Help and information for community groups

There are many free or low-cost practical resources to help community groups. The guides and tips range from running a meeting to deciding on the right legal structure for your club, through to employment issues,

• Your local DIA Community Advisor can free provide advice on:
  • Assistance with planning, including project planning
  • Provision of funding information
  • Advice on setting up legal structures
  • Meeting training needs
  • Group facilitation.
  » Find out more about the Department of Internal Affairs Community Advisory Services  and see their contact details.
• CommunityNet shares news, guides and tools for and by clubs, trusts, hapu and iwi. Fourteen how-to-guides cover topics such as human resources, campaigning and advocacy and risk management.
• The Charities Commission website features a 'setting up your charity' section and a 'strengthening your charity' section, which have links to many useful how-to guides and resources
• Community Central is an online space for people in tangata whenua, community and voluntary, public health and other organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand to work together, share and converse online.  It includes access to a range of community sector e-newsletters, as well as the employment resource kit Mana Mahi, which contains 17 best practice guides and 6 resource booklets relating to a wide range of employment relations issues.
• The Community Resource Kit on CommunityNet is a practical 'hands-on' resource to help organisations get started and to develop good practice in the voluntary sector environment. It includes information on 12 topics from planning and governance through to financial management, employment and information technology.
• The Managing Well online catalogue at CommunityNet lists resources and support available to help set-up or run a community organisation or project.
• Work and Income (part of the Ministry of Social Development) can provide help to set up and run a community project.
  » See the Work and Income website

• Keeping it Legal E Ai Ki Te Ture provides simple accurate information to help community groups understand and meet their legal obligations.
  » Check it out online as the free hard copies are now out of stock.
• The free Not-for-profit financial reporting guide from the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants can help community groups determine what reporting requirements apply to their situation and what they should do about it. The guide includes a range of checklists.
• Club Kit – Tools to run your Club, from SPARC (Sport & Recreation NZ), provides information about how to start a club and run it well. Whether you’re involved in a new club or one that has been established for some time, check out this free resource for some great ideas to make your job easier - so you'll be able to really enjoy running your club!
• The Te Puni Kokiri governance website is designed to help trustees and directors of Māori organisations with their responsibilities and roles as guardians and leaders. Governance in its widest sense refers to how any organisation is run, and includes all the processes, systems, and controls that are used to safeguard and grow assets. Much of the guidance material on the site is relevant for any trustee or board member.
• Presentations from SPARC's Strategic Planning - Development and Delivery seminar are designed for people who are involved, or will be involved, with leading or participating in planning for sports organisations.
• Te Papa's National Services Te Paerangi Resource Guides help those running museums with governance, management, planning, customer service, relationships with communities, managing volunteers, working with the media and much more.
• The Charities Commission’s registration guidelines can help groups that want to qualify for tax exempt status and call themselves a "registered charitable entity".
• Pat Neuwelt’s Community Participation Toolkit for primary health organisations includes useful ideas for any community organisation wanting to ensure it is connected to and involving of the communities it works with. Six key indicator areas include organisation structure, Māori responsiveness, and consultation and decison-making. To order a copy (for $25) e-mail kerry.hurley@otago.ac.nz or visit http://steeleroberts.co.nz.
• The Tangata Whenua, Community & Voluntary Sector Research Centre Clearing House offers free access to research, promotes a code of practice for researchers, connects people to research, allows groups to find researchers, and has the potential for email lists, virtual conferences, and a 'how-to' section, etc.
• Unitec’s Graduate Diploma in Not-For-Profit Management can help you develop the knowledge and skills to increase your not-for-profit organisation's effectiveness. Improve your ability to analyse your organisational challenges, mobilise resources, and develop strategies for raising funds, managing staff and volunteers, and building effective governance. Learn to manage multiple stakeholder relationships with staff, volunteers, boards, funders, clients and communities. Improve your self-awareness, relationship management skills and ability to manage from a clear values base.
  » Contact the Programme Administrator, the Programme Director Hilary Star Foged or visit the Unitec website for more details.

