It has been a tumultuous year with a number of changes, both in the government and the economy. It has been a year of uncertainty with declining charitable funding and an increasing demand in volunteering hours and demand for services. Volunteering Auckland has had increases of more than 100% in calls and registrations. There have been huge increases in full time employed people and students looking for opportunities as well as those seeking employment. As a result the number of workshops provided to our member organizations has more than doubled. Our member service needs survey 08-09 affirmed that organizations are increasingly taking advantage of these opportunities to address their needs.
Feedback from our members also indicated a mixed result with regards to their volunteer requirements. Some organizations have had little change wherein a few have had to rely on volunteers to a greater degree than has been traditional or usual practice. Not for profits from many sectors, especially those providing social services reported increased stress levels which have been a direct result of the significant increase in demand for their services and the search for new funding sources as well as competing for a shrinking pool of known funds. We also saw greater stress experiences by the volunteers many of whom were looking at volunteering as a means to gain work experience or new opportunities.
The past year has been hard but it also provided us with the opportunity to highlight and promote volunteering to a wide range of people who normally wouldn’t consider volunteering as an option. With almost 44% of our volunteers this year in the 20-29 age group, it has prompted us to think in new ways and look at suitable methods for engaging and retaining these volunteers.
It was particularly apt that the theme of Volunteer Awareness week was, ‘Engaging Youth’. Volunteering Auckland ran a series of activities and events during the week including a workshop on ‘Engaging youth as volunteers’, a radio programme and stories in local papers in collaboration with AUT.
Volunteering Auckland continues to be committed to identifying, meeting and promoting the ongoing needs of volunteers and member organizations in the Auckland region. I am grateful to everyone whose time, support and passion has and continues to make this possible.
Yours in volunteering
Cheryll Martin
General Manager
