Overview of Site Volunteer Overview Organisation Overview Volunteer Questions General Questions Searching for Volunteer Opportunities Applying for a Volunteer Opportunity Voluntary Organisation Questions General Questions Registering on GoVolunteer On-going Use of Site   Volunteer Questions General Questions Is there any cost to me, at any time, if I'm looking for volunteer opportunities here? No, there are no charges to use GoVolunteer and search for volunteer opportunities. Throughout the whole GoVolunteer network, all GoVolunteer services to volunteer position seekers are offered free of charge. Do I have to register to use GoVolunteer? No. There is no registration or sign-in process for individuals using GoVolunteer. It's easy to use and available to anyone who is interested in volunteering. Use of Cookies To View our site fully, you need to have cookies enabled on your computer. What are cookies? A cookie is a little ID card that is placed on your computer by a web server. It consists of a line in a file that looks a little something like this: dsid7502bcfdb3702038e6a81788c7c545mywebsite.com.au/041406316802900897078653204829422287 All this gobbledygook just means that the cookie was set by SEEK and can only be read by SEEK. Once you have received a cookie from our web server, from then on every time you visit SEEK we know that it's you. Actually we don't know that it's 'you', we only recognise your browser. This then enables us to tailor the site to your preferences and remember who you are each time your re-visit the site. Any more information has to be submitted by you. Anything you don't tell us, we don't know. Anything you don't want to tell us, we won't know. Any information you do submit, is stored in our database against your cookie here on secure servers. Where are my cookies stored? Internet Explorer 5.0 and above users usually have their cookies stored in a directory rather than a file. The default location is: c:\windows\cookies If you are using Netscape then they are usually in a file called 'cookies' which normally resides at: c:\netscape\users\default Default may not be your name though. It may be Gary or Claire or Frankenstein instead. Default, as the name suggests is merely the default. If you look in this file you may find cookies from all sorts of weird and wonderful sites that you've visited. UNIX/Linux users will probably find this file in the .Netscape directory. How do I manually enable or disable cookies? In Internet Explorer 5 and above: Select 'Tools' from the top of your browser and then 'Internet Options'. A pop up box will appear. At the top of this box are several tabs. Choose the 'Security' tab. The page you have now is all about various security options. It is probably set at security level 'Medium'. Click on the 'Custom Level' button. A list of options, 'ActiveX', 'Cookies' etc is displayed. Find the 'Cookies' section. You will have three choices. 'Disable', 'Enable' or 'Prompt' (which will ask you each time whether you want to accept a cookie or not). Make your selection and click on 'OK'. In Internet Explorer 3 or 4: Select 'View' and then 'Internet Options'. A window will pop up with several tabs. Select the 'Advanced' tab. A list of options is displayed. From the list there is an option to 'Accept All Cookies'. In Netscape: Select 'Edit' from the top of your browser and then from the resultant list: choose 'Preferences'. A little box should pop up. Over at the left hand side of this box is a list of categories. One of these is called 'advanced'. Click on this so that it becomes highlighted. The right hand side of the box should change and at the bottom of the page is a section on cookies. You should check the 'Accept all cookies' option. You can also choose to be prompted to accept each cookie. Searching for Volunteer Opportunities How long have the opportunities been listed? New opportunities are listed for one month, unless they are extended by the volunteer organisation if they are still looking for volunteers to fill that position. The summary view of each ad includes the date the ad was first posted - if this is some months old it does not mean that the position is old. Why can't I get to the next page of my search results? Check that JavaScript (Netscape 3 and above) or Active Scripting (Internet Explorer 4 and above) is turned on in your browser. Look up your browser help menu or ask your technical support person about how to enable JavaScript or Active Scripting on your browser. Why were no results returned when I did a search? There may be no opportunities that match your search criteria: the results depend on what volunteer needs exist in your area. Try repeating your search with broader search criteria. If you searched using a keyword, try your search again without the keyword/s. Also try selecting multiple options within a category to search related activities. Just hold down the "Ctrl" key (PC) or "Apple" key (Mac) while you select with your mouse. You may also like to contact the Volunteering Centre in your area. Can I search more than one option within a search box, at the same time? Yes. Hold down the "Ctrl" key (PC) or "Apple" key (Mac) while you select with your mouse. How do keywords work? Using a keyword in your search returns more