Issue 29 - 16 December 2009

The national Community-Government Forum held on 11 November was hosted by the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Hon. Tariana Turia, and attended by Prime Minister John Key and seven other Government Ministers - together with around 230 people from the tangata whenua, community and voluntary sector and government agencies.

The forum discussed options for a Relationship Agreement to replace the existing Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship. There was broad support for the concept of an agreement at the forum - with calls for a lasting agreement that would endure through successive governments; but also a desire to get an initial agreement drafted quickly. 

The forum steering group met on 7 December to reflect on the outcomes of the national Community-Government Forum and the development of a Relationship Agreement between the government and the community and voluntary sector. The steering group considered the caucus notes, key themes that emerged and the evaluations. Evaluation results showed more than 84% of those responding rated the forum very useful, and anecdotally people valued the opportunity to contribute to the discussion.

The caucus notes, key themes and evaluation will be listed shortly on the OCVS, Community Central and Community Sector Taskforce websites, followed by details on the next steps to progress the agreement.

Although not very active so far, the online discussion forums about the proposed agreement remain open for contributions.

» Participate in the Relationship Agreement discussion on Community Central

» Have your say about a Relationship Agreement on the Community Sector Taskforce website

» See the programme booklet and photos from the Community-Government Forum held on 11 November

» Notes from the Community-Government Forum - to be added soon

» Read the existing Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved Community-Government Relationship

During November, employers throughout the country received information about the new voluntary payroll giving scheme, which they can offer in their workplaces from 7 January 2010.

Payroll giving is an easy way for employees to support good causes as it enables donations to go directly from a person's pay to a chosen community organisation. Payroll giving will be administered through the PAYE tax system, so people whose employers introduce a payroll giving scheme will receive the tax benefits of their donations each payday, without having to present donation receipts or wait to claim at the end of a tax year.

Every employer received a letter and brochure explaining the basic changes. Employers with five or more staff also received a CD-Rom including the Payroll Giving Guide (IR617) from Inland Revenue and a selection of promotional posters. All this material is available on the Inland Revenue website and from the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector website.

How workplaces choose to set up payroll giving is very flexible - it is entirely voluntary for both employers and staff - and employers can limit the scheme to a few community organisations if they choose to.  

Some workplaces are planning to start with a short list of groups to support, so they can keep things simple for the initial introduction of the payroll giving. The OCVS has heard of workplaces where staff have voted for which groups to support, and other situations where donors (who are employers) have decided to offer their staff the opportunity to give to that chosen group. Some workplaces will be introducing payroll software that makes it easy for staff to change their own payroll donations - giving them the opportunity to donate to any one of the 18,000 plus donee organisations registered with Inland Revenue.

» Read about payroll giving - able to begin in January 2010

» Check the donee organisations list to see who you can potentially donate to

Payroll giving schemes will be initiated in workplaces by employers and employees deciding how they should operate. However donee organisations can take some actions to help ensure a smooth introduction.

• Make it easy for existing and potential donors to locate your organisation's legal name and bank account details (eg: put them prominently on your website, and make sure the person answering your phones can supply this info.)
• Know how your organisation's name appears on the donee organisations list on the Inland Revenue website (so you can tell people what to look for when checking the list).
• Follow Inland Revenue's guidance on receipting for payroll giving (the receipt should be in the name of the employer's business and MUST clearly state that the donation was made via payroll giving) - individuals do not get receipts.
• Be aware that most payroll software systems are updated on 1 April each year, so many employers may choose to wait until this time to start offering payroll giving.
• If your organisation employs staff, be one of the first to offer payroll giving options to your own employees - it will help you get to grips with how it works and you'll gain an appreciation of what is involved in setting it up.
• Consider how you will keep payroll givers informed about your work as you may not know their names and contact details, unless an employer agrees to supply this info - perhaps you need a newsletter for people to sign up for, a Facebook page or something for workplaces.
• If existing donors switch over to payroll giving - offer them a way to stay informed about how their donations are used by your organisation.
• Go along to a payroll giving information session when it comes to your region in April/May/June 2010. Apart from giving an overview on payroll giving, it will also be chance to learn about the different solutions on offer to make payroll giving easier for employers and non-profit organisations.
• Sign-up for the free OCVS e-newsletter now - to stay informed about tips, articles  and the payroll giving information sessions as they are rolled out in the New Year.

