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WILLING AND ABLE |
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Issue 106 |
Newsletter |
October/November 2008 |
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Volunteering North Queensland Inc. |
Unit 6/56 Charles Street, Aitkenvale |
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Telephone: (07) 4725 5990 |
Fax: (07) 4725 5996 |
Email: vnq@volunteeringnthqld.org.au |
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Hi folks! Welcome to another issue of Willing and Able! It's the season of spooks and spectres, ghosts and goblins, apparitions and AGMs and whether you're interested in the latest reports on social trends or non-profit organisations, protecting sea turtles, going green over awards or in the mood for a little Halloween humour, we have something here for you! We also have news of some training workshops and a healthy eating and budgeting course, information on an appreciation day for Volunteer Managers and details of a series of community renewal projects. As if that wasn't enough, we also have some special news from VNQ, including a Training Needs Analysis that we're currently undertaking. All that and more, in this issue! So why not take a break from carving pumpkins and enjoy a good read of this, the Halloween edition of Willing and Able for 2008! Nicole INFORMATION SOURCES Credit where credit is due. Most of the information on the website and in this newsletter wouldn't be possible without the help of all the organisations who send VNQ information about special events or new resources that they want known. Thank you, one and all! |
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VNQ Website: www.volunteeringnthqld.org.au Halloween Quote Corner Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen, There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls. Our graphics are from: Microsoft Clip Art and original |
Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night. May Jack-o-lanterns burning bright Men say that in this midnight hour, |
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GENERAL NEWS Volunteer Managers Networking & Support Group Morning Tea Here are the details for the next Volunteer Managers Networking & Support Group Morning Tea. Friday, November 04 - 10:00am-12:30noon Topic: TBA RSVP by Thursday, October 31 for catering. VNQ's Networking meetings will be held bi-monthly. This is a great opportunity for people in the community sector to meet each other, network and share their experiences, knowledge and learning. Attendees can suggest topics for discussion, guests or issues. For more information, or to RSVP, please contact: Volunteering North Queensland Inc.
Young Women's Group Meet every Friday - 2:00pm-4:00pm New friends to meet and useful information for all young women. For more information contact: All young women welcome! |
Two New Faces at VNQ VNQ welcomes two new members to the team!
We're happy to announce that Paula Johnson, who has been delivering some of our training over the past twelve months, is VNQ's new Training and Development Officer. Paula is a qualified Trainer with a commitment to community development and an extensive background in delivering both accredited and non-accredited training. She has worked in a wide range of community organisations and museums, and managed festivals and projects for Townsville City Council and in the Northern Territory and overseas. See the Training & Development section (page 3) for news on Paula's first project with VNQ!
Also joining the VNQ team is Cherryn Huggon, who is VNQ's new Volunteer Support Coordinator for the Strengthening the Volunteer Sector Project. Cherryn has a long history of volunteering with community organisations and her volunteer experience includes working as a volunteer fire fighter, sitting on school P&C's, reading with early years students and grant writing. She was also chosen as one of two delegates from North Queensland to complete the first Certificate 4 in Business (Governance), specifically designed for non-profit organisations. See the Community Renewal Project section (page 4) for news on Cherryn's project with VNQ! WEBSITE NEWS Don't forget that VNQ has a website filled with information and links to all sorts of valuable resources. Updated Regularly - Special Events Page www.volunteeringnthqld.org.au/events.htm Updated every issue - Newsletter Page |
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TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT Training Needs Analysis As VNQ's new Training and Development Officer, one of Paula's first tasks is to conduct a Training Needs Analysis to ascertain your training requirements and endeavour to provide you with the support you need. So that we can better respond to your training needs, could you please take a few minutes to complete the attached Training Needs Analysis Questionnaire, and return as soon as possible to Paula at: Fax: 4725 5996 or The form is also available for download at: Paula will be in the office Tuesday and Wednesday. If you wish to speak to her about your training needs, please contact: Ph: 4725 5990 on these days or Upcoming Workshops Principles of Governance First Steps in Sponsorship Information Session Community Capacity Building Events Management Organisational Tax & Legal Obligations Training Day Forum |