specific search results. GoVolunteer has a range of keyword search options. The default setting is "OR". It also recognises: double quotes " " enclosing a phrase; AND NOT All other punctuation (such as commas, brackets and full stops) is ignored. The search looks for the keyword within the group of opportunities that match your criteria. When I search for an opportunity, why are volunteer opportunities from other states and territories listed? If you have searched for a volunteer opportunity by specifying a postcode, you also need to specify how far you are prepared to travel. If you do not, then any opportunities from around Australia that match your other search criteria will be listed. Simply go back and search using postcode AND approximate distance. Applying for a Volunteer Opportunity How do I let an organisation know I'm interested in volunteering for them? Once you find a volunteer opportunity you are interested in, it's easy to express your interest directly to the organisation. Select "Express Interest" from below the full description of the volunteer opportunity. On the next screen, you'll be asked for a few contact details. You can also choose to provide additional information or attach a resume or other document. This is immediately emailed to the volunteer organisation. What sort of additional information should I include with my expression of interest? It would help the volunteer organisation if you included some information about yourself, such as why you are interested in volunteering, what time you have available and what kinds of activities you are interested in doing or learning more about. If you have specific skills or experience you would like to use, include a brief description of these. Do I have to have a resume to apply for a volunteer position? No. Sending a resume with your expression of interest in a volunteer position is completely optional. If you wish, you can attach a resume from your hard drive or a floppy disk. What kind of files can I attach? Please take note of any messages in each ad about which file formats might be preferred by individual advertisers. In general, we recommend saving word documents in Rich Text Format (.rtf) format. This is easily accessed and opened by most word processing programs. It is not a good idea to send very large files (more than 1 Mb) or image files. Volunteer organisations are likely to have slower email connections and receiving and opening large files may cause them difficulty. I can't work out how to attach my resume You must use a browser that supports "file upload" in order to be able to attach a file from your hard drive or a floppy disk. Internet Explorer 3 and Netscape Navigator 2 don't support file upload. If you wish to use this feature, you need to upgrade to a more recent browser. Why should I send my expression of interest by email? Applying online delivers your expression of interest to the volunteer organisation right away. By using the Internet, GoVolunteer makes matching volunteers with non-profit organisations much faster and more efficient. This makes it easier for more Australians to make a difference in their local community. In most cases a telephone number is also listed so that you can, if you prefer, contact the organisation by 'phone'. How long will it take to get a reply once I send in an expression of interest? Your expression of interest goes directly to the volunteering organisation. The response to your application depends on them. If you have any questions, follow up with the organisation you applied to. Voluntary Organisation Questions General Questions Is there any cost to my organisation, at any time, if I register on the GoVolunteer site? No, there are no charges to use GoVolunteer and advertise for volunteers. Throughout the whole GoVolunteer network, all GoVolunteer services to voluntary organisations are offered free of charge. What criteria do we have to meet to register on GoVolunteer? To register on GoVolunteer your organisation must be a legitimate not-for-profit community organisation with current and valid Volunteer Insurance. You must have reviewed and agreed with the Volunteering Australia's Definitions and Principles of Volunteering and you must understand the Terms and Conditions of your use of our site. Use of Cookies To View our site fully, you need to have cookies enabled on your computer. What are cookies? A cookie is a little ID card that is placed on your computer by a web server. It consists of a line in a file that looks a little something like this: dsid7502bcfdb3702038e6a81788c7c545mywebsite.com.au/041406316802900897078653204829422287 All this gobbledygook just means that the cookie was set by SEEK and can only be read by SEEK. Once you have received a cookie from our web server, from then on every time you visit SEEK we know that it's you. Actually we don't know that it's 'you', we only recognise your browser. This then enables us to tailor the site to your preferences and remember who you are each time your re-visit the site. Any more information has to be submitted by you. Anything you don't tell us, we don't know. Anything you don't want to tell us, we won't know. Any information you do submit, is stored in our database against your cookie here on secure