormation will need supplementing, as perthe Presenter Inormation.

10 Volunteering: give it a try Another opportunity to encourage discussion.

11 It takes all types… Analysis o motivations and opportunity todebunk stereotypes. Requires presenter to lead

discussion. Opportunity or group involvement.

12 Who benets? Another opportunity to invite discussion.Examples o benets o volunteering should beread aloud.

SLIDE SLIDE TExTPRESENTER

TImEATTENDEE

TImE cOmmENT



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TImE SO fAR:

BREAK – 15 MINS

13 Topic Introduction: What’s it l ike tovolunteer?

For the generic presentation there is probably noneed or comment by the presenter – just revealthe slide.

14-15 Volunteering happens everywhere These slides can be customised to suit a specicvolunteering area or eld. They can be omitted iyou are talking about a specic organisation.

16-17 What can you do? These slides can be customised to suit a speciceld, or to show the range o volunteer roles in aspecic organisation.

18 Your rights as a volunteer Equally applicable or generic and customised

presentations.

19 What do organisations expect o you? Equally applicable or generic and customisedpresentations.

20 Topic introductionChange your world – start now!

No need or comment by the presenter – justreveal the slide. This begins the ‘call to action’part o your presentation.

21 Choosing how and where This slide can be customised to suit the needs oa particular organisation.

22 The application process: diligent, but notdaunting

This slide can be customised to suit the needs oa specic eld or organisation.

23 Questions? This slide should be customised i dealing witha particular organisation.

24 Change your world – START NOW! Close o presentation. Thank participants andencourage urther contact.

SLIDE SLIDE TExT PRESENTER ATTENDEE cOmmENT

POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONPlease download and open the powerpoint presentation located alongsidethis toolkit. You may wish to print both o, and have them beside you as youread through the Presenter Inormation.

TOTAL SESSION TIME



PRESENTER’S NOTES





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PART TWO: RESOURcES – PRESENTERS NOTES | PAGE 1

SLIDE 1 (cOVER SLIDE): PARTIcIPATE, AcTIVATE,cREATE: VOLUNTEER

Purpose

1. To welcome participants;2. To help participants eel comortable;3. To introduce the presenter and organisation.

Suggested wording o slide

Existing text in Slide 1 (the cover slide) o the PowerPoint presentation, or:Name o organisation and/or eld;Your chosen title o your session.

Presenter inoration

At the start, participants are given inormation such as:

The name o the organisation and session presenter/s;

Housekeeping – The location o exits and toilets; where water, tea and coee arelocated; whether there will be a break and or how long; when the session is expectedto nish.

Whether there will be an interpreter present, or access to an interpreter ater thesession, i participants request this service;

Icebreakers: You may want to help people eel relaxed and comortable by using anicebreaking exercise. This can be as simple as giving people the opportunity to sharetheir name and what brought them to this particular session.

I you do use an icebreaker, be aware o the time this exercise is likely to take, especially i

you have a large audience. Ensure that this does not cause your session to run over time. Slide suitable or:

Volunteering

Field/area

Organisation

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Notes in brie:

‘Hello andwelcome to…’

‘My name is…’

‘First, a ewhousekeepingmatters…’

‘Let’s do someintroductions…’

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Participate, activate, create: Volunteer



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SLIDE 2: WHAT WE’LL cOVER

Purpose

To inorm participants o the purpose o the session, and what they can expect will

be covered in the session.


Existing text in Slide 2 o the PowerPoint presentation, or:You can use titles such as ‘Session Contents’ or ‘Session Objectives’,or even a title as specic as ‘Today we will cover:’

Presenter inoration

This part o the session should cover:The objective/s o the session;

What topics will be covered;

Whether there will be an opportunity immediately ater the session to either make anappointment with the organisation’s inormation and reerral service, or to organisean interview with the organisation;

Whether handouts or brochures are available.

Slide suitable or:

Volunteering

Field/area (customise)

Organisation (customise)

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Notes in brie:

‘The purposeo the sessiontoday is…’

‘We will becovering…’

‘There willbe time orquestions.’

‘Handouts will beprovided.’

2

What we’ll cover

• What is a volunteer?

• Why become a volunteer?

• Your rights as a volunteer

• How to become a volunteer

• Your questions and comments



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SLIDE 3: TOPIc INTRODUcTION

Volunteering – it’s not what you think it is Slides 4 and : You an…

Purpose

To capture participants’ attention and engage them.

To broaden participants’ perceptions o what volunteering is,and the diversity o roles available.

Suggested wording o slides

Existing text in Slides 3, 4 and 5 o the PowerPoint presentation.

Presenter inoration

Make your session resh and engaging by kicking it o with some inormation which

will surprise your participants and get them thinking.

You can assume that some or all participants will already have an interest in volunteering,however taking participants rom interest to action is not a guaranteed outcome.While some will not have pre-conceived ideas about what volunteering is and what itmight hold in store or them, others may have a more ormulaic idea which is not quiteaccurate and does not do justice to the richness and diversity o volunteering. Yoursession is an opportunity to get undecided participants over the line. Enthuse them aboutvolunteering and what it can bring to their lives.

We know volunteering to be an enormously rewarding and stimulating activity.Ask participants what they think volunteering involves, and the types oopportunities available.

On page 20 you will nd some o the more unusual volunteering roles available.Following the examples put orward by participants, acknowledge that the moretraditional volunteering roles exist, but then reveal your examples as a way oencouraging participants to shed any stereotypical views that they may have.Examples should be revealed one at a time, to allow you to explain the context oeach volunteering example (see the inormation in the right hand column o thetable on page 20).

You may like to swap these with examples o your own, particularly i the objective oyour session is to recruit volunteers to a particular eld or organisation. We still suggestthat you choose the more unique examples that will arouse curiosity. Oten, participantsattending a session about volunteering in a particular eld or organisation will have aneven rmer idea about volunteering entails.

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Notes in brie:

‘Volunteering may

surprise you– there is a widevariety o rolesavailable…’

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Volunteering – it’s not what you think it is…

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You can…

• Masquerade as a dignitary, perhaps even thequeen…

• Do a spot of bird watching, or breed frogs inyour swimming pool

• Unearth ancient treasures

• Walk with a brown-eyed girl

• Turn your hand to knitting

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You can…

• Invent a life-altering aid

• Go surfing or ten pin bowling• Help plan a campaign

• Count every drop

• Hit the road



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Masquerade as a dignitary, perhaps even the queen Commonwealth Games volunteers took the place odignitaries during dress rehearsals or the opening and closingceremonies.

Do a spot o bird watching or breed rogs in your swimming pool Animal protection groups involve volunteers to help ascertainnumbers o endangered species and protect these species.

Unearth ancient treasures Volunteers oten participate in archaeological digs, both inAustralia and overseas.

Walk with a brown-eyed girl Volunteers help care or guide dog pups, beore theycommence training to assist people who are vision-imparied.

Turn your hand to knitting Volunteers knit the outer coverings or imitation breasts, usedin ante-natal classes, and coats or birds that have lost eathersor been subjected to environmental hazards such as oil spills.

Invent a lie-altering aid Engineers, ergonomic specialists and industrial designersdesign and create aids or people with disabilities.

Go surng or ten pin bowling Support groups or people with disabilities call on volunteersto assist with social, sporting and recreational outings.

Help plan and run a campaign Social activist groups such as asylum seeker support groupsinvolve volunteers in lobbying and advocacy activities.

Count every drop Volunteers contribute to meteorological statistics by measuringand reporting rainall across Australia.

Hit the road Arts and music estivals oten involve volunteers as roadies tohelp move and set up equipment.

ExAmPLE Of VOLUNTEERING ROLE cONTExT Of ROLE

TELL PARTIcIPANTS THAT THEY cAN:

Slide suitable or:

Volunteering





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SLIDE : WHAT IS A VOLUNTEER?

Purpose

1. To advise participants that there is a widely accepted denition o ormal

volunteering which exists to protect volunteers, and the volunteering sector.

2. To ensure that the key points in this denition are understood.


Existing text in Slide 6 o the PowerPoint presentation, or:You may want to present this slide as a question on its own and ask participants to oertheir own denitions o volunteering, or ask participants what they think a volunteer is,beore you run through the key points o the denition o ormal volunteering.

This PowerPoint slide contains the key points o the denition o ormal volunteering,rather than the complete denition. We have constructed these points so that this section

o the presentation is about ‘what a volunteer is’ (and by implication what a volunteerisn’t), rather than presenting inormation about volunteering as a concept. This is likelyto be more engaging and meaningul to the participants. Because the actual denitiono volunteering is not in the PowerPoint slides, you may wish to provide a copy o thecomplete denition in your handouts, which you will nd in Appendix 5. The completedenition is also contained in the Presenter Inormation, below. Presenter inoration

While it is valuable to expand participants’ thinking about what volunteering entails andthe exciting opportunities it aords, it is important that this thinking takes place within aramework, and that some boundaries around what volunteering is and is not, and whata volunteer is and is not, can be dened.

An accepted denition o ormal volunteering is thereore a critical reerence or thesector. It protects the integrity o volunteering, and it also protects volunteers by ensuringthat the term ‘volunteering’ and what is and is not intended when we use this word iswidely understood.

The denition and principles o volunteering are the result o a national consultationundertaken in 1996 with a wide range o stakeholders including volunteers, personnelo not-or-prot organisations, policy makers and unions. They are enshrined in one oVolunteering Australia’s Foundation Documents, which we recommend you include asone o your handouts. You will nd a copy o this document in Appendix 5 o this toolkit. Deinition o volunteering¹:

Formal volunteering is an activity that takes place

in or through not-or-proft organisations;

is or the beneft o the community ;

is undertaken o the volunteer’s ree will and without coercion;

or no fnancial payment ; and

in designated volunteer positions only.

To help people understand the denition, a glossary o terms has been developed.The words and terms in italics in the denition above, are explained in the glossaryon page 22.

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1 Volunteering Australia (June, 2005), Denition andPrinciples o Volunteering, www.volunteeringaustralia.org

Notes in brie:

‘The denition oormal volunteeringprotects theintegrity ovolunteering, andprotects volunteers.’