The Funding Information Service is the key place to locate sources of community funding.

• Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ) is active in promoting and supporting volunteering nationwide. VNZ has a code of practice for volunteers and volunteer involving organisations, as well as other resources to help with managing and recruiting volunteers.
  » Go to Volunteering New Zealand website
• VNZ’s Volunteer Now website provides details about volunteering opportunities. Voluntary groups can list vacancies there and potential volunteers can find new opportunities that match their interest. It is searchable by region , activity and organisation type.
  » Go to Volunteer Now website
• Volunteer Centres help voluntary groups recruit volunteers and match individuals to suitable roles. Many Volunteer Centres also run training workshops on a range of topics related to working with volunteers. They can also refer you to useful resources or people who've faced similar challenges.
  » A list of volunteer centres is at www.volunteeringnz.org.nz/contacts/regional.php
• VolunteerNet was launched in June 2010 to help connect volunteers with event-based volunteering opportunities, while at the same time providing a free online volunteer recruitment and management tool for event organisers.
  » Visit www.volunteernet.org.nz
• CommunityNet’s Volunteering how-to-guide includes a form to help you profile the type of volunteer you need, and a registration form so you can collect key information from your volunteers.
• The Charities Commission website features a 'strengthening your charity' section, which has links to many useful how-to guides and resources
• Work and Income (part of the Ministry of Social Development) can provide help with finding volunteers or subsidised workers.
  » See www.workandincome.govt.nz/community/setting-up-and-running-a-community-project.html

• Te Papa's National Services Te Paerangi Guide No. 29 – Working with volunteers suggests some ways of developing an effective volunteer programme and maximising benefits to both organisations and volunteers.
• Keeping it Legal’s ‘Volunteers, employees and contractors’ fact sheet highlights your legal responsibilities with regard to volunteers.
• SPARC’s Club Kit includes a whole section on managing volunteers, including a volunteer management action plan and a sample volunteer co-ordinator job description.

• Mahi Aroha: Māori Perspectives on Volunteering and Cultural Obligations identifies motivators and cultural drivers for Māori that contribute to maintaining mana for the whanau, hapu- and iwi. This research, commissioned by OCVS, indicates that Māori volunteering is based significantly on the notion of whanaungatanga (kinship).
  » The report is available online or you can order a free copy by e-mailing ocvs@msd.govt.nz.
• Volunteer workers: your guide to ACC cover
  Volunteers and community organisations wanted clarification of their rights and responsibilities in relation to accident compensation. ACC has since published ‘Volunteer workers: your guide to ACC cover’.
  » To view this information, go to the ACC website.
• Volunteer Drivers’ expenses
  Volunteers often receive donations or reimbursement towards their vehicle expenses. This has previously caused problems about whether these donations are actually considered to be ‘income’ for an individual volunteer and whether they would need to hold a passenger endorsed licence. The following information may be useful to non-profit organisations that reimburse volunteers' petrol costs:

• Health and Safety Guidelines for Community and Voluntary Organisations
  The Department of Labour has published documents to advise organisations how they are covered by the Health and Safety Employment Act 2002, and how to provide a healthy and safe workplace for their employees and volunteers.
  » To view these documents, go to the Department of Labour website
• Immigration requirements for volunteers from overseas
  In some situations, visitors to New Zealand who participate in voluntary work may be required to have a work permit, rather than just a visitor’s permit. In early 2010, the Immigration NZ website provided clearer guidance for holders of visitor permits who want to volunteer while in New Zealand.
  The website states:
  "You may carry out volunteer work while on a visitor permit. Volunteer work is work that is not carried out for gain or reward. Gain or reward can be defined as 'in-kind' benefits such as board or lodging or meals, clothing or transport. Volunteers generally work for charities and not-for-profit organisations. Non-paid on-the-job training before commencement of paid employment is not generally regarded to be volunteer work. Non-paid work experience for commercial organisations is also not generally regarded to be volunteer work. Please note that WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms in New Zealand) is considered to be paid work as WWOOFers receive food and accommodation. Visitor permit holders must not work as WWOOFers."
  The change to the website follows Volunteering NZ's discussions with the Immigration service.  
• Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) volunteer management training
  The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management provides volunteer management training through the RAPID (Response And Preparedness In Disaster) programme. This programme covers topics such as recruiting, appointing and supporting volunteers and managing spontaneous volunteers in emergency.
  » Go to CDEM website

