Frequently Asked Questions Organisations

Volunteering Northland is a non-profit organisation that connects and strengthens the community and voluntary sector through volunteer engagement, professional development, networking opportunities, support and mentoring services. We act as a recruitment and referral service for volunteers and non-profit organisations and provide advice and training for the community.

• A Volunteer Recruitment and Referral Service. You may list as many volunteer opportunities as you choose for one annual membership fee.
• A profile of your organisation on our website, enabling potential volunteers to find out more about your organisation.
• Advertising – we advertise volunteer opportunities widely around the Northland Region, in local newspapers, through extensive social media, on our website and at community events.
• Access to groups of volunteers for specific projects through our Corporate & Team Volunteering Programmes.
• An opportunity to take part in our celebrations for volunteer events like International Volunteer Managers Day and National Volunteer Week.
• Advice and support in all aspects of volunteering and volunteer management.
• Access to current volunteer management information and resources.
• Discounted training opportunities for volunteer leaders and volunteers.
• Invitation to join our regular networking opportunities.
• Bi-monthly newsletter.

Volunteering Northland shall register any non-profit or charitable organisations or groups, but not individuals, offering volunteer placement in the Northland region who will consistently work within our policies and guidelines.

If you are unsure if our organisation is an active and registered member organisation with us, you can find a list of our current member organisations here.

The Organisation Registration Form can be filled out online. You will name a primary contact on sign up, as well as a contact for invoicing – this can be the same person. We will register the contact(s) on our online service Connect. By signing up, the organisation agrees to Volunteering Northland’s terms and policies displayed on sign up.

The registered organisations will receive an invoice for the annual fee. If payment of fees would cause hardship to your organisation, you can apply in writing for the fee to be waived.

Our membership fees are based on your organisation’s gross revenue.

• Koha – annual income under $140,000
• $110 – annual income $140,000 - $400,000
• $210 – annual income over $400,00
• One off events – Get in touch

We know that a sizeable number of community groups/organisations in our region are run mainly or solely by volunteers and funds are hard to come by. This is why we changed to a Koha-based membership model for organisations with an annual income under $140,000. If your organisation falls into that category, you can give as much or as little as you can afford.

You can advertise for volunteer roles in these areas: Administration, Animal Care, Arts & Crafts, Business Support, Committee & Board, Companionship, Conservation, Driving, Emergency Services, Events, Food Services, Fundraising, Gardening, Group Leadership, Health & Medical, Hosting, Information & Advice, IT, Languages, Management, Marketing & Communications, Mentoring, Practical Help, Promotion, Research , Retail , Social Support, Sport, Trades & Maintenance, Tutoring and Youth & Children.

You can advertise for the following types of volunteering: ongoing, one-off, events, short-term projects and team roles.

• Where the work is for the benefit of voluntary, non-profit charitable organisations.
• Where the job has not been performed by a paid worker within the last six months.
• Where the job will not usually require more than 20 hours per week.
• Where new areas of work are being explored and volunteers may pave the way for the creation of new jobs.
• Where there is an agreement within the organisation about the nature and purpose of the volunteer involvement.
• Where staff acknowledges the value of the contribution of volunteers and adequate resources are made available to support, supervise and train the volunteers.
• Where there is an opportunity for the volunteer to benefit from the work by achieving personal goals.
• Where a task can be carried out better by a volunteer than by paid staff. This might include one-to-one befriending, advocacy, visiting, etc.
• Where a distinct area of work can be identified for which the volunteer can take responsibility and which complements or extends the work of paid staff.

Registered organisations are able to log into Volunteering Northland’s online system Connect and create their own Volunteer Roles.

You may list as many opportunities for volunteers as they need, although Volunteering Northland will monitor ‘fair use’ of resources. A guide on how to create new volunteer roles in Connect can be found on our resources page. Volunteering Northland will double-check all information before it is published.

A potential volunteer, recruited by us, can have up to three referrals, as the volunteer might want to check out different opportunities before committing. We will email you with the details of the person who wants to volunteer for you. We would like you to contact them within the following 5 business days to keep the motivation alive. The volunteers get a notification when they apply for a volunteer role, but they don’t get your contact information and cannot contact you if you don’t get in touch. Please be aware that some volunteers don’t check their phone or email that often, so try to reach out to them via phone and email if possible.

The volunteers referred to your organisation from Volunteering Northland are referrals only. At no time does this referral imply a recommendation of specific applicants.

The responsibility of evaluating the applicants for appropriate placement in your organisation, including requesting police vetting and MoJ checks if needed, lie with your organisation.

We don’t offer MoJ checks or police vetting. The responsibility of evaluating the applicants for appropriate placement in your organisation, including requesting police vetting and MoJ checks if needed, lie with your organisation.

The volunteers we refer come from all walks of life – as long as they want to contribute to their community in a meaningful way, we will refer them. Volunteers come with different goals; some want to connect, others want to learn new skills or give back

As a registered organisation, you agree to ensure the outcome of each individual volunteer referral is communicated to Volunteering Northland in a timely manner. Once the match has been made, please let us know. If the volunteer is unsuitable, doesn't want the job, or does not take the position for any other reason, also let us know. We record all information for funding and statistical purposes.

To maximise the quality and make the experience for the volunteer worthwhile, the organisation will:

• Empower the volunteers to meet their own needs and the needs of the organisation.
• Offer volunteers work opportunities appropriate to their skills, experience and aspirations.
• Provide volunteers with clear duty statements and orientation to their work and the organisation.
• Offer training and support for volunteers to help them achieve personal and work goals.
  Implement procedures to safeguard volunteer safety and wellbeing.
  Offer reimbursement to cover out-of-pocket expenses.
  Recognise volunteers as valued team members with opportunities to participate in relevant organisational decisions.
  Provide mechanisms to acknowledge contributions made by volunteers.

Aotearoa has 17 volunteer centres in all regions of the country. Even though we work together on projects occasionally, we operate independently from each other. You have to sign up with each volunteer centre individually to access their services.

We have a growing volunteer database for volunteers showing an interest in one off roles, like events assistance, driver roles, street collections and emergencies. This means that we keep a list of people who have expressed interest in these types of roles. We will reach out to them when their skills are needed but it will be up to the volunteers if they respond.