“Last year, we had five individuals enrolled in Volunteering Victoria’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program. For me, it was important as a manager to give our leaders of volunteers an opportunity to learn, grow, and develop their skills, as well as their mindsets about what volunteer engagement and management truly entail.
Understanding that you are not ‘just’ a coordinator of volunteers is as significant a learning experience as it is for a volunteer to realise they are not ‘just’ a volunteer.
The CPD program, being a cost our not-for-profit organisation can afford to cover for our people, offers a fantastic chance to empower our leaders to engage in a program that broadens their capacity. After having two of us complete the program in the previous year, it was a given that we would endeavour to increase participation in 2024.
I am inspired by seeing others grow and develop as much as I value my own personal growth. With the CPD program, I am very grateful for the flexibility it offers. When the program begins in the first quarter of the year, I am at my freshest, ready to apply myself to learning and growth, which then fuels the remaining three quarters of the year. I enjoy undertaking the various free educational activities offered by Volunteering Victoria and Volunteer Resource Centres, which allow me to connect with peer groups. These connections further inspire growth through validation and a sense of connectedness.
As a result of CPD, I believe each team member who completes the program will improve their practices and advance their skills, knowledge, and experience in their chosen field.
CPD has also helped our team become more familiar with Volunteering Victoria’s online resources and those of Volunteer Resource Centres. Staying connected to our peak bodies and VRCs is vital.
We can get so weighed down in the day-to-day that we don’t always factor in time to connect, learn, and think about the bigger picture – for ourselves or our work.
CPD enables individuals to take a proactive approach to their own professional development, allowing them to address areas where they feel less confident at a pace that suits their needs or to deepen their expertise in areas where they are already strong.
The Volunteering Victoria Guides are excellent tools to help align our thinking. They can be reviewed quickly to gain insights and build momentum. As a manager, I can encourage staff to share their learnings during team meetings, which elevates their status within the team and boosts their confidence. We also use certain resources related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, individuals from CALD backgrounds, and people with disabilities as evidence to demonstrate our commitment to diversity and inclusion during audits.
I am fortunate to be able to complete the program requirements relatively quickly. However, I noticed my learning slowed during the year once I achieved my points, partly because our workload increased, and we are under-resourced – especially as our volunteer numbers have grown. Next year, I will look for ways to stay engaged and motivated throughout the year at a steadier pace.
We also engaged with VRCs and peak bodies to support our growth in relation to the National Standards and updating our Volunteer Policy, which will carry into 2025.
I am grateful for the opportunity to learn, grow, and bring others along on this journey. I look forward to continuing this in 2025.”