• Volunteering Waikato Digital Learning Project
  With funding from the Community Partnership Fund and with a fabulous project team of volunteers, Volunteering Waikato designed and produced a series of training CD ROMS in 2006.
  The 3 CDs for volunteer co-ordinators and managers are:
  • Setting Up and Reviewing a Volunteer Programme
  • Recruiting and Orientating Diverse Volunteers
  • Training, Coaching and Valuing Diverse Volunteers
    » These are available for purchase from the Volunteering Waikato website
• Managing Volunteers
  The New Zealand Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations (NZFVWO) has produced a manual to provide information about issues involved in volunteer programmes.
  » To find out more about this manual, go to the NZFVWO website
• SAGES
  Family and Community Services (within the Ministry of Social Development) established SAGES in 2004. This programme matches older volunteers, who have skills and life experiences, with families and individuals to develop their skills in areas such as home management, cooking, budgeting and parenting.
  » For more information go to the Family and Community Services website
• Management of government volunteering programmes
  A number of government agencies with volunteering programmes have put in place policies to ensure that the programmes are managed well. An example of a government agency with a volunteering programme is the Department of Conservation.
  » For more information about Conservation Volunteers, go to Department of Conservation website
• A number of international resources may also prove useful
  » Go to the Volunteer Resource website
  » Visit Energizeinc.com for volunteer ideas and updates from Susan J Ellis
• International Volunteer Day (5 December)
  International Volunteer Day is a great time to recognise and thank your volunteers in special ways. As the date nears, Volunteering New Zealand’s website will have updates on activities planned to celebrate the day.
• Volunteer Awareness Week (3rd week of June)
  Volunteer Awareness Week is a great time to publicise the work of your volunteers and recruit new volunteers. As the date nears, Volunteering New Zealand’s website will have updates on activities to be held during the week.

According to Statistics NZ's Non-Profit Institutions Satellite Account, there are approximately 97,000 NGOs (non-government organisations) in New Zealand, but there is no single master list of these. 

Depending on your requirements, some of the following links may be useful to help you identify the groups you want to contact.  (Some include contact details and some make it easy to compile a list)

» The Family Services Directory lists over 5,500 community-based organisations and services by region.  Users can browse the organisation’s name or search by service type.

» The NZ Communities Web Enhancement Trust (CWET), a registered charity, has a centralised database of non-sensitive service data in New Zealand, which is stored in a safe, reliable repository. The data is currently being presented to the public through www.2cu.co.nz/ where it lists descriptions and contact information for numerous government and non-profit organisations. 

» The CommunityNet Aotearoa website has a listing by region of community organisations

» Your local Citizens Advice Bureaux website has a list of local community organisations

» Societies Trusts Online provides information on incorporated societies

» The Charities Register on the Charities Commission website has details on approximately 25,000 registered charities around the country

» The Inland Revenue website lists approximately 20,000 donee organisations

» www.webhealth.co.nz. is an online health and social services directory, which allows you to print off your own list of organisations.
There are currently over 160 new migrant services, over 200 Asian services, over 300 Pacific peoples services and more than 480 Kaupapa Maori services registered on Webhealth, as well as thousands of mainstream health and social services.

The NZ Communities Web Enhancement Trust (CWET) has compiled an online source of information listing descriptions and contact information for numerous government and non-profit organisations. This registered charity provides one place for public data to be stored and shared by all, using a centralised database of non-sensitive New Zealand service data stored in a safe, reliable repository. The data is currently presented to the public through www.2cu.co.nz/, which provides a simple method for searching, modifying or updating. CWET welcomes collaboration with others, so a range of websites could automatically receive up-to-date data and then present it the way they want. Such collaboration offers potential opportunities for savings and productivity gains by avoiding the need for numerous government and private services to store and duplicate service data in multiple silos.  You can contact CWET at phone 09 4382188, fax 09 4387866, e-mail: bruce@cwet.org.nz or click on the feedback button on the www.2cu.co.nz website.

