Issue 15 - 17 December 2007

The OCVS team wishes our public sector colleagues and all those in the community and voluntary sector a relaxing break and all the best for the new year.

2007 has seen some major milestones achieved in building knowledge about the sector and we acknowledge the hard work and achievements of all those involved in making these possible.

They include the:

• Non-profit Institutions Satellite Account that showed voluntary labour boosts New Zealand’s 97,000 non-profit institutions' economic contribution to $6.95 billion or 4.9% of NZ's gross domestic product (GDP).
• launch of the Tangata Whenua, Community and Voluntary Sector Research Centre Clearing House as the place to find good community research and researchers.
• release of Mahi Aroha: Maori Perspectives on Volunteering and Cultural Obligations, which is available in print from the OCVS.
• Community-Government forum in June, where 150 people from the community and voluntary sector met with 13 Ministers and 50 senior government officials to discuss common issues.
• series of regional funders forums around the country and the release of Philanthropy New Zealand’s Giving New Zealand: Philanthropic Funding 2006 report, which showed that individual New Zealanders and non-government organisations gave $1.27 billion to charities and other community purposes in the 2005/06 year.

» For more on other events and activities throughout the past year, check out past issues of the OCVS e-news.

2008 looks like it will be an eventful year too, promising some significant progress in key areas where government and the community and voluntary sector are working together to find a better way. These include:

• the tax treatment of honoraria and reimbursements paid to volunteers
• development of non-tax incentives for giving and volunteering
• improving government funding and accountability arrangements with the sector
• building better government engagement with the sector.

As part of the Study of the NZ Non-profit Sector, mid-2008 will see the release of the NZ National Report from Johns Hopkins University, which will compare NZ's non-profit sector to that of other countries.

Of course, we also look forward to Volunteer Awareness Week from 15-21 June 2008 and the release of the research report on Pacific peoples' cultural obligations and volunteering.

The new NZ Curriculum, with its key competency of participating and contributing, may also provide new opportunities for involving young people in communities.

If your new year starts off quietly, then you may be able to grab 10 minutes to check out the useful information on two of the OCVS web pages: Help and information for community groups and Guidance material for public servants are sure to give you access to new information or remind you of useful tools that will set you on the right track for the year.

The OCVS was thrilled to host a seminar for public servants this month featuring Dr Kumi Naidoo, the Chief Executive Officer of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Civic Participation. We thank Dr Naidoo, NZAID and Dev-Net for helping make this event possible. Dr Naidoo had a busy schedule of speaking engagements while in New Zealand, including the Dev-Net NZAID symposium: Civil Society and Governance – Implications for Aid, and it was great that a capacity crowd from across government turned out to hear Dr Naidoo speak on how government agencies should engage with civil society when developing policy.

Dr Naidoo emphasised the wealth of policy intelligence and coal-face experience that the non-profit sector can offer policy developers, and spoke of the importance of participatory democracy. He highlighted South Africa’s participatory process in determining priorities in the annual Budget set by government as a sound example of mechanisms for citizens being structurally and formally listened to.

He also warned that if you reduce democracy to simply voting (not participation), then it is a threat to democracy and pushes dissent underground. He stated that it is much healthier to create spaces for people to talk in the open, rather than in a closed space where radical ideas can become dangerous.

Dr Naidoo said that a report on strengthening participatory democracy will be released at the 8th CIVICUS World Assembly in June 2008.

A recent IPANZ seminar presented by Australia's Dr Cristina Gillgren also provided some insights on community engagement and consultation. Dr Gillgren made the point that stakeholders should not be limited to those interested or affected by a decision, but should include those who will be affected if NO decision is made. In response to a question about growing apathy, she said it was important to have the door open to allow people in when they want to be involved and that people will want to be involved where they feel they can actually make a difference. Dr Gillgren likened the community participation planning process to the eight years required to get ready for an Olympics - ie: it's all the work you do beforehand that's important. Before embarking on consultation or community participation, Dr Gillgren said you need to identify WHY change is needed and profile everything, including the situation, community, stakeholders, your agency, constraints, history etc. Once this is understood, then determining the most effective tools and participation methods becomes clearer. It also ensures that you can be upfront about the level of community participation in the decision-making, as sometimes not everything is up for debate. (eg: the community might be involved in determining where a road may go, but the decision to have a road may already be a commitment made as part of an election process.)

If you are interested in learning more about community engagement and participation, visit www.goodpracticeparticipate.govt.nz and www.citizenscape.wa.gov.au, or contact Diana Suggate in the OCVS if you would like to contribute to the building better government engagement with the sector project.

