Skillshare Online Volunteer Induction

8/9/2019 Skillshare Online Volunteer Induction

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SKILLSHARE

SUPPORTED BY OXFAM

AUSTRALIAVolunteer Induction Program


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INDEX

1. Our aims

2. Who we work with & who we dont

3. How we source Volunteers

4. The role of the Volunteer

5. The role of the Monitor

6. Your Rights & Obligations

7. Issues and escalation

8. A typical project

9. Documents for reference

10. Contacts


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WHAT IS SKILLSHARE?

Our aim is to:

1. To provide an avenue for Oxfam Australia supportersand other like-minded people to become involved incommunity development and activities aimed at

achieving social justice, welfare and environmentalbenefits.

2. To support local grass roots organisations working inareas to which Oxfam Australia is philosophically linked.

The SkillShare program places volunteers with communityorganisations on specific projects with a defined end goaland time span. Throughout the term of the placement, the

project is monitored by another volunteer the monitor to ensure that it is running smoothly and that both thevolunteer and the community organisation are satisfied

with the placement.


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WHO DO WE WORK WITH?

Any not-for-profit organisation in or around

Melbourne can apply to Oxfam Australia

SkillShare for a volunteer or volunteers to assist

with a specific project that they have. There is noneed for the organisation to have deductible gift

recipient (DGR) status.

The community organisation is required to fill in

a form specifying who they are and the assistance

that is required. If the project meets our

guidelines then, ordinarily, it will be taken on.


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WHAT DONT WE DO?

It is important to be aware of the types of engagement we do not support, forexample:

1. Work which is clearly part of the day-to-day operations of an organisation(e.g. providing management committee members or administration staff)

2. Any direct lobbying for or to, governments or other organisations3. Providing assistance to profit making organisations;

4. Acting directly as a fundraiser

5. Advancing an organisations religious beliefs

6. Providing performance evaluation on specific individuals

7. Where the intention is to simply use the Oxfam name to lend weight todecisions already made or to advance the reputation of the organisation

8. Where Oxfam Australias reputation or integrity may be placed injeopardy.

9. Where staff and/or board members are not in agreement with the projectobjectives


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HOW DO WE SOURCE VOLUNTEERS?

Volunteers must have 5 years professional experience and aresourced via registration on the SkillShare website.

Candidates with the right level of experience are thentelephone-interviewed by the SkillShare Volunteer

Coordinator.

Successful candidates are then invited to complete theSkillShare Induction and once complete, are updated toAvailable to Volunteer on the SkillShare Volunteer database.

New Projects are added to the SkillShare website continuouslyand as a successful Volunteer, you can apply for all those thatmatch your skills and availability online.

Some Volunteers with Project Management skills may also beasked if they are interested in Monitoring projects more onthat later!


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THE ROLE OF VOLUNTEERS

The Volunteer is the person with the expertise who will helpthe client achieve their objective, bearing in mind theoverarching principle of capacity building rather thanproviding operational assistance, examples of our

Volunteers inputs are:

Providing facilitators for strategic planning to a variety ofdifferent organisations;

Legal advice to the Richmond Fellowship of Victoria inrelation to a range of contracts and corporate governance.

Providing seminars to members of VCOSS as tomanagement structures in not-for-profit organisations.

Developing a Volunteer training program for PositiveWomen Victoria.

Training people working in a community organisation

dealing with family violence to write funding submissions.


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THE ROLE OF PROJECT MONITORS

The role of monitor is to ensure that the project runs as smoothly aspossible and that the expectations of all parties are met. The monitorrepresents the face of SkillShare and (along with the managementteam) is responsible for upholding the standards of the scheme.

The monitor is the point of co-ordination between the volunteer, the

organisation and Oxfam Australia SkillShare. If there is more thanone volunteer assigned to a project then the monitor must co-ordinatebetween the volunteers as well.

Monitors are particularly aware of the need to maintain consistencywith Oxfam Australia principles and practices. Monitors assistvolunteers to contribute to the overall capacity of the organisation.

Note: we do not place Volunteers & Monitors who have notundergone the selection and induction process. However there havebeen limited occasions where a non SkillShare volunteer has joined aproject as a direct volunteer to the organisation in question.