‘It helps volunteersmake inormedchoices.’

‘The denition is:…’

‘The key points toremember about thedenition are…’

6

What is a volunteer?

When you are a volunteer you:

• choose to give your skills and time

• help out the community and the not-for-profit

organisation you volunteer with

• get something out of it yourself

• do it for free

• work in a specially assigned volunteer role



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GLOSSARY Of TERmS

Not-or-proit organisation

A ‘or-prot’ organisation exists in order to generate income or its owners/shareholders,

although it may have other goals along the way. A ‘not-or-prot’ organisation is oneestablished to meet particular social, charitable, political or public interest objectives,although it may also make money (prot or surplus ater costs).

The dierent aims o the two types o organisation dictate what they can and cannotdo with the surplus they have, ater costs. Owners o or prot organisations mayre-invest their prot in the business but they are also entitled to keep it and/or distributeit amongst the owners or shareholders. The not-or-prot manager must apply anysurplus income to urther the aims o the organisation. Further, i and when a not orprot organisation is wound up, its assets and remaining unds should also be appliedto those aims or distributed to similar organisations. A ‘not-or-prot’ organisation couldthereore be dened as ‘one which exists to meet specic social purposes unrelated toprot, and any prot it makes is reinvested to support its cause and advance its mission.’

Slide suitable or:

Volunteering

Field/area

Organisation

2 Drawn rom denition in Dictionary.com,http://dictionary.reerence.com/,accessed 20th April, 2006

3 As per ootnote 24 As per ootnote 2

Beneit

1. Something that promotes or enhances well-being;

2. An act o kindness;

3. Anything that is or the good o a person or thing ²

The ounity

1. People constituting a community, state or nation;

2. People who all live in the same locality; people with shared interests;

3. A group identied as a particular part o society, e.g. the gay community ³

free will

1. Free choice, voluntary decision;

2. In philosophy – the doctrine that the conduct o human beings expressespersonal choice and is not simply determined by physical and divine orces. 4

finanial payent

Payment or a service provided as opposed to reimbursement o costs incurred. Reiburseent

Repayment o expenses or losses incurred on behal o the organisation. Volunteer position

A position that:

Has never been, nor is likely to be, a paid position within that organisation;

Is not normally the subject o an Australian workplace agreement, an individualemployment contract or an industrial award; or

Cannot be paid or easily in practice, or example a riendly visitor or anemergency disaster worker.

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SLIDE : THINGS TO REmEmBER ABOUT VOLUNTEERING

Purpose

1. To introduce participants to the principles o volunteering and explain why these

are important;

2. To enable participants to understand how volunteer work is shaped by context;

3. To ensure that participants remember the key principles.


Existing text in Slide 7.As per the previous slide regarding the denition o ormal volunteering, rather thanlisting all o the principles in the PowerPoint slides, we have distilled the principles intove key points or participants to remember. Because the principles are not actually listed,we suggest that you provide a copy o these in your handouts, which you will nd inAppendix 5.

Presenter inoration

There are eleven principles o volunteering, as practised in Australia. The principlescommunicate the philosophy that underpins volunteering. These are listed below,along with the intention o each principle.

Together with the denition o ormal volunteering, the principles orm a solidoundation which:

protects the integrity o volunteering;

distinguishes it rom other citizenship activities and other orms o unpaid work;

recognises the diversity o volunteering;

recognises in an inclusive way the values underpinning volunteering;

provides the sector with a ramework to work within to promote andadvance volunteering.

You will probably not have enough time to delve into the detail o every principle andthe intention behind these in your presentation, however being well versed in this areawill serve you well should you be asked any questions. Also, you may nd that it adds toyour own body o knowledge.

For the sake o practicality and time constraints, you may wish to simply state whythe principles are important, let participants know that the key points to rememberare listed on the slide, and ask participants i they have any questions. I you are amiliarwith the content provided in this section you should be comortable handling anyquestions that may arise.

Also, you will nd at the end o the Presenter Inormation or this slide an example whichshows how volunteering cannot be dened simply by what people do. Volunteeringdepends on the principles underpinning the activity and the context in which the activitytakes place. This example is a good way o illustrating some o the key messages detailedin this section, and in the PowerPoint slide.

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Notes in brie:

‘The principles ovolunteering refectthe philosophy ovolunteering inAustralia.’

‘Together with thedenition o ormalvolunteering they

orm a oundationwhich…’

‘There are elevenprinciples whichyou will nd in yourhandouts. The keythings to remember

about volunteeringare…’

‘An example o howthe principles canhelp you dierentiatevolunteering romother activities is…’

7

Things to remember about volunteering

• It’s always a matter of choice

• It only takes place in the not-for-profit sector

• It’s about participating in the community

• It’s unpaid

• It creates positive change



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Priniple 1. Volunteering beneits the ounity and the volunteer

Intention: To break down the stereotypical view o what motivates volunteers.

The activity o volunteering is not an end in itsel; rather, it is an activity that has

some positive outcome or the community. The traditional view o volunteeringassumes volunteering is motivated by pure altruism. The more contemporary viewis that people engage in volunteer work to achieve a positive result or both thecommunity and themselves. Priniple 2. Volunteer work is unpaid

Intention: To show that volunteering is a reely chosen act o citizenship that isundertaken or the greater good (beyond one’s sel and amily) and thereore withoutany expectation o payment.

Volunteer work is clearly not paid work but conusion sometimes arises because o therelated statement in the Volunteer Rights document that volunteers should not be outo pocket due to their volunteering activity. Volunteers may still receive fat allowances

or honorariums to the value o the amount deemed to be spent on their volunteeractivity (ares, telephone etc) and they may also be reimbursed or expenses incurredon behal o the organisation or which they work or receive a small living allowancewhen volunteering overseas. For example, a volunteer who gives up two years osalaried work in Australia to do voluntary work in a developing country would not beexpected to bear the cost o living there.

Under the tax law, fat allowances (or example $50.00 per day) may constituteincome which should be declared or taxation purposes, leaving the volunteer witha tax liability. Also, depending on the amount o the payment, these allowancescould be seen as ‘under-Award’ payments. This could leave the organisation open toindustrial conrontation and workers’ compensation claims.

Honorariums can also create a tax liability or the need or the volunteer to be givena group certicate, unless they are or an amount deemed to cover reasonableexpenditure.

Reimbursements should not exceed the actual amount spent by the volunteer, andideally should be paid on receipts or the original expenditure.

Priniple 3. Volunteering is always a atter o hoie

Intention: To emphasise the rationale o volunteer work and distinguish it rom otherorms o unpaid work or obligations that people have little choice about.

Freely choosing to volunteer oers citizens a way o contributing to and participatingin our society without being required to do so by law (as when voting or sittingon a jury or carrying out a community service order) or by amily and other unpaidwork obligations (or example, household work, caring duties, student eldworkplacements, work experience) or because o having to earn a living.

This reedom o choice is what distinguishes volunteering rom the duties ocitizenship and other types o unpaid work. The strength o volunteering depends onthe active involvement o individuals who value the opportunity to be involved in orthrough not-or-prot organisations which provide a community benet. Involvementin volunteering does not preclude individual motivations; people make choices aboutvolunteer work in the same way that they make choices about paid work.



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Priniple 4. Volunteering is not opulsorily undertaken to reeive pensionsor governent allowanes

Intention: To ensure that the undamental principle o choice and ree will isnot undermined by the political need to make social participation compulsory

in some orm.

‘Compulsory volunteering’ is a contradiction in terms, since something thatis ‘voluntary’ cannot also be ‘compulsory’, which has the opposite meaning.Volunteering is an activity o engaged and concerned citizens who have chosento create, develop and support community organisations. The special value ovolunteering to the community lies in its voluntary nature. Australia’s robustnot-or-prot sector, which oers alternative agendas to those o government andbusiness as well as providing opportunities or citizen involvement, exists becauseo volunteer eort.

Many unemployed people or income support recipients are volunteers, exercisingtheir right as citizens to become involved in not-or-prot organisations. Economic

status is not a selection criterion o volunteer work.

A supercial understanding o volunteering has led some to believe that whatvolunteers do is the key eature o volunteering. This misunderstanding has ledto volunteering being harnessed as one way or people who receive incomesupport to meet their obligations to the community. However, any benet that anindividual gains through being required to do volunteer work can also be gainedthrough paid employment or other labour market programs; and any benet to theorganisation can be gained in the same way. By contrast, the damage to volunteeringwhen one o its basic tenets—reedom o choice—is disregarded is irreparable.Additionally, a valuable way in which income support recipients can express theircitizenship, by reely volunteering, has been denied them. The undervaluing othe importance o volunteering as an exercise o ree will ultimately weakens andundermines volunteering.

A cautionary rider to this principle is that where an income support recipientvoluntarily undertakes volunteer work as provided or under the Social Security Act,receipt o income support is not deemed to be payment or volunteer work but ratherthe economic saety net under which no one should all.

Priniple . Volunteering is an ativity perored in the not-or-proitsetor only

Intention:a. To ensure that volunteer eort always contributes to a social benet rather

than privately held capital and resources.

b. To distinguish volunteer work rom other types o paid/unpaid work.

One o the dening characteristics o volunteer work is that, unlike some other ormso unpaid work, it occurs in or through not-or-prot organisations. This element othe denition is one o the contentious areas within volunteering. Those in avouro the current denition argue that it is exploitative or volunteers to work or aprivate company. Opponents o the denition express concern that it would preventvolunteers rom working in or-prot organisations where the greatest need lies,such as private nursing homes.

These opposite views have developed because people tend to ocus on the thingsa volunteer can do, rather than ocussing on what a volunteer is, as the denitiondoes. It is not particularly useul or even possible to try and dene volunteering bynominating the roles the volunteers undertake. Many roles are perormed both byvolunteers and paid workers; or example, we have career and volunteer re-ghters.It is more useul to ocus on what makes volunteering dierent rom other orms opaid and unpaid work.

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Priniple . Volunteering is not a substitute or paid work

Intention: To emphasise that while volunteer work may provide a number o desirableopportunities to the individual it cannot provide income.