In Britain, research by the Association of Charitable Foundations, the UK Workforce Hub and the Governance Hub finds that due diligence carried out by funders often overlooks governance, despite it being crucial to a charity’s viability.

Their advice is contained in the report Is it Seaworthy? Assessing and Funding the Capacity of Voluntary and Community Organisations. See links to more information on this report and more advice on good funding processes on the Good Practice Funding website.

On a related note, two recent UK articles from the Guardian provide some challenging ideas on the importance of measuring outcomes. Visit Measures of success and The price of complacency to find out more. Alliance Magazine also has free online articles on impact evaluation and information required to make social investment decisions. (For news on a New Zealand approach to measuring outcomes - see item 18 below)

New Zealand charities are also reminded to lodge their registration applications with the Charities Commission as soon as possible. See more details online.

Many of you will have recently received a copy of Rise in the mail. Rise is the Ministry of Social Development’s new quarterly, flagship publication, and replaces the previous range of printed newsletters that included OCVS News.  As part of MSD, the OCVS will contribute stories and content to future issues of Rise, however we will also continue to produce this electronic newsletter and post it on our website. We will no longer produce the printed version of OCVS News.

The first issue of Rise has a ‘family and whanau’ theme and includes interviews with former Governer-General Dame Silvia Cartwright, OECD Director for Employment John Martin, and Chief Executive of Barnardos Murray Edridge.

» You can view Rise or ask to be added to the Rise mailing list by emailing rise@msd.govt.nz.

If you have an event, conference or meeting related to community or voluntary issues, you are welcome to send a brief description of the event to us for inclusion in our email updates.

The government is looking at ways to make it easier for people to donate to their favourite charities and other non-profit causes.

As part of this work, the Ministers of Finance and Revenue have released a discussion document that explores the possibility of introducing a voluntary payroll-giving scheme.

Payroll giving allows people to have donations deducted automatically from their pay and forwarded to their chosen charity by their employer. In return, people who make donations in this way receive immediate, real-time, tax relief reflected in their normal pay, based on the amount they donate.

» For more information, see the government's media statement.

» The discussion document, Payroll giving: providing a real-time benefit for charitable giving, is available at www.taxpolicy.ird.govt.nz. Submissions close on 25 January 2008.

Victoria University’s Centre for Accounting, Governance and Taxation Research held a Business Links seminar to mark International Volunteer Day. Presentations from the four speakers on the topic of Should charities receive tax incentives? are now online.

Majority opinion seemed to support tax exemptions for charities – highlighting the fact that there was little to be gained in monetary terms from taxing or penalising charities. In response to one speaker’s comment that tax incentives for charitable donations were not a cost-effective measure, the Revenue Minister emphasised that it was not about cost to government, but sending a clear message that giving and volunteering are worthwhile and good to do – and so they deserve support and encouragement.

Speaker Frank Claridge suggested that we should not create policies like the fishing net that snares and strangles, but ones like the surging tide that uplift and carry forward good works.

Initial tax and charities changes were announced in the Budget earlier this year, and one speaker claimed there was anecdotal evidence of a slowdown in giving in New Zealand as people waited for the tax changes to take effect. Although the announced changes appeared to have wide support, many of those in attendance were keen for further changes, particularly in the area of imputation credits for charities.

At this event, Honours student Letisha Tan presented the Minister of Revenue with a summary of her research on volunteer costs and out-of-pocket expenses. The summary is online at the Volunteering NZ website. The full report will be on the Centre’s site shortly.

The NZ Royal Honours System is one way for New Zealand to say thanks and well done to those who have served and those who have achieved. Awards are given for service to the community or nation, and on merit and achievement, in whatever field, going beyond the normal requirements of duty or office. Awards are usually announced twice a year (on Queen's Birthday and at New Year). Volunteers and people who have made significant contributions to their communities invariably make up a sizeable portion of those who are officially recognised.

» ANYONE can make a nomination. Download a nomination form here.

» The deadline for nominations for the Queen's Birthday Honours list is 1 February.

If you need some additional skilled people power in your community organisation, then apply to the Department of Internal Affairs’ Community Internship Programme. The Community Internship Programme offers a community organisation an opportunity to improve its capabilities by utilising the skills and experience of someone from another sector or organisation.

The Community Internship Programme provides each successful host organisation with funding for the salary of the intern. The host organisation is responsible for the provision of administration and resources to support the internship. The first step is to identify an intern with the skills and knowledge to assist your organisation to achieve its development objectives.

Host organisations may apply for community internships of 3 months, 4.5 months or 6 months full-time equivalent with the agreement of the intern and their home organisation.

» More information can be found at: Community Internship Programme.