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YOUR RIGHTS & OBLIGATIONS

Rights:

y For management team members to be available and toprovide the option of mentoring if required

y To feel comfortable approaching the MT with any issues

Obligations:y To attend the induction program

y To represent Oxfam as per the volunteers manual

y Not to bind Oxfam in any way to the client organisation

y To respect the rights of volunteers and client organisationsy To maintain confidentiality

y To be culturally aware and sensitive to both volunteers andclient organisations

y To provide regular project updates to the management team

y To attend Volunteers / Monitors meetings as required


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ISSUES & ESCALATION

There will be times when, for whatever reason,

either you cannot complete a project, or the client

cancels the project.

If you ever have questions, concerns or issues

that cant be resolved between yourselves (as

Monitors and Volunteers) then please do not

hesitate to contact:

y The SkillShare Volunteer Coordinator

y The SkillShare Client Coordinator

y The SkillShare Project Coordinator

y The SkillShare Team Leader


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EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL ISSUES

Project too large or too time-consuming

Volunteer/Monitor circumstances change

Project changes (scope or duration)

Client organisation advises they are not gettingwhat they hoped for

Conflict of personalities

Organisation arranges another volunteer (non-SkillShare)


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PROJECT INITIATION

Initial contact: The relevant community organisation willordinarily contact a member of the management team. Themanagement team member and the organisation willdiscuss their needs and, if it appears that there is a matteron which SkillShare can assist, the community

organisation will be asked to register on the SkillSharewebsite.

Project created: The Client Coordinator, a member of themanagement team will then help the community

organisation to create a project proposal on the SkillSharewebsite.

Volunteer and Monitor selection: The ProjectCoordinators will then contact Volunteers and ensure thatthere is someone available and appropriately qualified to

take on the engagement and also someone to Monitor thero ect.


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PROJECT KICK-OFF

Initial Volunteers meeting:A pre-commencement meetingis arranged by the Project Coordinator with the Monitor andthe Volunteer, this will usually be fairly brief and bytelephone. The purpose is simply to touch base and providesome background so that the Monitor and the Volunteer areintroduced to each other and provided with some background

on the project.

Initial Client meeting:An initial meeting will then be heldbetween the Monitor, Volunteer and community organisationto finalise the scope of the project, whether the parties arecomfortable with each other and to agree suitable timeframes.

Project agreement: The Monitor will then complete thecontract that the Volunteer, community organisation, Monitorand SkillShare will enter into. The agreement confirms thescope of the projects and the rights and responsibilities of eachof the participants. Each of the parties is then asked to sign itbefore the engagement formally commences.


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THINGS TO COVER IN THE CLIENT KICK-

OFF MEETING ...


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WHEN THE PROJECT IS IN PROGRESS

Reporting: The Volunteer should report to theMonitor regularly on how the project isprogressing. This will typically be done viatelephone or email on a weekly basis. The

Monitor in return reports to the ProjectCoordinator on progress. Reporting by theMonitor should be fortnightly and may be morefrequent if the project is of a short duration (thiswill be agreed in your initial meetings).

Quarterly catch-ups: On a quarterly basis, theMonitors will attend a face-to-face catch-up withthe Project Coordinators to talk about anychallenges or issues and discuss areas for

improvement.


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PROJECT COMPLETION

Project completed: On completion of the project anevaluation form will be completed by the organisation, the

Volunteer and the Monitor. It is the Monitorsresponsibility to ensure the forms are completed andprovided to the Project Coordinator.

Case study: the Marketing coordinator will often use yourevaluation forms and details of the project to produce casestudies for the website, you may be contacted to provide aquote or further assistance with this at the end of your

project.

Thank-you:After the project is complete it is importantfor us all to acknowledge everyones efforts. The ClientCoordinator will send a thank you to the Client for givingus the opportunity to help and the Project Coordinator will

thank the Volunteer(s) and the Monitor for the work theyhave done.


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REFERENCE MATERIAL

Templates for each of these documents can be

found on our website:

Sample project agreement

Sample client evaluation Sample volunteer evaluation

Sample monitor evaluation


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CONTACTS

Role Name Email

Team Leader Narelle Sheahan [email protected]

Project Coordinator Silvia Carbone [email protected]

Volunteer Coordinator Allannah Smith [email protected]

g

Client Coordinator George Smith [email protected]

Marketing Coordinator Narelle Sheahan [email protected]

Remember, if you have any questions at all, contact your fellow team

members, or the Volunteer or Client Coordinator we are all here to

help each other and you should never feel under too much pressure

because you are juggling your support of the SkillShare programme

with your day-to-day commitments!