Information for Voluntary Organisations What is GoVolunteer? How Do I Register? How Do I Create Job Ads? What Response Should I Expect? Managing Information Online Definitions and Principles of Volunteering Volunteer Insurance Corporate Volunteering Involving Young People In Volunteering Involving Families In Volunteering Testimonials From Organisations Using GoVolunteer to Recruit Volunteers   Username: Password: What is GoVolunteer? A warm welcome to all first time visitors. GoVolunteer is an initiative of Volunteering Australia and is Australia's first volunteer recruitment website. It is a not-for-profit site that provides free Internet advertising for not-for-profit community organisations looking for volunteers. GoVolunteer provides volunteers with all they need to find out about volunteer opportunities, and helps them make the best match possible between their personal requirements and choice of volunteer work. By using the Internet, GoVolunteer makes matching volunteers with non-profit organisations much faster and more efficient. It reduces the time and cost of recruiting volunteers and makes it easier for more Australians to make a difference in their local community. How Do I Register? To be able to register on the GoVolunteer website you need to be a legitimate not-for-profit organisation with current and valid volunteer insurance. You should review the volunteering definitions and principles of Volunteering Australia. If your organisation and the volunteer positions you have available meet this criteria, then select "Find Volunteers" from the navigation bar. Click "Register" and fill in the registration form. Please note that you will be required to fill in your Association Number, your Volunteer Insurance details (including Insurance company name, policy number and expiry date for both your volunteer personal accident insurance and your public liability insurance), your Contact Details and your organisation's Mission and a brief description. Please ensure you have these details handy when registering. You will also be asked to create a Username and Password for subsequent use of the GoVolunteer site - do make sure that you keep this information safe. Your details will then be reviewed by the Volunteering Centre in your state or territory. Once approved, you will receive an email to let you know that you can begin publishing volunteer opportunities online immediately. How Do I Create Job Ads? Once you have received your approval email, you can log-in using the Username and Password that you created in your registration form. Then click on "Create a New Ad" and fill in the details of the volunteer job that you want to advertise. You can then preview the ad before posting it to the GoVolunteer site. Useful hints appear to the right of the form to help you in filling in your details. Your job ads remain on-line for one month from date of posting and are then automatically archived. You can, however, choose to extend the ad for a further month - there is no limit to the number of jobs that you advertise at any one time, nor in the number of times that you extend any one ad. What Response Should I Expect? You will receive expressions of interest from prospective volunteers by email. You can ask that interested volunteers include specific information in their expression of interest (this would need to be included in your Job Description). These expressions of interest are automatically and immediately emailed to the email address you nominate. This has the potential of greatly reducing time and cost of identifying suitable volunteers. Some volunteers may also choose to call you on the telephone number that you supply. Out of courtesy to the volunteers it would be appreciated if you could endeavour to respond to all enquiries even if its just a short email letting them know that the job is filled. Managing Information Online Once you are registered on GoVolunteer you are able to manage your information on-line by logging in with your Username and Password. By doing this, as well as creating job ads you can: View Current Ads: This lets you view summary information about each of your current jobs including the number of people who have looked at that job's summary information, the number who have viewed the full job description and the number who have applied on-line to you. You can then choose to edit the ad (if, for example, you notice a typo or want to try different terminology), archive it (if the position has been filled) or extend it (if you are wanting to advertise after the one month initial advertising period). View Archived Ads: This gives you the summary statistics about how many people viewed your archived ads (when they were current), and enables you to edit or delete these ads from your management system. If you edit an archived job you can then re-post it to the site with or without changing the content. Edit Contact Details: This gives you the opportunity to update your contact details and organisation profile. Corporate Volunteering and Team Projects More and more community organisations are sourcing their volunteers through corporate volunteering programs. Successful corporations are embracing policies of social responsibility and regard this as fundamental to their long-term viability and relevance in a competitive market place. One way they can demonstrate their commitment to their local communities is by actively encouraging their employees to take up volunteering opportunities during work hours. Is your organisation ready to capitalize on this resource of willing recruits? With a flexible attitude, good planning and innovative problem-solving, community organisations will discover that there are many benefits to be had if they can successfully accommodate corporate volunteers. Some of these benefits include: Taking advantage of expert skills and knowledge. Being able to undertake major tasks that require large groups of volunteers. Creating wider community awareness about the organisation's objectives. Improving links with the business sector. Tapping into free or subsidized resources. Having the opportunity to develop longer-term associations with companies. Companies are particularly interested in the following types of volunteer opportunities: Positions which are once off (a day or two, or an ongoing project that can be