The primary goal o those seeking paid work is to receive an income. How this isachieved depends on their level o education and experience, skills, job availability,choice and other actors. Individuals need some level o income security to survive.An equally important consideration in the search or paid work is to nd satisactionwithin the type o paid work gained. While volunteer work can provide some levelso job satisaction and the opportunity to develop or use skills, it cannot provide anincome.

As a community we should not view volunteering as an alternative to paid work orthose who, or one reason or another, cannot nd the paid work they desire.

Priniple . Volunteers do not replae paid workers nor onstitute a threat tothe job seurity o paid workers

Intention:a. To emphasise that volunteer work and paid work are essentially dierent;

b. To ensure that volunteers are not exploited by placing them in a role that anorganisation ormerly deemed a paid role;

c. To saeguard the relationships within the organisation between paid andvolunteer sta and to ensure the critical support o both the paid sta andorganisations representing them.

There are around 700,000 not-or-prot organisations in Australia and about 34,000o them employ paid sta 5. A substantial number o these organisations provideservices through volunteers. Some o the volunteer roles may be similar to those o

paid sta but there will always be substantial dierences.

Volunteer positions are designed to provide people who want to volunteer with anopportunity to oer their skills and time to in a way that suits them, while benetingthe wider community in clear and immediate ways. Paid positions may be created sothat organisations can acquire particular expertise, skills and experience in order toachieve specic outcomes, oten within a set time rame. A position in an organisationthat is a permanent ull time role or a paid job in other organisations or subject to anAward or special conditions is generally not a volunteer role.

Priniple . Volunteering is a vehile or individuals or groups to addresshuan, environental and soial needs

Intention: To have volunteering recognised as an important source o advocacy and as

a vehicle or social change.

The organisations within the not-or-prot sector provide services that supplement orare an alternative to those provided through the private and public sectors. The not-or-prot sector also provides competition to business and government and can act asadvocate or watchdog. A robust not-or-prot sector helps to ensure that solutions tocomplex social problems have ull community input and support. Priniple . Volunteering is a legitiate way in whih itizens an partiipatein the ativities o their ounity

Intention: To show that volunteering enables people to express social concern andmake a social contribution.

Regardless o their socio-economic status, education, cultural background, age orgender, every individual has the right to a voice and to make a contribution to theircommunity. Volunteering enables a diverse range o people, who may not wish or beunable to use more ormal avenues o engagement or advocacy, to exercise this rightby giving them opportunities to engage with and infuence the community.

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5 Lyons, M. (2001), p. 5, Third Sector, Allen & Unwin, NSW



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Priniple 10. Volunteering respets the rights, dignity and ulture o others

Intention: To ensure that volunteering action does not have a negative impact on therights and dignity o others in the community.

The purpose o volunteering is to provide a benet to the community and thevolunteer. This is only achieved through volunteer-involving organisations andvolunteers recognising and respecting the rights o all individuals and the dierentcultural mix within the community. Participation in groups (such as racist or whitesupremacist organisations) which aim to divide the community, or disadvantage orexclude other specic groups is contrary to the principles o volunteering.

Priniple 11. Volunteering prootes huan rights and equality

Intention: To show the social purpose o volunteering.

Volunteering has a wider social purpose beyond service provision, and it is importantthat volunteering is not used to provide cheap labour or prop up ailing socialinstitutions. The work done by individual volunteers in providing services to others isnot an end in itsel but is a means to promoting human rights and equality.

Again, i you are short on time, instead o describing in detail the intent o theprinciples, you may wish to use the ollowing example to illustrate these principles atwork, and how they can help dierentiate volunteering rom other activities.

Washing the dishes – volunteering, or soething else?

at hoe: When I wash the dishes ater dinner I am doing the housework (I amkeeping my dishes clean so I can use them at my next meal).

inoral volunteering: When I wash the dishes or my neighbour because he has

a broken wrist I am being a good neighbour (this man is my riend and I am helpingout because I want to express my riendship in the knowledge that he would helpme i the situation arose).

oral volunteering: When I go to a not or prot organisation and apply to helpout in their soup kitchen, and one o my duties is to wash some dishes, then I ama volunteer. I have chosen reely to volunteer. I am not being paid or my work. Iam motivated to perorm the duties o this volunteer role because I believe that myunpaid labour benets the community.

work eperiene: When my school organises my class to visit and help at a localhostel or homeless people, my task is to wash the dishes and I do this as part othe school’s requirements. This is work experience (my main motivation is to meetthe requirements or that particular subject).

ounity servie: When I commit an act o vandalism and a magistrate ordersme to make reparation by washing dishes at a local community centre then I amon a community service order (I don’t want to wash dishes even though I think thecommunity centre does good work).

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SLIDE : EVERYONE cOUNTS

Purpose

To show participants how popular and valued volunteering is across Australia.


Existing text in Slide Eight o the PowerPoint presentation, or:An alternative heading could be ‘Statistics on Volunteering’. Presenter inoration

The inormation on Slide Eight comes rom the Giving Australia project, an initiative othe Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership, which conducted research intophilanthropy in Australia. Read the text o this slide out loud to help participants absorbthe inormation.

Also, it is important that as the presenter you are aware o two key acts:

volunteering is a growing trend in Australia;

there is no ‘typical’ volunteer – volunteers are strongly represented across alldemographic spectrums.

Following is some useul background inormation on how the above trendswere identied:

In 2004 Volunteering Australia, together with AMP Foundation, commissioned thecollection and analysis o data to nd out the state o volunteering in Australia. Theresulting piece o work is Snapshot 2004. This can be downloaded rom VolunteeringAustralia’s website.

Snapshot 2004 revealed a promising picture: there is an upward volunteering trendemerging in Australia. This trend is veried by two types o data collection undertakenby the Australian Bureau o Statistics (ABS): the rst national random sample survey ovoluntary work conducted in 1995 and two subsequent data collections.

In 1995, an estimated 3, 189, 900 people volunteered representing 24% o theAustralian population over the age o 18.6

By 2002, 4.4 million people over the age o 18 years completed some orm ovolunteering, representing an impressive 32% o the population o the same age.7

Data gathered or Snapshot 2004 anticipated that by 2005 close to 40% o people over18 years in Australia will have volunteered their time, energy and skills to an organisation.

This prediction was realised and conrmed by the Giving Australia project which reportsthat in 2004, an estimated 6.3 million Australians over the age o 18 volunteered,amounting to 41% o adult Australians.8

Snapshot 2004 and the Giving Australia report also show that volunteers are rom diversebackgrounds and that volunteering in Australia is an inclusive movement.

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6 Australian Bureau o Statistics, (1995) Voluntary WorkAustralia, 1995, ABS Catalogue 4441.0, ABS, Canberra

7 Australian Bureau o Statistics (2002), General SocialSurvey Australia 2002, ABS Catalogue 4159.0,ABS: Canberra

8 Department o Families, Community Services andIndigenous Aairs, October 2005, Giving Australia:Research on Philanthropy in Australia

Notes in brie:

‘6.3 millionAustralians arevolunteers.’

‘In 2004 theycontributed 836million hours.’

‘Volunteering isa growing trendin Australia.’

‘There is no ‘typical’volunteer.’

8

Everyone counts

• In 2004, 6.3 million Australians over the age

of 18 volunteered

• They contributed approximately 836 million

hours – on average, 132 hours each

• Most volunteers are aged from 35-44 years.

Those who worked the most hours in 2002

were aged 65-74 (2.5 hours per week)



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Contrary to traditional stereotypes o the ‘typical’ volunteer, volunteers are stronglyrepresented across gender, educational and economic divides. You may wish to expandthe PowerPoint presentation to include the additional two key points in this section,or you may preer to simply to read this inormation aloud. Whatever your preerence,

it is important to convey this inormation as it helps set the scene and correct anymisconceptions people may have about the state o volunteering in Australia.

I you would like to add specic inormation about volunteering at a state or local level,you can nd this inormation rom:

Your state peak volunteering centre, location details are available on the VolunteeringAustralia Website.

Australian Bureau o Statistics www.abs.gov.au. The Voluntary Work Survey 2000has inormation on volunteers at national and state/territory levels in categories oage, gender, number o hours, motivation, type o work, elds or areas, culturalbackground.

Volunteering Australia’s website, www.volunteeringaustralia.org.

Slide suitable or:

Volunteering

Field/area (customise, i statistics or your eld are available)

Organisation

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SLIDE : WHY IS VOLUNTEERING ImPORTANT?

Purpose

To show why volunteering is important, and the value o volunteering to Australia.


Existing text in Slide Nine o the PowerPoint presentation.

Presenter inoration

When discussing the value o volunteering it is important to acknowledge and distinguishbetween the economic contribution volunteering makes to Australia, and the morequalitative dimension o volunteers’ contribution to the community which is not refectedin economic evaluations.

It is dicult to ascertain the economic value o volunteering, and gures vary dependingon the research methodology used. However, researchers estimate the monetarycontribution o volunteering in Australia to be in the tens o billions annually. It is animpressive amount that gives an at a glance indication o the scale o volunteeringand its economic contribution to the community. While this indicates the extraordinarytime and eort given to the community by volunteers, an economic estimate o thevalue o volunteering is only one dimension o the overall contribution o volunteering.Yes, volunteer time is money 9, but as the presenter o this session you will know thatvolunteering is not just about costs saved.

Volunteers bring unique qualities to their work which are appreciable and valuedhighly by those around them. A meals-on-wheels service delivered by paid sta, orexample, is probably quite a dierent service when delivered by volunteers motivatednot by salary, but by a desire to engage in conversation and make a positive dierenceto someone’s day.

There are a number o other examples which you might like to draw on to highlight toparticipants the non-economic value o volunteering, such as:

Skills exchange – the volunteer may develop or learn new skills through volunteering,which will ultimately bring value to other spheres o their lie and to other peopleand organisations, including uture employers. Similarly, paid sta members or othervolunteers may develop or learn new skills rom a volunteer. Many employee volunteerprograms are structured with the intention o transerring skills rom the volunteer tothe organisation.