» See Inland Revenue guidance on receipting for payroll giving

» Check the donee organisations list on the Inland Revenue website

» Sign up for the OCVS e-newsletter to stay informed about payroll giving

» E-mail OCVS if you would like to help host a payroll giving information session in your region

» Read more about payroll giving

Thank you to the 425 people who participated in our recent e-news readership survey.  Most respondents had positive things to say about the e-news - along with a range of useful suggestions that we will work on over time. 

While some respondents receive a multitude of different newsletters and are active web-surfers, others rely on the OCVS e-news to provide an overview of what's on top for the sector and the government agencies that interact with it - so you appreciate the comprehensive range of topics covered.  However including a wide range of material has made the e-news grow in length, which some of you are struggling with. 

It's important for many of you to be able to pick out items of relevance - and it was pleasing to see that 92% of respondents had read about something useful to their work. This included news of an event, a publication that informed your work, a change that affected your organisation, and 22% who learned of a new funding source/deadline. Three quarters of respondents had passed on news from the e-news - forwarding items to others, talking about it with colleagues or reprinting it in their own publications. (That's great!)

In response to your feedback - we've made some adjustments.

• We've introduced a short cover e-mail highlighting the content - but still making it easy for you to click through to read the entire e-news in one place onscreen, or to print it out.
• We've shortened the e-news by moving the events calendar to a separate page, where we can also update it through the month.
• Some of you wanted an easy link you could bookmark in order to see back issues - so here it is: http://www.ocvs.govt.nz/publications/index.html#OCVSnewsletters5
• Some of you also challenged us to collaborate and co-ordinate our content more with others - so we'll be having discussions with others in the New Year to work out how we can do this more effectively.
• At this stage, we don't have the resources to produce a range of targeted newsletters for different audiences, but as our technology allows, we'll explore options to let you register for specific info/alerts.

There was most agreement about the frequency of the e-news - with 79% thinking eight times a year was about right. The topic where opinion was most diverse - was whether to, and how to, embrace the new opportunities that Web 2.0 and social media are presenting.  Some of you were up with all the lingo of tweets, RSS feeds, tag-clouds, Bebo, blogs, html and Facebook - while others just want plain, useful information and don't care how it looks.  We promise not to go overboard with any new ideas, but will explore the options and try to identify how we might make it easier for those who want it, to get timely, targeted updates between newsletters. 
(See the E-engage story #06 below for more on how some in the community sector are making these new social media tools work for them.)

A few of you wanted to read more stories about community activities, individual volunteers and the various groups working around the country.  A number of other newsletters already do this better than we could ever hope to - so we won't be moving into that space. But we do encourage you to subscribe to other newsletters via the links below.

Thanks again for all your ideas and comments - please keep them coming.

» Subscribe to multiple newsletters in one place via Community Central

» See a list and descriptions of other community newsletters you can subscribe to

» Read Community Connect - the e-news from Family and Community Services (MSD)

» Read the e-mail update from the Office for Disability Issues

» Visit here if you're still unsure about who we are and what the OCVS does

The national Community-Government Forum in November and meetings of the Generosity Hub have not been the only recent occasions where members of the OCVS have been hearing from the community sector and sharing insights - we've also been out and about at a range of other events in recent weeks.

• Diana and Hugh presented at the NGO-Ministry of Health forum, and to a meeting of social service agencies in Dunedin on 1 December
• Diana also presented to regional training co-ordinators and Community Link staff at two Ministry of Social Development workshops, and visited various agencies during a trip to Christchurch
• Alasdair spoke in Christchurch on ‘Contributing to our communities and to government decisions' at a Hands Up! civic participation and democracy forum organised by the Office of Ethnic Affairs for newcomers to NZ, and participated on a panel at the NZ Council of Social Services biennial hui in Wellington.
• James presented the 2008 giving research at the Volunteering Unleashed! conference and the ANGOA research forum, and attended the ASB Community Trust/Tindall Foundation's launch of their social lending report on Auckland's North Shore and one of ANGOA's Financial Reporting Act workshops
• Grant participated in Foresee Communications' charitable payroll giving workshop and day one of the E-engage Your Community conference in Wellington
• Judith participated in a panel discussion at the Community Recycling Network Annual Hui at Tapu te Ranga Marae.