completed by consecutive teams). Available during work hours. Team-based projects - this enables staff to work across departments or even with other companies. Skilled activities, although staff are usually happy to help out in any way they can. Some examples include: —   serving lunches to disadvantaged people —   tree-planting days —   selling fundraising merchandise at stalls —   painting or gardening —   staffing a call centre If your volunteer position requires a team of people, use the word 'team' in your advertisement to enable searches to be conducted using this keyword. If you have corporate volunteering opportunities in Melbourne please call the Employee Volunteering Development Manager on 03 9820 4100. Alternatively, if you would like more information or assistance sourcing a team of corporate volunteers in other states please contact the relevant state volunteer resource centre. To find out more, please visit Volunteering Australia's Organisation Booklet: A Guide to Engaging Corporate Volunteers. Involving Young People In Volunteering There is a misconception in volunteering circles that young people are not interested or involved in volunteering. In fact, young people (aged 16 to 24 years old) are a growing volunteer base. According to the ABS statistics (2000) the biggest growth area in volunteering was young people. There was an increase in participating 18-24 year olds from 16.6% to 26.8% between 1995 and 2000. GoVolunteer, Australia's first national not-for-profit volunteer-matching website, attracts approximately 14,000 young people (under the age of 24) every month. Here are a few hints for organisations looking to attract young volunteers to help their organisation: What Young People Can Offer Energy Enthusiasm A fresh perspective and new ideas on how your organisation can do things Skills and abilities in particular 'new' skills - especially in IT A 'young person's' point of view A way of ensuring the future of volunteering within your organisation by bringing a younger generation of volunteers in to help and thus a way to help sustain your organisation into the future. The opportunity to involve your existing staff/volunteers in training and mentoring new volunteers. Why Young People Get Involved Skill acquisition - job skills, communication skills, personal and professional development To gain experience - especially to be able to add to their CV or to gain a written/verbal reference To have fun To meet new people To experience new challenges To gain satisfaction from doing something to make a difference to the world we live in. Attracting Young People to your Organisation Use www.govolunteer.com.au, a FREE not-for-profit volunteer-matching website - 14,000 people, each month, under the age of 24, visit GoVolunteer keen to contribute to their community. Market your position with young people in mind - think of the image that you are portraying about your organisation - would this be the kind of organisation that young people would be interested in helping? List 'what's in it for them" - it maybe a reference, something to add to their CV, training, meeting new people, personal satisfaction, helping a cause they believe in or learning new skills - spell it out so they know what they can get out of helping your organisation. If you have benefits or particulars to your organisation that provide an added benefit - then tell them in your advertisement. E.g. reimbursements for travel expenses, monthly get-togethers for staff and volunteers, lunchtime walks in the park etc. Think creatively about your volunteer roles - divide tasks into 'projects' and think about which tasks could be done by a team of young volunteers. Be flexible about the timing of involvement - some young people may need to regularly change the day that they help to fit in with their other commitments. Remember, many young people are juggling work and study or work in more than one job, so may need to adjust their volunteering hours as their study or work commitments change. Look for shorter commitment - more project-based tasks. Make it easy for young people to get involved - Minimise the screening/induction process e.g. from the email that you receive from GoVolunteer expressing interest, reply as soon as possible (Remember it is the age of instant communication!) Invite the volunteer in so that you can meet them and tell them more about the position - if you are happy that they can perform the role and they are still interested in helping you - then set a time for them to start! Make your job description sound interesting - don't start a gardening position description with "Weeding" start it with "Enjoy the Outdoors!" Don't forget to check that your Volunteer Insurance policy covers your younger volunteers. Involve young people in evaluating the program to improve and develop it. Examples of Youth-friendly Projects & Youth-Friendly Language Dog-walking - they may only need to commit to an hour a week Planting trees - they can see instant results Novelty fun fundraising activities - eg National Board Shorts Day Painting fishes on drains to remind people that what we put down the drain goes into our rivers "Office skills, get real life experience!" - instead of asking for 'Admin Volunteers' Computer tutors to teach older people about computers and the Internet 'Retail Experience' - instead of 'Op Shop Volunteer' Marketing volunteers to assist in brochure distribution Lifesaving on the beaches Sailing or ten-pin bowling with someone with a disability. Retaining Young Volunteers Show appreciation and recognise your volunteers - value their contribution. Give feedback and get (and listen to!) feedback Give volunteers ownership/responsibility of a particular project - give them leadership/decision-making opportunities Provide on-the-job training Provide clear job descriptions Enable your volunteers to have input into the planning phase Allow your volunteers to develop their roles in areas that are of particular interest to them Include them as part of your team - ensure they meet everyone and feel welcome Introduce volunteers to each other - foster relationships People make mistakes, and so can volunteers! Don't undercut your volunteer's confidence - look at mistakes as learning exercises. Be flexible - ensure your volunteers know that you are prepared to adjust their