The prestigious Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award for 2007 has recognised the work done in developing and implementing the New Zealand Disability Strategy and NZ’s achievements in shaping and negotiating the intent of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities over a number of years.

The Governor-General will accept the Roosevelt Award in a ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in New York next year. It comes with a cash prize of US$50,000 for a New Zealand non-government disability organisation that has supported disabled people into leadership roles, promoted and advocated for the rights of disabled people, or worked to make society more responsive to their needs.

» Applications for the NGO grant are due by 15 February 2008.

Kiwi, geckos, blue penguins and coastal seabirds are among species benefiting from the recent round of 78 grants approved under the $2.68 million Biodiversity Condition and Advice Funds. Wetlands, coastal habitats and lowland forests also feature in the projects via habitat restoration, pest management and fencing work.

The grants are supported by a further $3.22 million contributed by landowners, local and regional government and other funding agencies in funds and volunteer hours, bringing total investment in this round to more than $5.9 million.

» The next funding round is expected to open around April 2008. See www.biodiversity.govt.nz/land/nzbs/pvtland/condition.html for details.

The free book How Can I Tell? gives all New Zealanders the skills to recognise when a child or a family is in need of help. The book also includes advice on appropriate actions to take if people suspect abuse. It has been designed to be easy to read and carry, to show the positive side of protecting children, and to provide lots of helpful information.

» For details on how to order, or information on other titles from CPS, visit www.cps.org.nz.

The inaugural Strategic Pay Survey of Remuneration in the Not-for-Profit Sector consolidates data on 3,215 employees representing 112 non-government organisations. On average, the difference in the median base salaries between the Not-for-Profit Sector and the Public Sector as at 1 May 2007 is 15.3%. The difference between the Not-for-Profit Sector and the General Market is 17.6%. This difference grows to more than 20% when compared with the Private Sector.

David Shannon of Strategic Pay spoke about conducting the survey at a recent ANGOA research forum. Notes from the forum will be posted online at ANGOA - Community and Voluntary Sector Research Forum

The Department of Labour’s online holidays tool provides guidance on:

• whether an employee is entitled to a paid public holiday, sick day or bereavement day; and
• what an employee should be paid for their day off or for working on a public holiday.

The Legal Services Agency’s LawAccess database now offers printable info sheets on a range of laws that cover commonly experienced problems. Info sheets address commonly asked questions on areas of the law and complement the existing LawAccess resources. LawAccess users now have a choice of searching for info sheets, resources from the 150 contributing organisations, freephone numbers, or contact details for community law centres, Citizens Advice Bureaux, or lawyers.

The updated version of the Wellington Community Law Centre’s Legal Reference Manual (published November 2007) is the basis of the info sheets. Fifteen of a planned 30 sheets are now on the site at www.lawaccess.lsa.govt.nz.

Don’t forget to also check out the free legal resource for community groups, Keeping it Legal E Ai Ki Te Ture online at www.keepingitlegal.net.nz.

This national Not-For-Profit Sector Conference is to be held in Napier on 13-14 March 2008. The conference aims to help managers, boards and leaders within NGOs learn practical skills. Combining both best practice commercial management expertise and extensive not-for-profit experience, this conference offers insight and skill development to match sector needs.

MSS Professional is part of Methodist Social Services in Palmerston North.  A Rickter Scale® workshop will be facilitated by Linda Glew on 27 March 2008, and will be of use to social workers and counsellors.

Rickter Scale is a solution-focused package that provides an innovative, non-paper based, individually-tailored assessment and evaluation tool. Using the Rickter Scale® individuals can set realistic and achievable goals, contribute to an action plan and help determine the appropriate level of support they require.

» Contact Helen or Vicki on education@methodistsocialservices.org.nz, or ph: 06 357 3277 for more information, prices and enrolments.

The NZ Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations has released Counting for More -  the second report of the Value Added by Voluntary Agencies (VAVA) project.

Counting for More is focused on a pilot study (in two NGOS - Plunket and Literacy Aotearoa) of outputs and outcomes. As with the first stage of VAVA, Counting for More is a recognition that annual accounts alone do not adequately reflect the full value that community and voluntary agencies add to social well-being and the economy of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The report is available in two formats – as a summary or a fuller discussion – from www.nzfvwo.org.nz or can be ordered in hard copy for a cost of $15. See more details in the latest New Dialogue online.

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The Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector exists to inspire co-operation and superb relationships between the government and the community and voluntary sector. You can find out more about the OCVS on our website: www.ocvs.govt.nz, by email at: ocvs@msd.govt.nz, phone: 04 918 9555, or by fax: 04 913 3080.