Organisational capacity building – a volunteer who is a board member or anorganisation may develop governance policies or crat a process or setting thestrategic direction o the organisation. Again, this kind o contribution has enormousvalue and leaves a signicant legacy, but it is dicult to ascribe a dollar value to it.

The empowerment o individuals 10 – the sense o sel-worth and exhilaration thatcomes rom social inclusion, building new skills and capabilities, engaging with others,taking pride in one’s work and developing the capacity to negotiate priorities andconditions around one’s volunteering work.

As raised in Slides Six and Seven (What is a volunteer? Things to remember aboutvolunteering), unlike paid work, a volunteer’s git o time and skill does not revolvearound salary or pay. It is an activity that is underpinned by goodwill, enablesengagement with the community, promotes social justice and helps society unctioneectively. While it is dicult to measure these non-economic benets, that they areenormously valuable to the community is accepted and acknowledged by all sectors oAustralian society, including business and government.

Slide suitable or:

Volunteering

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9 Ironmonger, D. (2000), ‘Measuring volunteering ineconomic terms’, Volunteers and Volunteering, editedby Warburton, J. and Oppenheimer, M., The FederationPress, p. 71

10 As per ootnote 9

Notes in brie:

‘The value ovolunteering isimmense andirreplaceable.’

‘Volunteeringempowersindividuals,enhancesorganisationsand strengthenscommunities.’

‘The estimatedeconomic value ovolunteering is tenso billions annually.’

9

Why is volunteering important?

• It empowers individuals

• It adds value to not-for-profit organisations

• It strengthens communities

• It’s worth billions to the community



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SLIDE 10: VOLUNTEERING – GIVE IT A TRY

Purpose

To show that people volunteer or many dierent reasons, that these reasons are valid,

and that volunteering has something to oer most people.


Existing text in Slide 10 o the PowerPoint presentation, or:You could also call this slide ‘Reasons or Volunteering’. You might like to illustrate yourpresentation with photos o people doing various volunteer jobs, especially i you areconducting the session to recruit volunteers to your organisation and you have your ownphoto library.

Presenter inorationThis slide can be another opportunity to invite participants to contribute to the discussion.Their answers may help illustrate the many reasons why people volunteer.

Whether this topic would work well as a discussion may depend on:

The size o the group – a small group may eel more comortable in oering answersthan a larger group;

How comortable the participants are in speaking out (assess their response toicebreakers or your interaction with them prior to the presentation).

You could also bring each point up on screen, and ask people to raise their hands i theywant to volunteer or the l isted reason (eg. ‘How many o you came here today becauseyou wanted to learn a new skill rom volunteering?’). Remember, though, that this canbe quite personal inormation, so don’t be too surprised or concerned i participants arereluctant to contribute to the discussion.

In light o this, participants may welcome the advice that nding out why people want tovolunteer and what they hope to gain rom their experience is a standard part o goodrecruitment practice. The application and recruitment process is discussed at a later pointin the presentation, but i it is a neat t to raise it here then you should eel ree to do so.Remember that it is okay to adjust your presentation as you deliver it – you don’t have tostick to the script, and you can always fick between slides i you need to.

As a matter o course, volunteers can expect organisations to have a planned andsystematic approach to recruitment based on non-discriminatory and ecient screeningprocesses. These processes should be designed with both the organisation’s andvolunteer’s needs in mind and should include a discussion with the volunteer to:

nd out what skills and experience they have to oer;nd out what they want to gain rom volunteering;

ensure they have enough inormation about the organisation and its services tomake a well-inormed decision about whether the opportunity on oer will meettheir needs.

You might like to encourage participants to clariy their thoughts around why theywant to volunteer, beore they join an organisation. For example, a corporate volunteermay be disappointed that he or she does not have an opportunity to work directlywith the client group and is involved only in, say, helping an organisation with policydevelopment or database development. Similarly, there is a signicant dierence betweenworking one on one with an older person, and providing administrative support in anolder persons’ setting.

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Notes in brie:

‘Volunteering hassomething to oermost people.’

‘Some o the morecommon reasonsare…’

‘Why do you wantto volunteer?’

10

Volunteering: give it a try

Do you want to:• give something back to the community?

• work for social change?

• have fun?• learn new skills?

• help others?

• gain work experience?



TOOLKIT



I volunteers are clear about their reasons or volunteering and can communicate these,then organisations have a better chance o designing roles that meet everyone’s needs.This leads to a better volunteering experience or all. I you would like urther inormationabout best practice in volunteer involvement, visit Volunteering Australia’s website and

download the overview o the National Standards or involving volunteers in not or protorganisations. Copies o the National Standards can be ordered rom the website. Slide suitable or:

Volunteering

Field/area

Organisation



TOOLKIT



SLIDE 11: IT TAKES ALL TYPES…

Purpose

To show that people are motivated by dierent things, and that their motivation or

volunteering can change over time;

To arm that it is important or volunteers to derive satisaction and reward rom theirvolunteer work.


Existing text in Slide 11 o the PowerPoint presentation.

Presenter inoration

You can be airly certain that most participants will know why they want to volunteer,and what motivates them. The purpose o this slide, then, is not so much to raise

participants’ sel-awareness, but to encourage them to be conscious that their potentialco-volunteers may have dierent motivations, and that these motivations are equallyvalid. This is an important point as volunteering is rarely done alone. It is oten donein pairs or teams. Understanding that a co-volunteer may have dierent values andmotivations and respecting these dierences is just as vital in a volunteering context,as it is in a work, social or day-to-day context. I you are successul in generatingdiscussion around the previous slide, you might like to draw on this as a demonstration othe variety o motivations behind why people want to volunteer.

Also, it is useul at this point to remember the objective o your presentation, and tothink long-term. As you will know, volunteering can be a ullling lie-long journey. It hassomething to oer most people, at all stages o lie. While volunteering is becoming moreand more peripatetic (increasingly, volunteers tend to move rom role to role, organisationto organisation) and it is less likely that organisations will retain their volunteers or long

periods o time, this does not mean that people no longer commit in a long-term senseto volunteering. Although the primary objective o your presentation may be to recruitvolunteers or your organisation, a valuable secondary objective might to recruit peopleor the volunteering sector as a whole. This way, everyone benets.

I you can show participants that volunteering is an enriching experience in sometimessurprising ways, you will be building on the theme you set at the beginning o thepresentation: you will not only deliver an engaging session but you may spark a long-termvolunteering vision. You could also talk about how motivations may change with age orcircumstance. The let-hand column in the table on page 34 is an example o one type omotivational change process. Bear in mind, though, that some o the motivations listed inthe let-hand column are generalisations. It is important not to be trapped by stereotypes.In act, as someone in a key or infuential role in the volunteering sector, you may want

to challenge stereotypical views. It is by asking questions, challenging norms (real andperceived), testing assumptions and providing opportunities or volunteers to step outside‘typical’ roles based on proles, that we can continue to grow the richness and diversityo volunteering and make it a more rewarding experience. The right-hand column in thistable will help debunk any stereotypical views o who does what type o volunteering,and at what age. It will also reassure participants that they will not be pigeon-holed andthat new opportunities await them, i this is what interests them.

I you have sucient time and you think participants would respond well, it might beinteresting to chart the motivations o your participants and to see whether they t orbreak the mould. I you decide to do this exercise you will need to be mindul o people’ssensitivities. Some people may not wish to talk about themselves and/or they may notwish to indicate their age. A way to involve people in a non-conronting manner may beto de-personalise the discussion. You could still explore this issue, but give participants

the option o talking either about themselves, or they could oer examples o othervolunteers they know, and what their motivations are. Also, i a volunteer is co-presentingthe session with you, you might like to ask them to lead this part o the session. This mayhelp put others at ease and draw contributions.

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Notes in brie:

‘Dierent thingsmake dierentpeople tick - peoplemay surprise you.’

‘These dierencescontribute to a richand more complete

tapestry.’

‘People’s needs andmotivations changeover time.’

‘Let’s see i thisgroup makes orbreaks the mould…’

11

It takes all types…



TOOLKIT



As an 18 year old I may choose to volunteer to support a

cause I think is important or the uture o the world.

OR I decide that I need to keep in touch with older generations

and volunteer as a regular companion and saety check or anolder person living at home.

As a 21 year old I may volunteer with a not or protorganisation because I am interested in advancing my skillsand want to gain work experience.

OR I decide to volunteer as a weekend relie person or amilieswith children with disabilities.

As a 34 year old I may volunteer because I have youngchildren and have a particular interest in supporting thelocal child care group.

OR I decide to broaden my day to day activities beyond my roleas a stay-at-home parent and volunteer at the local migrantresource centre.

As a 44 year old I may volunteer on the local junior ootballclub’s committee o management (where my children play).

OR I decide to support others’ children and volunteer as a tutorand mentor to disadvantaged high-school children.

As a 55 year old I may volunteer as a und-raiser or an

organisation that supports single parents.

OR I decide to spend the time outdoors that my career never

allowed and volunteer as the local community centre’sgardener.

As a 67 year old I may volunteer while on a three-monthholiday in a rural town.

OR I decide to become a virtual volunteer. I proo read and editpublications or several not or prot organisations across thecountry, via the internet.

As a 73 year old I may volunteer in a local nursing home. OR I decide to step outside my boundaries and take up aninternational volunteering opportunity in a developing country.

cHANGING mOTIVATIONS AND cHALLENGING STEREOTYPES

You might also like to oer some analysis o motivations and how they can changeirrespective o a person’s age. For example, a person might initially volunteer because theywant to give something back to the community or they are hoping to keep busy during a

quiet period in their lives. They make riends with other volunteers, and those riendshipsprovide motivation to stay with the organisation.

Eaple

Nick has been looking or paid work or some time. He is disappointed and rustratedthat it is taking so long. To keep his morale up he decides to volunteer at the localneighbourhood centre where they need gardening help. The centre has a limited budgetbut wants to make the garden attractive to children who play there while their parentsare in class. Nick and another volunteer successully approach local garden centres orplants and advice. Developing the garden gives Nick added condence, plus he haslearned new skills, and has expanded his networks. In time, Nick nds the paid work hewas looking or. He also continues to volunteer at the neighbourhood centre.