volunteer work to suit their schedules. What Discourages Young People Poor organisation of the task, orientation within the organisation or supervision of the volunteer Unsatisfying jobs Unclear job tasks Being talked down to Lack of feedback Lack of recognition Download our Involving Young People in Volunteering Fact Sheet (PDF Document) Managing Information Online Once you are registered on GoVolunteer you are able to manage your information on-line by logging in with your Username and Password. By doing this, as well as creating job ads you can: View Current Ads: This lets you view summary information about each of your current jobs including the number of people who have looked at that job's summary information, the number who have viewed the full job description and the number who have applied on-line to you. You can then choose to edit the ad (if, for example, you notice a typo or want to try different terminology), archive it (if the position has been filled) or extend it (if you are wanting to advertise after the one month initial advertising period). View Archived Ads: This gives you the summary statistics about how many people viewed your archived ads (when they were current), and enables you to edit or delete these ads from your management system. If you edit an archived job you can then re-post it to the site with or without changing the content. Edit Contact Details: This gives you the opportunity to update your contact details and organisation profile. Involving Families In Volunteering Family volunteering grows future generations of volunteers. Studies in the United States have shown that children whose parents volunteer and who participate themselves as part of their family activities are more likely to volunteers as adults. GoVolunteer, Australia's first national not-for-profit volunteer-matching website, allows families to search for volunteering opportunities using the keyword "team". Therefore please put the word "team" in your job advertisement. What Families Can Offer An increase in the number of volunteers available at one time Enthusiasm Volunteering families are more likely to volunteer more frequently Ways to increase Family Volunteering Encourage individuals to bring other family members Provide appropriate activities (screening and risk management practices may need to be examined) Expand existing assignments to make them an attractive option for families Design new positions to involve families Recruit a retired teacher to work with staff to develop appropriate activities for children and provide staff training for supervising children Examples of Family-friendly Projects Sorting donated books. Recycling projects Craft projects Planting trees Fundraising activities Assisting with brochure distribution Visits to nursing homes School and kindergarten activities Testimonials From Organisations Using GoVolunteer to Recruit Volunteers "I am delighted with the site GoVolunteer, which we've been using with great results. I'm extremely impressed by the high use of the site and the caliber of person who has approached us through it. I seem to have an enormous pool of great talent at my fingertips! Put me down as an extremely pleased customer." Education Foundation -- "I've had the pleasure of interviewing and matching quite a few people recruited through your terrific web site this year - it took a while for us to have the resources to look at web based recruiting, but I'm very glad we do it now." Co-ordinator of Volunteers Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind (RVIB) -- "I have to say we are more than pleased with the response so far. Your website is obviously very popular." Fundraising Coordinator, Victoria CAMP QUALITY -- "We were amazed at the professionalism, friendliness and enthusiasm of the volunteers that contacted UnitingCare through GoVolunteer. Of all the promotional efforts to get businesses involved - GoVolunteer proved to be the most successful. The emails came flooding in from the first day the ad was displayed. Another point to note, was the ease in which our target markets could reach us directly by email through the website. Business groups seemed to respond better to this, than having to fax in a registration form. GoVolunteer provides an invaluable, free service. The website provided the link we needed to meet businesses and community members looking to volunteer their time for a good cause. GoVolunteer made it simple to find volunteers for our major event - Pancake Day - and the results out-performed our direct-mail program by 2:1." National Co-ordinator - Pancake Day -- "Thank you for the support of Volunteering Australia over the last 12 months - we have had fantastic results from our ads on GoVolunteer and SEEK Volunteer - you make a big difference to organisations like Sunnyfield." Sarah Harrison, Membership and Volunteers Co ordinator The Sunnyfield Association -- "We at Neutral Bay Seniors are getting top quality volunteers to teach computer skills and help generally in the community centre. You have made a world of difference to the club and to me in general as I was struggling alone for a quite a while!! Thank you so much." Neutral Bay Seniors - June 2004 -- "Your program is very successful as the groups within the municipality that have promoted their activities through your website have been getting a lot more volunteers. It is a great initiative!" Leichhardt City Council, Sydney -- "As a member of a volunteer organisation looking for volunteers, this site is tremendous." Coastal Patrol Hawkesbury -- "I have been very impressed with the level of interest and experience generated by one advertisement." Back to School Day -- "Thankyou so much your help has been invaluable. I am so happy to have access to your service again. I appreciate your time and easy to follow step-by-step directions." Newtown Neighbourhood Centre -- "GoVolunteer - you sure have changed things!" The Benevolent Society -- "We are very happy to report that we receive a number of enquiries every month for volunteer work." Compeer -- "I am continually impressed by the volunteers coming to us through GoVolunteer." Gawith Villa -- "The team at depressioNet congratulate you all on a fantastic job and great service. Many of the depressioNet Team have found us via GoVolunteer and for that I sincerely thank you." depressioNet