As a small team of eight staff, we are limited in how often we can visit communities, but hope to reach more of you in 2010.

• We'll be bringing our Good Practice in Action seminars to Hamilton, Auckland and Christchurch, and our Good Engagement seminars to several locations starting with Christchurch in late March
• The payroll giving information sessions will be in a number of locations (tbc) from April-June and another series of Regional Funders Forums is scheduled for April/May 
• James and Alasdair will be presenting at the National Not-for-Profit Sector Conference in Auckland in March
• We are also likely to attend some regional meetings as development of the proposed Relationship Agreement progresses. 
• We will also accept invitations to present at or participate in community sector gatherings around the country (but we can't promise that we will always be available).

» E-mail OCVS if you would like to help host a payroll giving information session in your region

» E-mail OCVS with invitations to present at sector events

If you have an event, conference or meeting related to community or voluntary issues, you are welcome to send a brief description of the activity to us at ocvs@msd.govt.nz for inclusion in our email updates and events calendar.

High-quality presentations at this recent conference demonstrated real-life, practical NZ applications of new social media by communities. 

E-engage conferences have been running successfully in New Zealand for around 18 months - with previous events in Hamilton, Rotorua and Wellington, and one scheduled in Christchurch for April next year. 

Around 90 people attended this second Wellington conference about the web for community, non-profit and voluntary organisations. It featured presentations on the first day and in-depth workshops on the second.  The importance of relevance, ease of use, consistency of values, engaging people, capturing emotions and stirring individuals to action were emphasised by presenters.

For sceptical people who considered Facebook, web-surfing and other social media as time-wasters designed for individuals, the conference was a real eye-opener.  Learning how non-profit group Oxfam had successfully used Twitter to build its New Zealand networks and promote its work was enlightening, while Givealittle's ability to connect donors and charities directly is clearly working well for some groups struggling to raise funds.  Natalie Hofsteede's challenging presentation showed how quickly technology is adding to the tools available to fundraisers - in some cases cutting out third parties altogether. 

The Community Central presentation explained how this online community is bring NZ non-profits together to share and collaborate.

Learning that the NZ Council of Social Services had established a presence in Second Life seemed almost ordinary, after hearing live from an avatar how people in remote American communities had been given laptops and were receiving counselling and attending group therapy via a password protected area of Second Life!

A panel discussion wrapped up the day with thoughtful responses to challenging questions, as some participants shared news of the wide range of assistance available to help poorer communities access online services.  The conference demonstrated in many ways how a new wave of online ventures is using the web to empower communities to speak out, talk back and share information to create a real difference offline.

» Visit Wellington's E-engage website to see the conference presentations

» Register for Christchurch's E-engage event on 16 April 2010

» Read Why Engage Online - 11 good reasons identified by Bang the Table

» Share your non-profit online experiences via this e-newsletter or in a Community Central discussion group

Close to 400 participants from around the country (including lawyers and accountants) attended the recent Charities Commission Annual General Meeting.

Guest speaker Craig Fischer and panel members Nathalie Hofsteede, Bev Gatenby and Murray Edridge built on discussion of the publication The qualities of an effective charity, which was developed and consulted on by the Charities Commission.

As identified in the publication, an effective charity:

• is clear about its purpose and direction
• has a strong board
• has the right people for its activities
• shows fitness for purpose
• maintains a focus on learning and improving
• is sound and prudent
• is accountable and transparent.

Craig emphasised that an effective charity understands that the public has a valid interest in it, and manages its accountabilities to its stakeholders and to the public in a way that is timely, transparent, and understandable. A number of questions and further discussion followed.

With around half of registered charities having now submitted their annual returns, the Charities Commission has created its latest snapshot of the Charities Register - including data on how much money charities are receiving. 

The snapshot about charities' activities shows important differences from Statistics NZ's 2005 report on non-profit institutions in New Zealand. 'Culture, sports and recreation' makes up 44.6% of the total non-profit sector, but a much smaller proportion of charities. Three other sectors (‘social services', ‘religion' and ‘education, training or research') dominate the charitable sector but make up less significant numbers of the total non-profit institutions.