Whatever the motivation, it is important that volunteering be a rewarding activity oreveryone involved. I this is not the case, perhaps the t between the volunteer and therole or organisation isn’t yet quite right. Slide suitable or:

Volunteering

Field/area

Organisation



TOOLKIT



SLIDE 12: WHO BENEfITS?

Purpose

To show how the benets o volunteering extend throughout the community.



Presenter inoration

This is another opportunity to invite discussion, especially i participants have volunteeredbeore. You can encourage them to share what they gained rom their previous volunteerexperiences. I you are a volunteer yoursel, or i a volunteer is co-presenting with you, itis an opportune time to share your personal experiences o the benet o volunteering.

This part o the presentation brings together two core aspects o volunteering: the valueo volunteering, and how rewarding volunteering can be. Point out that benets aretied to motivations and people generally nd that there are positive outcomes or thevolunteer, the organisation, the client and the community.

Below are some examples you could use to illustrate the many benets o volunteering.Note that they also show the dierent dimensions and layers o the value o volunteering,discussed earlier under Slide 9, Why is volunteering important? You might choose to usean example rom your own organisation instead.

Eaple One

Geo is a volunteer who delivers meals to people through a ‘Meals on Wheels’service. Geo benets by having un and meeting new people. The organisationbenets because it can achieve its mission through the work o the volunteer.The client benets because he is able to stay in his home. The community benetsbecause people are able to live with dignity and support each other.

Eaple Two

Hope is a primary school student and her entire day’s activities are made possiblethrough the work o volunteers. In the morning, Hope goes to her school, which issupported partly through volunteers who have raised unds and completed a workingbee to renovate the buildings.

In the aternoon, Hope attends an ater-school homework club, which is run byvolunteers. When she’s nished she goes to the local park to play. Volunteers lobbiedthe local council to reserve that site or a park, and raised money or play equipment.Hope then walks home along the local creek bed. Volunteers have been keeping thisarea clean by regularly collecting rubbish and planting indigenous plants.

Eaple Three

Madge is able to live at home due in part to the support o volunteers. The volunteerstake her to the shops, weed her garden, bring her a meal every day, collect hermedications and take her to her medical appointments. They are her riends.

Madge in turn volunteers at the aged care centre she attends by running theaternoon bingo game.

Notes in brie:

‘Volunteeringbenets morethan just thevolunteerand theorganisation.’

‘Here are some

examples…’

12

Who benefits?

• the volunteer

• the organisation

• the client

• the community



TOOLKIT



You can also talk about the various skills that volunteers gain rom their work.

Eaple four

Through my volunteer experiences, I have had to learn:

To run a rafe and learn about gambling and taxation;

To create crat activities or three-year-old children;

To write reports and meet governance responsibilities o committees o management;

To learn about and plant native plants;

To write press releases;

How to represent and advocate on behal o my organisation;

To listen to people.

Slide suitable or:

Volunteering

Field/area

Organisation

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TOOLKIT



SLIDE 13: TOPIc INTRODUcTION – WHAT’S IT LIKE TO VOLUNTEER?

Topi purpose

To bring the volunteering experience to lie, and give participants a taste and insight into

the enriching experiences that await them.


Existing text in Slide 13 o the PowerPoint presentation, or:I the objective o your session is to recruit volunteers or your particular organisationor eld, we recommend that you interview your volunteers and obtain some real-lie,inspirational quotes. I you are able to insert photographs o your volunteers,all the better.

The quotes already within Slide 13 are suitable or a general session on volunteering.

Presenter inoration

As with the rst slide o your presentation (Participate, activate, create: Volunteer),this is another cover slide, to introduce a new topic within your presentation.

While this slide is not intended to be used as a prompt or discussion, it is a goodopportunity to bring to lie the exhilaration and reward o volunteering. Nothing willquite capture the spirit o volunteering, as the actual words o a volunteer. As with mostquotations, they work best when they are unchanged. Keeping the idiosyncrasies osomeone’s language brings a sincerity and immediacy to the message.

When delivering this slide you need do nothing more than pause to give participants timeto digest the quotes. Silence and time to refect can be quite powerul.

Slide suitable or:

Volunteering

Field/area (customise with quotes rom your eld, i available)

Organisation (customise with your volunteers’ quotes, i possible)

13

What’s it like to volunteer?

“Volunteering helps me put things in perspective –

it keeps me in touch with my community and whatother people’s lives are like.”

“It’s the best decision I’ve made.”

“In a word? Stimulating. And challenging. Andsometimes tiring. But always rewarding – it’sincredibly rewarding. Actually, can I have morewords?!”



TOOLKIT



SLIDES 14 AND 1: VOLUNTEERING HAPPENS EVERYWHERE

Purpose

To inorm participants about the variety o elds and organisations within the sector that

involve volunteers.


Existing text in Slides 14 and 15 o the PowerPoint presentation, or:I this session is provided to a local group, you might instead have a short list o theactual organisations available in your area. You may also wish to show photographsrather than a list; or

Note that i this session is or a particular eld or organisation, you may wish to discardthese slides.

Presenter inoration

A traditional view o volunteering is that it is limited to the community services area, andis primarily involved with helping to deliver a service to the disadvantaged. While thecommunity services eld has large and very active volunteering programs, it is just one omany which involve volunteers. The options are almost limitless!

In the table on page 39 are some o the elds in which volunteers work 11. I you need tond organisations in these elds in your particular location, you can do this by searchingVolunteering Australia’s GoVolunteer site.

Volunteering

Field / area

Organisation

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≥

Notes in brie:

‘There is a widevariety o eldswhich involvevolunteers.’

‘Some o theseelds include…’

14

Volunteering happens everywhere

• Sport/recreation

• Community/welfare

• Health

• Emergency

• Education/training/youth development

15

Volunteering happens everywhere

•

Religious• Environmental/animal welfare

• Business/professional/union

• Law/justice/political

• Arts/culture

11 Soupourmas, F., & Ironmonger, D. (2002), Giving time– the economic and social value o volunteering in Victoria,

Department o Human Services, Victoria, pp. 41-42



Sport/recreation Sporting clubs, public gardens and parks, crat and hobby clubs

Community/welare Seniors’ clubs, ethnic clubs and support groups, community centres, service clubs, disability welareservices, child care services, playgroups, support/counselling groups, opportunity/charity shops

Health Public hospitals, community health centres, not or prot nursing homes and support groups

Emergency Fire services which operate with the support o volunteers (eg. CFA), state emergency services,lie saving clubs, ambulance services

EducationTrainingYouth development

Schools (pre, primary, special, secondary and tertiary), adult education centres, youth clubs,youth support services, migrant resource centres

Religious Places o worship and their support services which may work in other areas ie community / welare

services or youth development

EnvironmentAnimal welare

Conservation, environmental education, animal protection and animal clubs

Business/Union Promoting, regulating and saeguarding business, proessional and labour interests

Law & JusticePolitical

Advocacy services, pro bono legal services, organisations which promote public saety

Arts & Culture Arts councils, dance, lm, music or painting clubs, libraries, local history associations,community newspapers and community radio stations, museums, arts/culture estivals

changing otivations and hallenging stereotypes

TOOLKIT





TOOLKIT



SLIDES 1 AND 1: WHAT cAN YOU DO?

Purpose

1. To show the variety o volunteering roles available.

2. To show that these roles are inspirational, and have a meaningul impact onthe community.


Existing text in Slides 16 and 17 o the PowerPoint presentation, or:I the session is to recruit volunteers or a specic organisation, you could simply listthe types o volunteer positions available within that organisation;

As an alternative to a list, you can show photographs o volunteers at work.

Presenter inoration

On page 41 are some examples o various types o volunteer roles. They have beencrated so that the outcomes o the roles are played up, to build on the points madeearlier about the value and benets o volunteering, and the dierence that volunteerscan make to their community.

Remembering that you kicked o your session with particularly novel examples ovolunteer roles, it is good to balance this impression with some o the more standardroles available and show how signicant these roles are.

You will note that the examples listed in the right hand column do not appear on thePowerPoint slides. You will need to read some o these out loud. As the goal o yoursession is to move participants rom interest to action, it is important in this part o thepresentation that participants can see themselves in one o these roles.

I you customise the examples to suit your organisation or eld, take care to presentthese in active language, and keep the examples outcome-ocused. It will be defating orparticipants to read or hear a list o activities which sound passive or procedural – in otherwords, like any other kind o paid work. It will be more inspiring or participants i youhelp them to envisage the dierence they can make.

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Notes in brie:

‘There is an amazingarray o volunteerroles available.’

‘Each o theseroles makes a realdierence to thecommunity.’

‘For example,you can…’

16

What can you do?

Empower people – teach & exchange skills

Be indispensable - administration & clerical

Provide nourishment - prepare & serve food

Help the world go around - transport people & goods

17

What can you do?

• Keep things running smoothly – repair & maintain

• Save lives and property - emergency relief

• Build a sustainable world - environment

• Lead an organisation - management /committee work

• Make good work possible- fundraising and sales



TOOLKIT



Empower people Teaching, instruction &providing inormation

Tutoring, assisting teachers, providing inormation to users at hospitals,museums, tourist booths or oces

Be indispensable Administration & clerical Reception and general oce assistance

Provide nourishmentand support

Preparing & servingood

Working as a kitchen hand, delivering Meals on Wheels, ood shopping,preparing snacks or kindergarten children

Help make the world goaround

Transporting people andgoods

Transporting rail and elderly people to shops, hospital and other medicalappointments, delivering goods

Keep things operatingsmoothly Repair, maintenance andgardening Painting, gardening, building backdrops and props or school studentproductions, xing toys

Save lives and property Emergency relie Providing rst aid, ghting res, repairing storm damage, clearing accidentsites

Build a sustainableworld or uturegenerations

EnvironmentPlanting trees, weeding in national parks, clearing waterways

Lead an organisation Management &committee Work

Drating policies and guidelines, attending meetings, writing submissionsor grants, ensuring the organisation meets its mission and contractualobligations, public relations

Make good work

possible

Fundraising & sales Sorting, pricing and selling clothes in an op shop. Distributing conectionary

to residents in hostels. Organising rafes/etes or schools, charitable appeals

Inspirational outoe Type o ativity Eaples o volunteer roles

Below is a sample o volunteer activities identied by the Australian Bureau o Statistics inthe Voluntary Work Survey 2000 12. You can also reer people to the GoVolunteer serviceound at Volunteering Australia’s website to nd specic organisations and positions thatmeet their preerences and needs.