FOODcents Program October 14 & 28 & November 11 FOODcents is a nutrition program run by Carers Queensland & Australian Red Cross. It provides information and training on healthy eating options and keeping to a budget when food shopping. To register or for more details, contact: Ph: 4773 5808 - Glennis or VOLUNTEER INVOLVEMENT International Volunteer Managers Day November 01, 2008 Volunteers make a substantial contribution in all areas of society, Australia and worldwide, however it is sometimes easy to forget that there is a large team of dedicated individuals working behind the scenes to keep those volunteer programs running smoothly. They are the ones responsible for the recruitment, training, support and coordination of volunteers. They are known by many different names - manager, project coordinator, executive officer - to name just a few, but they share a commitment to ensuring that our volunteer programs continue to grow and serve our communities. Since 1999, November 01 has been recognised as International Volunteer Managers Day (IVMD). It is a day when we acknowledge the managers of volunteers for the outstanding work they do and thank them for it. For more information on IVMD, visit the website at: Halloween Rhyme Time A gypsy fire is on the hearth, [ Anonymous ] |
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Halloween Humour Q. Why didn't the Skeleton go to the ball? A. Because he had no body to go with! GRANTS & FUNDING Gambling Community Benefit Fund The Gambling Community Benefit Fund distributes one-off grants of up to $30,000 to Queensland-based, not-for-profit community groups in order to benefit Queensland communities. There are four funding 'rounds' each year, with closing dates of February 28, May 31, August 31 and November 30 respectively. These dates have recently been changed so they no longer clash with the end of the financial year, the start of school holidays and the Christmas/New Year period. Community groups wishing to apply for a grant can access the funding application package, or gain further information, from the Fund's website. Helping Volunteers With Petrol Costs The rising cost of petrol in recent years has resulted in a major expense for non-profit organisations and their volunteers, especially volunteers who use their own vehicles for their activities in supporting their community. In an attempt to help ease this financial burden, the Australian Government are offering non-profit organisations grants of up to $2,500 to help pay for their volunteers' petrol costs, as part of their $21 million Volunteer Grants Program 2008. The program also offers grants of $1,000 and $5,000 to purchase equipment. Non-profit, volunteer and other charitable groups are able to apply for funding to help with reimbursement of fuel costs for their volunteers. Applications close on October 17. For more information, including application forms and guidelines, visit the website or call the free hotline. Freecall: 1800 183 374 |
COMMUNITY RENEWAL PROJECTS Strengthening the Volunteer Sector Well it has been a busy 6 weeks for the Volunteering North Queensland Community Renewal project. West Townsville - Covering the areas of Heatley, Vincent, Currajong and Gulliver. Friday Flicks Friday October 24 - 6:00pm BBQ, popcorn and refreshments will be available throughout the evening. School Stories Upper Ross - The Upper Ross has been busy with projects and some big announcements coming up. Santal Park Family Fun Day Sunday October 05 - 11:00am-4:00pm Free activities include: Face painting, sausage sizzle, music, aerosol art workshop, jumping castle and a presentation ceremony for clean up day volunteers. Come along, bring your family and friends, and enjoy a free afternoon of activities for the whole family. Upper Ross Community Volunteer Challenge For further information of how you and your group can be involved please contact VNQ on: Ph: 4725 5990 - Cherryn |
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GOVERNANCE Making your AGM Report Work for You It's that time of year again. Time for all organisations to write up their annual report. But instead of writing up a report that only relays the necessary facts and figures, why not make your report work for you? Although there is a minimum level of information that a report needs to include, there is no upper limit. You can include whatever other details you need to make your report stand out from the crowd and really showcase your organisation and what it stands for. Whether it's your organisation's mission statement, a list of goals for the coming year or stories on problems that were faced and the solutions found, don't be afraid to try something new and add things that will show the human element of your organisation. Your annual report can be more than a summary of what has happened in the past year. It can also be a very useful marketing tool. You can use it to show what you have accomplished, to acknowledge the support you've received from sponsors, donors, volunteers and members and to present a positive impression of the organisation to the reader. So why just use it once? Once written, an annual report becomes a valuable resource to an organisation. It can be used in a wide range of ways to promote the organisation and its aims and to encourage contributions and new members. So don't just see your annual report as a lot of work - it can be made to work a lot for you!
VNQ thanks them for their community support. Quick Halloween Facts
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TAXATION Employee Status - Checklist As many non-profit organisations have paid staff as well as volunteers, they need to ensure that they are aware of the differences in taxation issues for the two statuses. The Australian Taxation Office has a checklist available to help all non-profit organisations in meeting their tax and superannuation obligations.