» See the Charities Register snapshot - as at 31 October 2009

» Read The qualities of an effective charity

» Read Minister Turia's speech to the AGM

» Download the Charities Commission Annual Report

» See data from the NZ Non-Profit Institutions Satellite Account: 2004

Two Ministry of Social Development websites recently went live with radical updates and improved information - designed to make it easier for people in communities to access the assistance and information they need. 

As well as information for individuals and families, there is information specifically for the community groups and NGOs that work with families.

Sections on the Family & Community Services website include:

• Distrbution of funding
• How to apply for funding
• Funding and contracting tools and resources
• Working with communities
• Running a community organisation
• An overview of the tangata whenua, community and voluntary sector
• Community networks in the social services sector

Sections on the Child, Youth & Family website include:

• Working with others
• Funding, contracting and approvals
• Awhi mai Awhi atu - a quarterly newsletter featuring stories about Child, Youth & Family's work in the community, and its partnerships with other organisations.

» Visit the new Child, Youth & Family website

» Visit the new Family & Community Services website

The latest issue of the Ministry of Social Development's Rise magazine explores ‘giving' - with features on how volunteering brings generations together and the Generosity Hub's work to cultivate a culture of giving. 

The magazine reports that although it's been a tough year for many New Zealanders, instead of a drop in donations of time, money and energy that might be expected during a recession, the reverse has turned out to be true.

The issue highlights the many different ways that Kiwis give, including:

• well-known Kiwis like Oscar Kightley who donate time to good causes
• employers like Landcare who offer support to mainstream employees
• work broker Sue Dynes who goes the extra mile within her job
• and Ministry employees like Stew, Max and Gail who volunteer in their communities with Habitat for Humanity, the Special Olympics and the Taukoko Teina mentor programme.

» Download the latest issue of Rise online

» Read more about the Generosity Hub's work

» See Volunteering NZ's International Volunteer Day media release on increased levels of volunteering by teenage boys

Four funders (Wayne Francis Charitable Trust, J R McKenzie Trust, Todd Foundation and The Tindall Foundation) came together in 2009 to discuss how they could best help NGOs to manage through the recession and into the years ahead.  The funders commissioned research and consultation around collaboration, and found that:

• community groups work together a lot already
• successful collaboration takes time, and is not always easy
• it is unlikely to work if forced
• it can add significant value to groups' effectiveness and efficiency.

As a result, the Working Together More Fund - He Pūtea Mahi Tahi was launched in October 2009. The fund assists community groups interested in working together more closely in order to make a greater difference for the people and communities they serve. The fund can provide seeding money and expertise.

Applications for the first round of funding have closed and the next one closes on 12 March 2010, so there is time to get things together for that.

» Find out more about the Working Together More Fund on the web

» Read more about collaboration and working together on the OCVS website

» See guidance on collaborative processes at Good Practice Participate

Statistics NZ is looking for people aged 15 years and over who would like to help test the draft NZ Disability Survey to make sure the questions are easy for everyone to understand and answer.

Every five years, Statistics NZ surveys people with disabilities to get a better picture of the well-being of all New Zealanders.  The survey collects important information that government and community organisations use to make decisions that affect everyone living with a disability, including their families and carers.

Volunteers to help test the survey should have a disability or look after a disabled child. Hour-long interviews will be held in the Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch regions - at a time and place to suit you between now and April 2010. Volunteers will receive vouchers to cover any travel expenses and thank them for their help.  Information provided in the interviews will be kept confidential.

» Contact Ninya Maubach at Stats NZ to find out more about being a volunteer - call (04) 931-4172 (by voice or through NZ Relay) or email Ninya.Maubach@stats.govt.nz.

» Learn more about the survey on the Stats NZ website

Capacity Development NZ (CDNZ) is a new not-for-profit organisation set up to provide capacity building services to the community sector.

The CDNZ team provides support from a range of perspectives, including organisational development, good governance, social development, promotion of health and wellbeing and sustainable development for community organisations.

CDNZ aims to work collaboratively with people, organisations and sectors to support the growth of strong, sustainable and capable teams, structures and systems.