Slide suitable or:

Volunteering

Field/area (customise with roles in your eld)

Organisation (customise with roles in your organisation)

12 Australian Bureau o Statistics (2000), Voluntary Work,ABS Catalogue 4441.0, Canberra



TOOLKIT



SLIDE 1: YOUR RIGHTS AS A VOLUNTEER

Purpose

To show that volunteers have rights which not or prot organisations should respect

and uphold.


Existing text in Slide 18 o the PowerPoint presentation; orYou may like to list all o the rights, as per Volunteering Australia’s Inormation Sheet,Volunteer Rights and Volunteer Checklist 13. You will nd this in Appendix 6.

Presenter inoration

By inorming volunteers o their rights, you are arming that their contribution is valued,that their work should not be misused, and that there are standards and expectations inthe volunteering sector that organisations as a minimum should strive to meet.

You may nd it useul to link discussion about volunteers’ rights with the principles ovolunteering, discussed earlier in your presentation. These principles underpin all o therights listed in Volunteering Australia’s Inormation Sheet, Volunteer Rights andVolunteer Checklist .

Remind participants that implicit in these two documents is an important point:volunteers have the right to ask questions o volunteer-involving organisations and to beselective. I volunteers increasingly choose to volunteer only with those organisations thatstrive or good practice in volunteer-involvement, in time this will infuence the sector tocontinue to improve.

For the PowerPoint presentation, we have condensed volunteers’ rights into ve keypoints to make it easier or participants to remember the key points. We recommend thatyou include the ull version o the Inormation Sheet, Volunteer Rights and Checklist, in

your handouts. Reer to Appendix 6 or this document.

It would be valuable to draw the ollowing points to the attention o your participants:

all rights are equally important;

usually, you can tell i an organisation respects and upholds these rights by the type oorganisational policies it has in place.

≥

≥

13 Volunteering Australia (2003), Volunteer Rights andVolunteer Checklist, www.volunteeringaustralia.org

Notes in brie:

‘Volunteers haverights whichorganisationsshould respectand uphold.’

‘These rights are…’

‘You should eelree to ask questionso organisations,so that you aresatised theorganisation willrespect your rightsas a volunteer.’

18

Your rights as a volunteer

• To work in a healthy and safe environment

• To be covered by insurance

• Not to be discriminated against

• Not to do the work of paid staff

• To receive orientation and training



TOOLKIT



The checklist on the second page o the Inormation Sheet is a good starting point orvolunteers who want to be certain that the organisation they choose respects their rights.In addition to this checklist, some other useul questions volunteers may like toask include:

Does the organisation have a volunteer policy?

Does the organisation have an OH&S ocer and/or policy? A privacy policy?

How does the organisation determine which positions are paid positions, and whichare volunteer positions?

Does the organisation have a grievance procedure?

What is the interview and induction process?

Will I be provided with a role prole or job description?

Will I have a designated manager or coordinator?

Does the organisation provide training or volunteers?

Will I be reimbursed or out o pocket expenses (excepting travel to and rom the sitewhere you volunteer – it is unusual or this to be covered)?

I the purpose o your presentation is to introduce and recruit volunteers to yourorganisation, you may like to show how your organisation responds to each o theserights, and what policies you have in place to support them.

It might be worthwhile cautioning volunteers that not all organisations will have acomplete suite o policies in place, and that there may be justiable reasons or this. Forexample, the organisation may be managed and run purely by volunteers – it won’t haveto determine which positions are paid, and which positions are or volunteers. Also, a

policy can take many shapes – it might as simple as having a statement about who tocontact or training, what type o training is required or particular roles, and how torecord that a volunteer has completed the required training. Volunteers should also bearin mind that organisations may be in transition and working steadily towards identiyingthe policies they need, and developing these.

As a general rule o thumb, ollow the ‘i not, why not?’ rule. There may be perectlydeensible reasons why an organisation does not have a particular policy or procedure inplace. I the volunteer is unsure about the soundness o the reason provided, they can calltheir local volunteer resource centre, state centre, or Volunteering Australia or advice. Slide suitable or:

Volunteering

Field/areaOrganisation

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TOOLKIT



SLIDE 1: WHAT DO ORGANISATIONS ExPEcT Of YOU?

Purpose

To show that volunteering requires volunteers to meet agreed expectations, and that they

need to be accountable or their work.


Existing text in Slide 19 o the PowerPoint presentation, or:You may preer not to list all expectations, but generate discussion around this topic andconrm expectations as they arise through discussion, and then summarise them beoremoving on to the next slide.

Presenter inoration

At this point it might be useul or you to recall the ramework oered at the beginningo this toolkit and temporarily view volunteering through a marketing lens.

Up to this stage, we have ocused on the volunteer’s needs and how they can derivevalue rom their volunteering experience. Volunteering should, however, be a mutuallyrewarding activity or the organisation and the volunteer. This means the organisationmust also get something out o the relationship.

Complementary to volunteers’ rights, are the reasonable expectations an organisation willrequire its volunteers to meet. Usually, expectations related to a particular role would bewritten down in volunteers’ job descriptions, along with key areas o responsibility, theknowledge and skills required or a particular role, and reporting arrangements.

However, there are some expectations which volunteers should be made aware o. Theseare essentially about encouraging behaviour that enables people to work well withothers. Organisations can expect volunteers to:

Be mindul that they are part o a team, and that good teamwork requires punctuality,reciprocity and common courtesy;

Respect others’ condentiality and privacy;

Carry out agreed tasks to the best o their ability;

Remember that team members and managers are there to support them and that theyshould ask or support when it is needed, and undertake any required training;

Give notice beore leaving the organisation.

I you have invited a volunteer to co-present the session, it will work well i they deliverthis part o the presentation. Or, you may be a volunteer yoursel. Presenting this

inormation rom a volunteer’s perspective is a good way o demonstrating that theseexpectations are reasonable, not threatening and easy to meet.

Slide suitable or:

Volunteering

Field/area

Organisation

≥

≥

≥

≥

≥

Notes in brie:

‘Organisations willhave expectationsthey requirevolunteers to meet.’

‘This is to assure thatthe volunteeringexperience is

positive andproductive, oreveryone.’

‘These expectationsare…’

19

What do organisations expect of you?

They’ll expect you to:

– Be punctual and respectful of others

– Tell them when something goes wrong or isn’t

working

– Undertake any training you might need

– Carry out the job you have agreed to



TOOLKIT



SLIDE 20: TOPIc INTRODUcTION– cHANGE YOUR WORLD: START NOW!

Topi purpose:

To generate the shit rom interest to action.

SLIDE 21: cHOOSING HOW AND WHERE

Purpose

To show how participants can choose the right organisation and volunteer role or them.



Presenter inoration

This part o the presentation is your call to action. You will by now have armedparticipants with some valuable inormation that helps them make an inormedvolunteering choice. Participants should eel condent that volunteering has something tooer them – this is your opportunity to show people how easy it is to ‘make it happen’.Remind participants that choosing how to volunteer depends on:

What they want to get out o the experience (their motivation or volunteering);

The skills they have to oer;

How much time they can invest in volunteering.

Choosing where to volunteer depends on:

Whether they can relate to the values and work o the organisation;

Whether their personal circumstances enable them to work or this organisation;

Whether they eel comortable that the organisation will respect their rights asa volunteer;

What is convenient to them, in terms o location (remind participants that there aremany virtual volunteering opportunities available that transcend geographic barriers).

I the purpose o your session is to recruit volunteers or your organisation, you will

obviously not require the ‘where’ aspect o this slide. To encourage participants to takethe step and become a volunteer or your organisation, you might like to put them intouch with other volunteers so that they can get a sense o what it’s like to be part o theorganisation and what kind o commitment is required.

I your session is about recruiting volunteers to a particular eld or promotingvolunteering in general, it will still be valuable or participants to talk with volunteers atthe organisation they are considering volunteering with. Most organisations are happy toconnect prospective volunteers with current volunteers – the best advertisement or anorganisation’s volunteer program is a satised volunteer. O course, no names or contactdetails should be exchanged without both parties’ consent.

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20

Change your world…

START NOW!

Notes in brie:

‘Choosing howto volunteerdepends on…’

‘Choosing whereto volunteerdepends on…’

‘Check outGoVolunteer ormore options.’

21

Choosing how and where

• How depends on what motivates you, your

skills and the time available

• Where depends on which organisations meet

your needs, and need your contribution

• GoVolunteer - www.volunteeringaustralia.org



TOOLKIT



One o the easiest ways or participants to nd a suitable volunteering role is to visitGoVolunteer, Volunteering Australia’s ree online volunteer matching service, which iswhy it is listed in the PowerPoint slides. As this may be the rst time participants haveheard o GoVolunteer, you might like to oer an explanation: GoVolunteer is an initiative

o Volunteering Australia which provides ree internet advertising or not or protorganisations looking or volunteers.

Thousands o volunteer roles are advertised on the website, which receives some 50,000visitors every month. The site is searchable by location, key word, organisation type andposition type. I you would like to advertise your volunteer positions on GoVolunteer,you will need to have current and valid volunteer insurance. For urther inormation,visit Volunteering Australia’s website and click on the GoVolunteer link.

Slide suitable or:

Volunteering


Organisation



TOOLKIT



The interviewee is decidingwhether to volunteer with theorganisation or which projects

they would like to try.

The interviewer is deciding ifthe person is the most suitable

candidate for a position, orwhich programs/projects

might meet the needs of theorganisation, the interviewee

and client.