A range of regional directories are also printed by different organisations from time to time.

You might also choose to make contact with community groups through the range of regular newsletters that are sent out to different parts on the non-profit sector.
» See details of some of New Zealand's community newsletters

Unfortunately, there isn't a single, central source of national awareness weeks/days etc, but the list of events compiled on the Auckland Regional Public Health Service website is quite comprehensive.

The Fundraising Institute of NZ produces a printed wallplanner with their members' appeal weeks on, but of course that only captures dates related to fund-raising.  The list is also on their website.

Other sites to check include:

• www.communityconnect.co.nz/ - which is dynamic because people can submit events themselves
• The Office of Ethnic Affairs events calendar
• Te Puni Kokiri's events calendar
• This United Nations link has international observances, days and weeks listed and international years and decades are also listed here.

The rules for taxing payments to volunteers were clarified (with effect from 1 April 2009) when the Taxation (International Taxation, Life Insurance, and Remedial Matters) Bill was passed in 2009.  This clarified how the two types of payments to volunteers (reimbursements and honoraria) should be treated for tax purposes.

In some situations, visitors to New Zealand who participate in voluntary work may be required to have a work permit, rather than just a visitor’s permit.

In early 2010, the Immigration NZ website provided clearer guidance for holders of visitor permits who want to volunteer while in New Zealand.

The website states:
"You may carry out volunteer work while on a visitor permit. Volunteer work is work that is not carried out for gain or reward. Gain or reward can be defined as 'in-kind' benefits such as board or lodging or meals, clothing or transport. Volunteers generally work for charities and not-for-profit organisations. Non-paid on-the-job training before commencement of paid employment is not generally regarded to be volunteer work. Non-paid work experience for commercial organisations is also not generally regarded to be volunteer work. Please note that WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms in New Zealand) is considered to be paid work as WWOOFers receive food and accommodation. Visitor permit holders must not work as WWOOFers."

The change to the website follows Volunteering NZ's discussions with the Immigration service. 

VolunteerNet was launched in June 2010 to help connect volunteers with event-based volunteering opportunities, while at the same time providing a free online volunteer recruitment and management tool for event organisers.

» Visit www.volunteernet.org.nz

Some other simple starting points are:

• ask a friend or family member if they volunteer
• contact a community group whose work you admire, and ask them if they need any volunteers.
• ask if you can help out at your sports club, a local community group you are interested in, or your local school
• get involved in your local marae or cultural group
• contact your local volunteer centre
• visit VolunteerNow or GoMad websites.

The Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ) website provides contact details for all local volunteer centres. Each volunteer centre has information about local volunteering opportunities.

VNZ also hosts the Volunteer Now website, which provides details about volunteering opportunities.

There are several good sources of advice on setting up community organisations, or developing polices on topics such as health and safety, the rights of volunteers, insurance etc. Practical assistance is also available to help with a community project

• CommunityNet provides ‘how to’ guides, case studies and the Community Resource Kit.
  » Go to CommunityNet website
• Funding Information Service provides information about funding sources.
  » Go to Funding Information Service website
• Charities Commission provides information about registering as a charity.
  » Go to Charities Commission website
• Ministry of Economic Development handles the registration of incorporated societies.
  » Go to Societies & Trusts Online
• Volunteering New Zealand supports, promotes and encourages effective volunteering.
  » Go to Volunteering New Zealand website
• Community Central is an online space for people in tangata whenua, community and voluntary, public health and other organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand to work together, share and converse online.
  » Visit Community Central 
• Community Law Centres offer legal services and training to their communities.
  » Go to Legal Services Agency website
• Keeping It Legal E Ai Ki Te Ture
  » Go to Keeping It Legal E Ai Ki Te Ture website

• Ministry of Social Development - including Work and Income
  » See how Work and Income can help