Services offered include:

• governance and operational development
• sustainability
• planning and policy
• evaluation and outcomes
• financial planning
• relationships and collaboration
• mentoring and peer group support
• business case design
• service review and development

» To learn more about CDNZ visit: www.cdnz.org/ or e-mail alison.taylor@cdnz.org

Volunteering NZ plans to lead a new strategy aimed at building a professional development programme for volunteer management in New Zealand according to Alison Marshall, Chairperson of Volunteering NZ.

Volunteering NZ's plans were announced to mark International Volunteer Managers Day on 5 November.  This was followed on International Volunteer Day, with Victoria University launching an internet-based survey on volunteering, aimed at improving support for managers of volunteers.

Senior Lecturers Dr Karen Smith from Victoria's Management School and Carolyn Cordery from the School of Accounting and Commercial Law will map the backgrounds, roles, challenges and training needs of managers of volunteers. The survey results will be benchmarked against overseas data.

The Volunteering NZ strategy aims to identify and provide education and other support programmes that will enable volunteer managers to carry out their roles more effectively and gain much increased recognition for the value of their work. The research will provide an important information base for Volunteering NZ and the whole volunteering community as they consider how best to make progress in the professional development of volunteer management within New Zealand.

Volunteering NZ is forming a small steering group to determine the next steps to be taken and will also have discussions with education organisations about the role they might play in assisting in achieving an effective education programme for volunteer managers

» Contact Volunteering NZ for more information about the strategy

» Read the media release about the Victoria University survey of volunteer managers

» Participate in the VUW Volunteer Managers Survey - survey closes 31 January 2010