SLIDE 22: THE APPLIcATION PROcESS– DILIGENT, BUT NOT DAUNTING

Purpose

To explain that there are processes and requirements to meet when applying to bea volunteer.


Existing text in Slide 22 o the PowerPoint presentation; or:List the steps required or people to volunteer with your organisation,i this is relevant to your session.

Presenter inoration

Reer to the points raised in this toolkit under Slide 10, Volunteering: give it a try:a air, planned and systematic approach to recruiting and selecting volunteers lies at theheart o good practice in volunteer involvement. This is based on the premise that good

recruitment practices lead to the best matches between volunteers and organisations.It also ensures that suitable roles within those organisations are identied or volunteers.The outcome? Rewarding, productive volunteering experiences or everyone.

Inorm participants that there are standards in volunteer recruitment, selection andorientation that they can expect organisations to meet. These include:

Decision-making that is based on the collection and analysis o actual data;

Non-discriminatory treatment o expressions o interest and timely responsesto queries;

Helpul and conscientious provision o relevant inormation;

Documented procedures to screen and select volunteers;

Thorough orientation shortly ater joining the organisation.

I you would like to nd out more about these standards, visit Volunteering Australia’swebsite and download the overview o the National Standards or Involving Volunteersin Not For Proft Organisations.

Inorm participants that they should expect an initial interview, which is part o thevolunteer screening process. You may want to assure participants that there is no needor people to be daunted by the prospect o ‘applying’ or a volunteer position. Aninterview is simply an opportunity or the volunteer and the organisation to explorewhether there is likely to be a good t between the two.

It is important to emphasise the act that the interviewer and the person beinginterviewed have equal roles to play in this process, as illustrated below:

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‘Good recruitmentpractices lead tothe best matchesbetween volunteersand organisations.’

‘Part o therecruitment process

is an interview; apolice check mayalso be required.’

‘This is anopportunity orvolunteers to ndout more about the

organisation androles available.’

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The application process:

diligent, but not daunting

• Application

• Interview

• Screening process

• Police checks (if necessary)



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Oten, there is not equal ownership o the interview process, with the intervieweeusually taking on a more passive role. Both parties should try to nd the right balanceduring the interview. As a volunteer manager or coordinator, you will know that youhave a responsibility to make interviewees eel comortable and encourage them to ask

questions. An important part o your role is to encourage the volunteer to make an activecontribution to the interview.

The type o inormation volunteers may want to obtain during an interview can generallybe distilled into three elements:

Am I able to make a contribution to this organisation?

Is volunteering with this organisation going to give me what I hope to get out ovolunteering?

Can I be sure that the organisation will respect my rights as a volunteer? (reer to thelist o questions or volunteers under Slide 18, Your rights as a volunteer)

Asking questions around these three elements should help redress an imbalance,i required.

In addition to an interview, you should also inorm participants that the screening processmay also require that a volunteer:

Provide either written reerences or the names and contact details o reerees or both;

Agree to obtain a police check.

Common reasons or a police check include:

Positions where the volunteer will be working with a vulnerable group o peoplesuch as:– children– entering people’s homes– organising and handling banking accounts

Positions where it is a legal requirement or part o a unding agreement between theorganisation and a government department.

Further inormation about the screening and recruitment process or volunteers can beound in the Volunteering Australia Inormation Sheets, Screening and the volunteer recruitment process and Police checks, and downloaded rom the website. You may wishto include these in your handouts.

I the purpose o your session is to introduce volunteers to a particular organisation, youcan go into detail about the specic screening processes that apply.

Slide suitable or:

Volunteering



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SLIDE 23: QUESTIONS?

Purpose

To take questions on the spot, as time allows, and/or to let participants know how they

can nd urther inormation.


Existing text in Slide 23 o the PowerPoint presentation; or:You may wish to insert contact details. We recommend that you include these inhandouts, instead o in the actual presentation. This will keep your presentation lookingsnappy and uncluttered.

Presenter inoration

This is an opportunity or participants to ask questions or to seek clarication aboutearlier parts o the presentation. We have provided a list o Frequently-Asked Questions(FAQs), which you will nd in Appendix 1 o this toolkit.

Bear in mind that while some participants will have on the spot questions, others maythink o these in the days ollowing the session once they have had time to digest theinormation. Also, some participants may not be comortable speaking up in ront oothers. To cater to all learning styles, let participants know that you are available ater thepresentation to take any questions.

It’s a good idea, also, to include in your handouts some contact points that participantscan ollow up at their leisure, in addition to your own contact details. I your session isabout promoting volunteering in general, we suggest you provide the ollowing details:

The local volunteer resource centre (these details can be obtained rom your StateCentre or volunteering, or rom Volunteering Australia);

The State Centre

Contact details or Volunteering Australia;

The GoVolunteer service at www.volunteeringaustralia.org

I your session is or a specic organisation, the majority o the above contacts will still beuseul. There is a range o ree, internet resources available or volunteers (and managerso volunteers, not or prot organisations and trainers) including training and learningmaterials designed especially or volunteers, research papers, tips and advice, and actsand gures. O course, you will also want to provide the ollowing details:

Contact details or your organisation;

A specic contact person;

Brochures, registration orms or business cards should be included in your handouts.

Remember that some people may not want to take the next step and arrange anappointment or an interview but may preer to spend time considering variousvolunteering options. In this instance it might be helpul to reer them to GoVolunteer,which they can browse at their leisure.

Slide suitable or:

Volunteering

Field/area

Organisation

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SLIDE 24: cHANGE YOUR WORLD…START NOW!

Purpose

1. To invite participants to leave their contact details with you so that you can make

ollow up arrangements and commence the application process;

2. To thank participants or their time and wind up the session.



Presenter inoration

This brings an end to the inormation session. Remember to thank participants or theirtime and invite them to leave their contact details with you.

I the purpose o the session is to recruit volunteers or your organisation, instead o

using the usual contact list which people can only ll in one at a time, you may wish tohand out the rst portion o your application orm, where contact details are recorded.This could then orm part o the volunteer’s le, with the remainder o the orm beingcompleted together during the interview process.

Slide suitable or:

Volunteering

Field/area

Organisation

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‘Thank you oryour time.’

‘Please ensure youtake the handouts.’

‘Feel ree to seeme ater thepresentation i youhave any questions.’

‘Please leave yourdetails i you wantto apply now, orare interested in

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Change your world…

START NOW!



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PART TWO: RESOURcES – APPENDIx | PAGE 1

APPENDIx 1fREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Following are some common questions on volunteering that you may be asked:

What are the oon jobs volunteers are asked to do?

Reer to the notes under Slides 16 –17, What can you do?, or details. Keep in mind thatthis is a sample o the volunteer roles available. You may wish to log on to GoVolunteerrom Volunteering Australia’s website or urther examples or contact the local volunteerresource centre. We suggest that this content be covered during the presentation as it isone o the most commonly asked questions.

How do I ind out about dierent organisations?

There are a number o options or nding organisations that involve volunteers.Local or regional volunteer resource centres are a good place to start, and each stateand territory has a peak centre which can reer volunteers to specic organisations.Again, GoVolunteer is also an easy way to identiy which organisations havevolunteering roles available.

I volunteers are interested in a particular organisation, it is a good idea to read itsbrochures and promotional material, or make an appointment to talk to the volunteermanager. Encourage volunteers to learn more about the organisation they are consideringvolunteering with – recall the advice to volunteers in Slide 18 which addressed the rightso volunteers. Reassure volunteers that asking or inormation about an organisation or avolunteer position does not mean that they are under any obligation to that organisation.Organisations will welcome these kinds o requests as it provides them with theopportunity to engage with prospective volunteers and tell them about theirvolunteering program.

Do I need previous eperiene?

It depends on the volunteer position, what is required to carry out the necessary tasksand context o the role. There are some volunteer positions where previous experienceand ormal training is required as well as positions which train volunteers on the job.

Do I have to pay or y own transport?

Not or prot organisations do not usually pay volunteers their travel expenses to androm the organisation. I an organisation asks a volunteer to travel as part o theirvolunteering role then they should eel comortable asking or reimbursement or anytravel costs. It is always easiest to clariy these things beore taking on the role.

What hours do I have to do? Is there any leibility?

There is enormous variation in the amount o time people volunteer, and how they

structure that time. Some volunteering roles require short-term periods o more intensecommitment, and may have shits that require volunteers to work longer hours thanusual (or example: volunteering at events such as the Olympics and CommonwealthGames; emergency management services; conservation projects, especially thoserequiring travel). Other people have more regular volunteering hours and do set ‘shits’on set days o the week.

It is important to remember that, above all, volunteering is a matter o choice.There are thereore no rm rules around this and it is important to acknowledge thatevery volunteering hour is valuable.



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However, in terms o setting upper limits, we consider as a general guideline that acommitment o up to 16 hours per week:

observes the principles o volunteering;

is respectul o and upholds volunteers’ rights;

is sustainable or both the volunteer and the organisation; and

encourages a healthy balance between all spheres o lie, including volunteering andother citizenship activities, work, leisure, amily time, and domestic activities.

For those activities and occasions which don’t t easily into capped or standard hours,there are some important principles and actors which should be considered by both thevolunteer and the organisation:

The volunteer’s saety and well-being is paramount. Remember that although anactivity may be low-risk when undertaken or short periods o time, this may not bethe case when practised or extended periods o time (as a starting point, considerissues such as atigue, repetition and morale); and

Always be mindul o and uphold the principles o volunteering and rights ovolunteers.

Volunteering hours should be determined when a volunteer rst inquires about aposition. I the hours or time required or a particular role do not suit the volunteer’sneeds then it is best to identiy this early, so that the organisation and the volunteer canwork out together whether there are other alternatives, or whether a better match orthe volunteer can be ound with another organisation.

I, as a manager o volunteers, you are uncertain about whether or not a position in yourorganisation should be a paid or volunteer position, reer to Appendix 4, Determining avolunteer role, which contains a tool to help you make a sound decision.

Will there be soeone there to help e?