servers. Where are my cookies stored? Internet Explorer 5.0 and above users usually have their cookies stored in a directory rather than a file. The default location is: c:\windows\cookies If you are using Netscape then they are usually in a file called 'cookies' which normally resides at: c:\netscape\users\default Default may not be your name though. It may be Gary or Claire or Frankenstein instead. Default, as the name suggests is merely the default. If you look in this file you may find cookies from all sorts of weird and wonderful sites that you've visited. UNIX/Linux users will probably find this file in the .Netscape directory. How do I manually enable or disable cookies? In Internet Explorer 5 and above: Select 'Tools' from the top of your browser and then 'Internet Options'. A pop up box will appear. At the top of this box are several tabs. Choose the 'Security' tab. The page you have now is all about various security options. It is probably set at security level 'Medium'. Click on the 'Custom Level' button. A list of options, 'ActiveX', 'Cookies' etc is displayed. Find the 'Cookies' section. You will have three choices. 'Disable', 'Enable' or 'Prompt' (which will ask you each time whether you want to accept a cookie or not). Make your selection and click on 'OK'. In Internet Explorer 3 or 4: Select 'View' and then 'Internet Options'. A window will pop up with several tabs. Select the 'Advanced' tab. A list of options is displayed. From the list there is an option to 'Accept All Cookies'. In Netscape: Select 'Edit' from the top of your browser and then from the resultant list: choose 'Preferences'. A little box should pop up. Over at the left hand side of this box is a list of categories. One of these is called 'advanced'. Click on this so that it becomes highlighted. The right hand side of the box should change and at the bottom of the page is a section on cookies. You should check the 'Accept all cookies' option. You can also choose to be prompted to accept each cookie. Registering for GoVolunteer What information do we need to supply to register on GoVolunteer? The Registration Form that you need to fill in is fairly straightforward and includes the following information about your organisation: Contact Details Incorporated Association Number Volunteer Insurance Details: Insurance company name, policy number and policy expiry date Mission Statement (there is a limit of 1600 characters -approx 320 words- to this field) Description of your Organisation (there is a limit of 1600 characters-approx 320 words- to this field). You are also asked to create a Username and Password for your subsequent use of the GoVolunteer site. Please keep this information in a safe place. The form needs to be completed in one go, so please ensure that you have all this information handy when you register. We haven't heard back since we applied Your registration form has been sent to Volunteering Australia. If you have not heard anything after a week or so, or if you have further questions about the approval of your registration, please contact Volunteering Australia: Volunteering Australia (03) 9820 4100 govolunteer@govolunteer.com.au On-going Use of Site I've forgotten my username and password If you have misplaced/forgotten your Username and/or your Password please contact: GoVolunteer Office Volunteering Australia Level 3, Suite 2, 11 Queens Road Melbourne VIC 3004 Tel: 03 9820 4100 Fax: 03 9820 1206 Email: govolunteer@govolunteer.com.au No-one has expressed interest in our organisation We have found that most volunteers looking at the GoVolunteer site search for positions in their area and are then given a list of volunteer position ads to look through. Therefore you need to advertise volunteer positions as well as just register your organisation on the site for volunteers to be directed to your organisation. We have had lots of people looking at our ad but not many applying You may like to review your volunteer position ad - if you saw your ad in your local newspaper would you apply? Does it sound interesting to potential volunteers? Perhaps try using different terminology eg. Title, your position "Marketing Specialist" rather than "Committee Member" if you are looking for marketing skills in your committee member. Try to be flexible and approachable eg. don't use the term "You MUST..." etc. If you need to brainstorm a few ideas for a volunteer position ad make-over, contact: GoVolunteer Office Volunteering Australia Level 3, Suite 2, 11 Queens Road Melbourne VIC 3004 Tel: 03 9820 4100 Fax: 03 9820 1206 Email: govolunteer@govolunteer.com.au When I search under our geographical area our volunteer position doesn't come up? Firstly check that the volunteer position hasn't expired. Volunteer positions are automatically archived after one month if you do not extend them. If they have been archived you can view them under "View Archived Ads". If they are still current, check that when you created the volunteer position ad that you specified a Postcode AND a Location (eg. Melbourne or VIC-Other). If you only specified postcode then if a volunteer searches under, eg. Melbourne, your volunteer position will not be listed. To fix this "View Current Ads" and "Edit" the ad in question by specifying your Location.