• Documents, photos and (with notes coming soon) from the national Community-Government forum held in Wellington on 11 November.
• Notes and presentations from the NGO-Ministry of Health forum: NGO challenges for changing times
• A new funding paradigm: Prospects for social lending and investment by foundations in NZ - commissioned by the ASB Community Trust and the Tindall Foundation.
  The development of social enterprise and lending has been substantial overseas, but is relatively undeveloped in NZ. This report by Glen Saunders describes what social enterprises are and explores what has been happening in NZ.
  » Further information from the ASB Community Trust
• Youth '07 - The Health and Wellbeing of Secondary School Students in NZ: Results for Young People Attracted to the Same Sex or Both Sexes.
  Published in July 2009 by the Adolescent Health Research Group at the University of Auckland, this report includes 2007 data on involvement in sports, cultural, volunteer and other teams/groups.
  » Download the report from the Youth 2000 website
• Government data website: www.data.govt.nz.
  Internal Affairs Minister Nathan Guy launched a new website last month to provide better access to government datasets.
  » For more info, see the website  and Minister Guy's media release
• The Department of Internal Affair's November At the Interface e-bulletin includes stories on:
  • Changes to Local Government Act and community outcomes processes
  • Collaboration case stories
  • Community outcomes profile updates - social report, annual reports and monitoring reports
  • Community Development Scheme 2010 funding round open
  • Update on the Gisborne Integrated Planning Pilot Project
• NZ Lottery Grants Board Annual Report for year ended 30 June 2009.
  Lottery profits continued to increase in the face of the recession due to an unprecedented series of jackpot runs. The final allocation from the Lotteries Commission to the Board was $189 million - almost $37 million more than forecast. The Annual report provides data on application numbers and those approved, as well as identifying trends in funding requests.
  » Copies are available from the Department of Internal Affairs
• The Ministry of Social Development Annual Report 2008/2009
  » View the report online
• The Charities Commission Annual Report 2008/09
• Fair Trading (Soliciting on Behalf of Charities) Amendment Bill drawn in the Members' bill ballot and introduced to Parliament on 19 November.
  This Bill aims to provide increased transparency and public accountability for professional third party collectors who are in the business of collecting funds on behalf of registered charities. The Bill would require those who fundraise for charities to make sure consumers know a portion of any donation will be held back to cover fees. If more than half of a donation is to be kept by the fundraiser they will be compelled to tell the donor the amount. The Bill will not impose any new obligations on charities themselves, and any fundraising they carry out directly using their own employees or volunteers will not be affected. The Bill passed its first reading in December and is now open for public submissions, which are due by 19 March 2010. 
  » Read more on the NZ Legislation website
  » Make a submission online - ensure you have enabled pop-ups in your web browser, so you can submit online
• NZIER Insight issue 9 is titled Something for Nothing.
  This Insight looks at what motivates people to volunteer their time, and how understanding those motivations can help organisations to make the most of their volunteer resource. NZIER Insights are short notes designed to stimulate discussion on topical issues or to illustrate frameworks available for analysing economic problems. They are produced by the NZ Institute of Economic Research as part of its self-funded Public Good research programme.
  » Read Something for Nothing - (the link to the PDF is on the right hand side)
• Giving & Getting booklet - produced by the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa NZ.
  This booklet examines issues that affect why we give, how we give and what we give - including money, goods and time. Giving and Getting is the sixth in a series of group study booklets encouraging reflection on contemporary issues impacting our communities.
  » Download the booklet from the PCANZ website
• Skills for the Future of Social Wellbeing 2020 - workforce development project for social services.
  Whanau ora, family-centred and community-building approaches are the focus of workforce planning for social services in 2020. Sector leaders have joined the Social Services Industry Training Organisation in initiating this workforce development project, which is in its early stages. A discussion paper is due for distribution in April 2010, and wider involvement will be encouraged, including with the health and disability sectors.The project will be looking at core competencies needed of organisations, workers and leadership as well as issues to do with professional development, recruitment and retention.
  » Find out more about the project online or e-mail jac.lynch@socialservicesito.org.nz if you are interested in being involved
• Envirostep, a web-based assessment tool to help organisations determine their environmental performance.
  Envirostep is a free, entry-level environmental management tool developed by the Ministry of Economic Development in collaboration with a number of others. It provides users with:
  • an environmental performance score and profile
  • recommendations (to reduce operating costs, environmental impacts & risk).
  • an action plan (to implement selected recommendations)
  • over 300 links to other environmental tools, service providers & further information
    » Learn more about the Envirostep tool online
• Keeping it Legal E Ai Ki Te Ture updated online.
  In early November, the process to update the content of this online resource was completed. A new feature on the home page shows a rolling list of legal tips couched in the form of a "Did you know..." question with a click through to the answer on the relevant page of the site. These will be updated from time to time to keep them current and reflect the current state of the law.
  You can keep using the printed version if you have one - just check the updates page to verify you have the latest version of each fact sheet. If you need to replace one, simply print out the relevant PDF. The date shown for the update represents the last time page content was revised or new material added due to changes in the relevant law (eight fact sheets were updated in June 2009).
  The updated content will continue to give you quality, simple and accurate information about your organisation's legal responsibilities.
  » Use the Keeping it Legal resource online
• Community Resources from the North Shore Community and Social Services Inc.
  New low-cost resources are regularly added to the range of publications available from this group. Recent additions include Evaluating Your Board's Performance, A Guide to: Volunteer Management, Funding Directory - Auckland Region 2009/10.
  » Check out the full range and order online
• Policy Quarterly - November 2009 articles include:
  • Behaviour Change: Insights for Environmental Policy Making from Social Psychology and Behavioural Economics by Alana Cornforth
  • Diversity and Democracy by David Bromell
  • The Problem with Defining Core Services by Mike Reid
  • Driving Improved Value for Money in the NZ Public Sector by Len Cook and Robert Hughes
    » Download the Quarterly from the Institute of Policy Studies website
• Inspiring Communities Network News Exchange.
  The November issue features examples of community-led development in action around NZ, including:
  • a report from the Inspiring Communities Forum: ‘A Super City Needs Super Communities'
  • a look at the proactive community-led development approach being taken by the Community Trust of Southland
  • Learning Links on Collaboration and Partnership
  • research showing NZers are neighbourly, and concerned about community
    » View the newsletter on the Inspiring Communities website

• Australian National Survey of Volunteering Issues 2009.
  Volunteering Australia's annual survey provides insight into the issues that affect volunteering in Australia. Some key findings of the report include:
  • more than one third (36%) of volunteers had not had any recognition for their good work in the last month of their volunteering
  • 'knowing that my contribution would make a difference' is most important to volunteers in their decision to volunteer
  • 44% of volunteers said out-of-pocket expenses (eg: fuel, phone charges) affected their ability or desire to volunteer. Only 17% reported that their organisation offered full reimbursement of their out-of-pocket expenses.
  • 27% of organisations said that out-of-pocket expenses had a negative impact on their ability to attract, recruit, train and retain volunteers.

