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

Our graphics are from: Microsoft Clip Art and original

Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night.
[ Steve Almond ]

May Jack-o-lanterns burning bright
Of soft and golden hue
Pierce through the future's veil and show
What fate now holds for you.
[ Anonymous ]

Men say that in this midnight hour,
The disembodied have power
To wander as it liketh them,
By wizard oak and fairy stream.
[ William Motherwell ]

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
(morning tea will be provided)
Volunteering North Queensland Office
Unit 6/56 Charles Street, Aitkenvale

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.
Ph: 4725 5990
E-mail: enquiries@volunteeringnthqld.org.au

Meet every Friday - 2:00pm-4:00pm
The Women's Centre
50 Patrick Street, Aitkenvale

New friends to meet and useful information for all young women.

For more information contact:
Nyree - Ph: 4775 7555

All young women welcome!

VNQ welcomes two new members to the team!

Paula Johnson

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!

Cherryn Huggon

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.

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
Email: training@volunteeringnthqld.org.au

The form is also available for download at:
www.volunteeringnthqld.org.au/TNA2008.doc
(requires Microsoft Word to open)

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
Email: training@volunteeringnthqld.org.au

Upcoming Workshops

Principles of Governance
October 07 - 6:00pm-9:00pm
Railway Estate Community Hall
Trainer: Paula Johnson

First Steps in Sponsorship Information Session
October 22 - 5:00pm-8:00pm
VNQ Training Room
6/56 Charles Street, Aitkenvale
Trainer: Lorna Hemstead

Community Capacity Building
October 30 - 1:00pm-5:00pm
VNQ Training Room
6/56 Charles Street, Aitkenvale
Trainer: Lorna Hemstead

Events Management
November 12 - 9:00am-4:00pm
Burdekin Shire
Trainer: Paula Johnson

Organisational Tax & Legal Obligations Training Day Forum
November 18 - 9:00am-1:00pm
VNQ Training Room
6/56 Charles Street, Aitkenvale

October 14 & 28 & November 11
9:00am-1:00pm
Cost: FREE to carers
Booking essential - limited places

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
Email: gedwards@carersqld.asn.au

VOLUNTEER INVOLVEMENT

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.

www.gcbf.qld.gov.au

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

www.fahcsia.gov.au

West Townsville - Covering the areas of Heatley, Vincent, Currajong and Gulliver.

Friday Flicks
In conjunction with the Townsville City Council and Queensland Government's Tropical Public Health Unit, we are pleased to announce the next movie night.

Friday October 24 - 6:00pm
Heatley Park
Movie: Evan Almighty

BBQ, popcorn and refreshments will be available throughout the evening.

School Stories
"I Volunteer Because……"
As part of International Volunteer Day Celebrations on December 5, school students in the West Townsville zone are encouraged to write stories on their volunteering experiences. The stories will then be collated and bound and each school will be presented with their book on International Volunteers Day.

Upper Ross - The Upper Ross has been busy with projects and some big announcements coming up.

Santal Park Family Fun Day
Held in conjunction with the Townsville City Council, the family fun day is to celebrate the good work of the volunteers who cleaned up the park late in September.

Sunday October 05 - 11:00am-4:00pm
Santal Park - Santal Drive, Rasmussen

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
Open to all residents and groups in the Upper Ross area, this is a great way for residents to get involved in volunteering. The Challenge will open on October 30 and run until April 30, 2009. Winners will be announced during National Volunteers Week, May 2009.

For further information of how you and your group can be involved please contact VNQ on:

Ph: 4725 5990 - Cherryn

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!

For more information and some good tips on what to include in your annual report and how to use it as a marketing tool, OurCommunity.com have an excellent article on page 4 of the August issue of their newsletter 'Our Community Matters'.

www.ourcommunity.com.au

VNQ thanks them for their community support.

Quick Halloween Facts

• Halloween was once known as All Hallows Eve.
• It is celebrated on October 31, which was the last day of the year in the ancient Celtic calendar.
• It has been celebrated for over 2000 years.

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.

For more information and a copy of the checklist, visit the ATO website at:

www.ato.gov.au

AWARDS

Green Ambassador Awards

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

www.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!

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:

• Population
• Family and community
• Health
• Education and training
• Work
• Economic resources
• Housing
• Other areas (including Internet access and public transport use figures)

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:
www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4102.0

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:

• culture and recreation
• health
• education and research
• social services
• environment; and religion

The report can be read online at:
www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8106.0

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.

THE OMBUDSMAN'S SERVICES ARE FREE

Complaints - Ph: 1300 362 072;
Ph: 07 3005 7000 (Brisbane);
Fax: 07 3229 4010 (Brisbane);
Website: www.comb.gov.au

Queensland Ombudsman
The Queensland Ombudsman may be able to help if you feel you have been treated unfairly by a Queensland public agency or its staff.

THIS SERVICE IS FREE OF CHARGE

Toll Free: 1800 068 908; TTY: 3006 8174;
Ph: 07 3005 7000; Fax: 07 3005 7067;
Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.qld.gov.au;
Website: www.ombudsman.qld.gov.au

Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland
Level 2, St. James Place
155 - 157 Denham Street, Townsville;
Ph: 4799 7020, 1300 130 670;
Fax: 4799 7021; TTY: 1300 130 680;
Website: www.adcq.qld.gov.au

Dispute Resolution Service
Level 2, St. James Place
155-157 Denham Street, Townsville;
Ph: 4799 7870, 1800 809 605;
Fax: 4799 7871;
Website: www.justice.qld.gov.au

Office of Fair Trading - Qld Government
1st Floor State Government Building,
Cnr Stanley & Walker Street, Townsville
Ph: 1300 658 030; Fax: 47 53 2288;
Website: www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au

Townsville Community Legal Service
2/181 Sturt Street next to Bendigo Bank
Ph: 4721 5511; Fax: 4721 5499;
Email: townsvillecls@nitrousnet.com.au

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
Nicole - Editor of Willing & Able
Fax: (07) 4725 5996 or
Email: vnq@volunteeringnthqld.org.au

SPREAD THE WORD

Spread the Word about Willing & Able

Training Needs Analysis form - as mentioned on page 3
Download: www.volunteeringnthqld.org.au/TNA2008.doc

AGM Invite
Download: www.volunteeringnthqld.org.au/AGMInvite2008.doc

AGM RSVP
Download: www.volunteeringnthqld.org.au/AGMRSVP2008.doc

AGM Proxy form
Download: www.volunteeringnthqld.org.au/AGMProxy2008.doc