Volunteering Vic Flags Plans for Change
24 October 2013 at 8:56 am
Victoria’s peak body for volunteering has foreshadowed the adoption of a new governance model, including a new constitution and a new membership model for the organisation, which will be voted on at its Annual General Meeting in Melbourne today.
Volunteering Victoria has undergone a year of significant change, growth and renewal under the direction of CEO Sue Noble, who joined Volunteering Victoria a little over a year ago, according to the organisation’s annual report.
Noble says the Annual Report also reveals an organisation that has re-injected itself into the consciousness of the volunteering sector, including government and stakeholders, and has growth firmly in its sights.
“We have worked hard to connect with our membership of volunteering organisations and volunteer managers and the sector generally. Fair to say, I’ve done a lot of kilometres this year – and it’s been an absolute honour,” Noble said.
“But we have learned a great deal about what our members need and the challenges facing them – including the increasing reliance on volunteers to make organisations across all sectors work effectively and deliver services to communities as budgets get tighter, and adapting to the changing ways we volunteer.”
Noble pointed to a number of highlights for the 2012/13 year – including a more inclusive workforce with a mix of highly skilled volunteers and employees; Victoria’s activities during National Volunteer Week in May and included the extraordinary success of the online ‘Leaders’ Thank you Petition’; and the investment of time developing a new model for managing spontaneous emergency volunteers during times of disaster – including a peer support network for volunteer managers in affected communities.
“Our Annual Report this year demonstrates the extraordinary amount of activity and work we have achieved – and the path we are pursuing in the interests of volunteering in this State,” Noble said.
“Governance reform has been a priority over the last 12 months, with a program to review all our policies and the drafting of a new Constitution to better reflect our role as the peak body for volunteering in Victoria,” Volunteering Australia President Robyn Rose said in the report.
“On the national stage, Volunteering Victoria continued to work closely with the other state peak volunteering bodies to support Volunteering Australia’s move to Canberra, and the transition of its governance and management.
“The last 12 months also saw many changes to our staff and volunteer workforce as we realigned our priorities and built our capacity to deliver on our commitments.”
Volunteering Victoria also undertook a comprehensive review of its existing membership model.
“The review resulted in the development of a new membership and fee structure which is broader and more inclusive. Approved by the Board in April 2013, the new membership model includes associate and individual membership options and will be launched at the 2013 AGM.”
The Annual Report is available here.