This depends to some degree on the volunteer position and the tasks required.However, irrespective o the position volunteers should be oered an orientation tothe organisation and their new position. This may include a tour o the organisation,introductions to paid and volunteer sta, written material such as volunteer policies andprocedures, and training in the common work practices o that organisation. Also, lineso authority should be communicated during the orientation, meaning that volunteerswill be inormed o who they should report to and seek help rom, i required. Someorganisations also have a buddy system to support new volunteers by pairing them withvolunteers who have spent more time with the organisation and are amiliar with policies,procedures, amenities, work conditions and entitlements.

Do I need to take reerenes to the interview?

Volunteers should ask the manager or coordinator o volunteers (or whoever will beconducting interviews), beore arriving or their interview. In part this will depend on theposition the volunteer is applying or.

How will I ind out i I’ve got the volunteer job?

Sometimes volunteers will be inormed at the end o the interview. At other times theremay be other people who apply or the same volunteer position and volunteers may beasked to wait until everyone has been interviewed or the outcome o their application.

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How will volunteering get e a paid job?

As you may have discussed during the presentation, one o the common reasons peoplevolunteer is to gain experience and skills so that it is easier to nd paid work or make acareer change.

Volunteering can help people nd paid work in the ollowing ways:

By maintaining and rening existing skills;

By developing skills and building knowledge;

By providing opportunities or volunteers to apply new skills and knowledge and gainpractical experience;

By supporting people to engage with their community, make contacts and nd otherchannels o support and advice while job-hunting;

By building a volunteer’s condence in their abilities and positively shaping the way

they approach job-hunting;

By providing volunteers with opportunities or ormal training;

By urnishing a volunteer with reerences or uture employers.

Reer volunteers to the Skills and Training section o Volunteering Australia’s website.There are dozens o training materials designed especially or volunteers, includinga guide which will take volunteers step by step through the process o applying orRecognition o Prior Learning (RPL), or those interested in obtaining ormal qualicationsrom their volunteering activities.

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APPENDIx 2mAKE YOUR POWERPOINT POWERfUL

You may nd that the PowerPoint presentation in this toolkit meets your needs as is.

However, i you need to customise the presentation or create a new one, the advicebelow can help you create presentations that are both engaging and easy on the eye.

Remember, your presentation is much more than just PowerPoint. Your slides are only avisual aid. It’s what you say and how you say it that really makes the message stick.

Tips on slide ontent

1. Your audience will read anything that is written on the slide. Give them time todo this or emphasise the point by reading the slide out to them. Remember, ithey’re reading the slide they’re not listening to you, so take your time.

2. Don’t rush between slides; give your audience time to take in the new inormation.Your aim is to inorm your audience, not conuse them.

3. Keep the text to a minimum, think o it as a heading or what you say.

4. Put only your main points in the slides. Ideally, you should have no more than velines per slide.

5. Start a new slide i there are more than ve points.

6. Keep the points short and the language plain.

7. Can people at the back o the room see your slide clearly? Why not test thisand see? Set it up and go to the back and the sides o a large room or theatre.Make adjustments so that everyone can see the slides clearly.

8. Give out notes at the end so that your audience isn’t busy trying to write down the

inormation, rather than listening to you. Tell your audience beore you start thatyou will be providing them with handouts o the slides.

Tips on slide layout & design

1. Match your design to the tone o your presentation: is it meant to entertain,inorm, persuade, or sell? Is a light-hearted or a more ormal look right or yoursubject and your audience? Choose colours, graphics, eects and templates tomatch the tone.

2. Make good use o templates. They are important both or consistency and tomake it easier to design your slides (and it helps you ocus on the important bit– the content).

3. Keep your background white, or a light colour; it works best or projected slides.

4. Use the same two or three colours or any graphic elements to keep your slidesneat and proessional. Too much colour can distract the audience.

5. Use colours or points and headings; but only black or dark blue or body text.

6. Use no more than two or three design elements, like lines and shapes, and stickwith your chosen colours.

7. Use the same kind o bullet point throughout (again, simple is best).

8. Never ‘squeeze it in’; i it looks cluttered, split the content onto a new slide.

9. I you are providing notes, make sure that your slides are still readable whenprinted out.

10. Incorporate your logo, or your key message (eg: ‘saety rst’ or OHSpresentations) in the template so that it appears on every page.

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PART TWO: RESOURcES – APPENDIx | PAGE

Tips on using graphis

1. Don’t eel obliged to use graphics – having no graphics will keep the ocus on you.

2. Don’t use complicated graphics, charts or photos, unless you’re prepared to

explain them. They distract your audience rom ocusing on what you’re saying.

3. One image or chart per slide is enough; try to make them a similar size, and putthem in the same spot on each slide.

4. Generic clip art that everyone has on their computer makes your presentation looklike it has nothing new to say. It’s better to leave them o.

5. Try scanning your own photos or use screen grabs o websites to make yourpresentation dierent rom those that use clip art.

6. I you must put more than one image on a slide, use size to show which is themost important; one image should always stand out.

Tips on typeae

1. Two onts are okay, but one ont is better. Play with the bold and italics toget variety.

2. Sans seri onts, like Arial, are easier to read on a screen than onts like Times NewRoman, which have the little eet at the end o each letter.

3. Use a standard ont so you won’t have any problems running your slideshow onany PC.

4. Check the size o your ont in headings and body text; do the ‘back o theroom’ test.

5. 40 - 44 points is a good size or slide text.

Tips on using eets and aniations

1. To add dynamism to your slideshow, have one standard, quick and simple eectbetween slides.

2. Multiple or complicated eects can take the ocus away and distract the audience,so keep these to one between slides and one or each signicant point you planto make.

3. Eects take time, so consider this when planning your presentation and choosingyour eects.

4. Turn o the volume on your PC; let your voice be the only sound your

audience hears.

5. Overall, remember to ocus on your content, not the technology.

Preparing to present

1. When you’ve nished creating your slideshow, have a look at it all together andshow it to a riend or colleague or their comments. As an observer, they couldprovide some useul eedback on whether your audience will respond andunderstand your presentation.

2. Bring a back-up on CD. Better sae than sorry!

3. Practise your presentation so you eel comortable with the material and can ocus

on engaging with your audience.

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APPENDIx 3GETTING THE mOST fROm YOUR HANDOUTS

Handouts are valuable at inormation sessions because they oer inormation that

participants can read and understand at their leisure. Handouts can provide a levelo detail that you may not have had time to cover in your presentation.

On the other hand, be careul not to overwhelm the participants. It might serve youwell to ollow up some o the participants later and ask them what material they oundmost useul.

When preparing a handout, consider what inormation is most important or participantsto take with them. This might be:

The denition and principles o volunteering;

Volunteer rights;

Key statistics;

The contact details o a particular organisation;

Inormation relating to screening and police checks;

Inormation on the diversity o volunteer roles (in general or within specic eld);

Inormation specic to the needs o a particular organisation;

Suggested orats or handouts

1. A siple A4 sheet with tet on the ront and bak. A handout onvolunteering in general ight inlude:

The name and logo o your organisation;

The denition o volunteering;

Volunteers’ rights and responsibilities;

Contact details o the organisation and how to apply to volunteer.

2. An A3 sheet olded into three setions. This orat also allows you to add

urther inoration suh as:

The principles o volunteering;

Frequently-asked questions;

Examples o elds or organisations that involve volunteers;

Examples o volunteer positions.

3. A very short handout suh as:

A sticky label or ridge magnet with the organisation’s name, phone numberand website;

A bookmark with the organisation’s name and contact details on one side and thedenition o volunteering on the other.

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APPENDIx 4DETERmINING A VOLUNTEER ROLE

When determining i a role within your organisation is suitable or volunteer involvement

there are a number o things you may want to consider. Volunteer roles are developedaccording to the principle that they add value to an organisation in a way that paidroles do not. There are no hard and ast rules in developing a volunteer positionbut the ollowing points should help you come to a decision that ensures the roleis non-exploitative o volunteers; not better suited to a paid position; and yourorganisation and its clients are protected.

The criteria and tables below may help you clariy whether the role is or a paid orvolunteer worker. I your answers are mostly yes in Table 1 then the role is almostcertainly one or a paid worker. I you answer no to any question in Table 2 you mayneed to seriously consider whether this is a suitable role or volunteers. I both tablesare used together you will get a general sense o suitability o the role or a volunteer.

1. Is this role critical to the overall successul unctioning o the organisation?

2. Is the role closely aligned to an industrial award?

3. Is the role ull-time and ideally lled by one person?

4. Is this a role that must be lled by a paid worker or regulatory, legal or industrial relation reasons?

5. Does the non-eective perormance o the role have any legal ramications or the organisation?

6. Does the non-eective perormance o the role have any negative implications on the work o paid sta?

7. Is this a position or which unding has been obtained, sought or is available?

8. Has this role ever been lled by a paid worker?

9. Is this role normally a paid position in other nonprots?

10. Would a person reasonably expect remuneration or this work

TABLE 1. Is this, or should this be, a paid role? YES NO

1. Does the role have intrinsic value to the volunteer and the organisation, taking into account motivation,

perceived benets and skill level needed to perorm the job?

2. Are there adequate and eective management supports or this role?

3. Do the paid sta, board and clients o the organisation accept this as volunteer role?

4. Did the paid sta, board and clients o the organisation have a role in determining the status o the position?

5. Does the role add value to and not replace the work o paid sta in the organisation?

6. Can the organisation adequately indemniy a volunteer in this role?

7. Can this role, in its entirety, be perormed in less than 16 hours per week?

8. Is this role signicantly dierent to the role o paid workers?

9. Will the client, organisation, and volunteer benet rom the role?

TABLE 2. Is this role suitable or a volunteer?YES NO



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APPENDIx DEfINITION AND PRINcIPLES Of VOLUNTEERING

Double click on the icon below to download a copy o the Volunteering Australia

Inormation Sheet, Defnition and principles o volunteering.

APPENDIx VOLUNTEER RIGHTS AND VOLUNTEER cHEcKLIST

Double click on the icon below to download a copy o the Volunteering Australia

Inormation Sheet, Volunteer rights and volunteer checklist .