AWARDS Green Ambassador Awards The 2008 Commonwealth Bank Green Ambassador Awards recognises and rewards Australians 16-30 years of age who work to promote or participate in conservation, environmentally sustainable living or other 'green' activities. The categories for the awards are:
One individual from each category will be selected as national Green Ambassadors and will receive a Naturewise eco-tour. One runner-up for each category will receive a five day Conservation Break with Conservation Volunteers. Applications close October 24 2008. For more information, contact: Conservation Volunteers To nominate a Green Ambassador, visit: |
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OTHER ORGANISATIONS Sea Turtle Foundation Turtles have always been mysterious and wondrous. They are symbols of strength, wisdom, good luck and long life and are important to many cultures worldwide. But the problems currently facing turtles, including pollution, habitat destruction, marine debris and climate change, are many and our turtles are disappearing. The Sea Turtle Foundation was formed to help protect turtles and to address the issues that are endangering their survival. They work to ensure that there are 'turtles for tomorrow', so that everyone may continue to marvel at these 'ancient mariners of the sea'. The foundation runs education and research programs, as well as campaigning on issues that affect turtles. Their website also has general information on turtles and the ways in which people can help these magnificent creatures. For more information on the Sea Turtle Foundation and their programs, visit their website or contact: Email: info@seaturtlefoundation.org EDITORIAL Ah, October... a busy time with AGMs and Income Tax deadlines. I was going to write a fun and witty editorial, however while searching for Halloween quotes, I came across a few gems that I sadly didn't have room for in the rest of this issue. So I thought I'd share them with you here, instead! Even More Halloween Quotes I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion. When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title. Happy Halloween everyone! See you next issue!
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INFO FROM AROUND THE SECTOR Social Trends Report The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released a new edition of one of its major reports. 'Australian Social Trends, 2008' is divided into eight articles in the areas of:
Many of the statistics divided up into state-by-state figures, allowing for easy comparison and a more relevant reference when using the statistics in grants or funding applications. International tables are also included for comparison between Australia and other countries. The report can be read online at: Not-for-profit Organisations Report The ABS has also released a report titled 'Not-for-profit Organisations, Australia, 2006-07'. This report is divided into five sections and provides information on the scope and strength of the non-profit sector in the areas of:
The report can be read online at:
Information on the release and contents of these reports courtesy of ourcommunity.com. That's a Lot of Pumpkin! Did you know that the biggest pumpkin in the world weighed in at an incredible 1,446 pounds. The record was set at a pumpkin festival in Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada in October, 2004. |
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USEFUL CONTACTS Commonwealth Ombudsman THE OMBUDSMAN'S SERVICES ARE FREE Complaints - Ph: 1300 362 072; Queensland Ombudsman THIS SERVICE IS FREE OF CHARGE Toll Free: 1800 068 908; TTY: 3006 8174; Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland Dispute Resolution Service Office of Fair Trading - Qld Government Townsville Community Legal Service |
VOLUNTEER PROFILES Volunteering North Queensland Inc. would like to hear from volunteers about their personal experience as a volunteer - why it has been important to you, what you have gained from volunteering, how you became a volunteer - your volunteer story. With your permission, we would like to publish your story in our newsletter, and also in our 'Volunteer Stories' section on our website. Please submit your volunteer story to: Volunteering North Queensland SPREAD THE WORD Spread the Word about Willing & Able Please feel free to pass this newsletter along to others that you think might benefit from knowing a little more about Volunteering North Queensland and the work we do. To subscribe to this bi-monthly newsletter, simply send an email to with "Subscribe newsletter" in the subject heading to: Email: vnq@volunteeringnthqld.org.au SPECIAL EVENTS For information on special events in the local area, visit the Townsville Community Calendar, brought to you by the wonderful volunteers at the Community Information Centre.
Or visit the Special Events page on the VNQ website. Disclaimer: Whilst every care has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, VNQ takes no responsibility for any error, omission or other mistake. Information is correct as of the date of printing. Contact organisations concerned for further details. | |
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INCLUSIONS Several documents were enclosed in the printed version of this issue. They have been attached for email distribution with the enews version. They are also available for download from the website. Training Needs Analysis form - as mentioned on page 3 AGM Invite AGM RSVP AGM Proxy form |
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