» Download the full report from the Volunteering Australia website
» Read how NZ's rules for taxing payments to volunteers have been clarified

• IAP2 Australasia conference 'Tackling the tough issues' presentations.
  Keynote addresses and presentations from the recent International Association for Public Participation are now online.
  » View them all on the IAP2 Australasia website
• A Guide to Giving for Businesses - United Kingdom.
  This guide details the measures in place to promote giving amongst the business community. From shares and equipment donation, to raising money and partnership working, to employee volunteering and secondments this handy guide sets out how businesses can kick start or further develop community involvement programmes. The guide is also useful for charities seeking to develop stronger relations with the business sector.
  » Download the guide from the UK Cabinet Office website (scroll to the bottom)
• UK Giving campaign: What do you believe in?
  The UK's National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has launched a new campaign called What do you believe in? The campaign calls onpeople to actively support their favourite causes and the organisations striving to make a difference to their local communities and wider society. The campaign has wide-spread support from charitable organisations, and the backing of the British Prime Minister.
  » Find out more on the NCVO website
• The research professional fundraisers would most like to see conducted - United Kingdom.
  » See the results of this 2009 survey designed to guide the UK's Economic and Social Research Council's spending on research
• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Recruiting & Managing Volunteers - by John L Lipp.
  An entertaining overview of everything it takes to find, recruit and manage volunteers for a non-profit organisation.
  » Read a review of the book on www.volunteermatch.org
• Community philosophy - A project report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Unted Kingdom.
  This report looks at a three-year experiment using an approach called ‘community philosophy' to promote conversations and develop positive relationships between different groups of people within a community. Community philosophy is a mechanism for widening participation in decision-making at all levels, from choosing to get involved in the first place, to participating in the development and deciding the extent to which outcomes might be translated into other actions. The report identifies what community philosophy is, how to use it, and the benefits and challenges of this approach. It aims to introduce the methodology of community philosophy to a wide range of practitioners, especially those working in the community, as a possible way of promoting conversation and positive relationships, and democratising community involvement.
  » Download the summary or full report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website
• England publishes slimmed-down Compact - 16 December 2009.
  The refreshed English Compact is slashed from 160 pages to 22 and sets out how public and third sector organisations should treat each other. Five old codes of practice have been removed and the agreement has been broken down into three areas covering policy development, resource allocation and equality. A new section on 'advancing equality' has commitments to fair and equal access to funding. This was added because Voice4Change England raised concerns during the consultation process that losing the BME code would have a negative effect on third sector organisations working with minority groups.
  The new Compact places a greater emphasis on government and public bodies explaining and justifying the decisions they make.
  It reaffirms the independence of third sector organisations and their right to campaign and comment on government policy.
  The new agreement sets a clear agenda for future partnership, stating:
  • any organisation subcontracting public service delivery contracts to third sector groups should abide by the Compact's principles
  • public bodies should make payments to third sector organisations within 10 days of an invoice being received
  • Compact principles should apply to the distribution of EU funding
  • third sector organisations should be actively involved in policy development, rather than just consultation exercises.

» Download the new 22-page English Compact published by the Commission for the Compact
» Read An Introduction to the Compact, aimed at people unfamiliar with the agreement
» Read brief background about the Compact on NZ's Good Practice Participate website

Check the Events page on our website for items of interest to the community and voluntary sector and the government agencies that work with them.

Forthcoming highlights include:

• the New Zealander of the Year Awards in Auckland (Feb)
• the Community Economic Development Conference in Auckland (Feb)
• The National Not-for-Profit Sector Conference in Auckland (March)
• E-engage your community conference - Christchurch. (April)

....and much more.

» View the full events calendar online

If you wish to be added to the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector distribution list for this e-newsletter and other regular communications, send an email to ocvs@msd.govt.nz with your name and postal address.

The Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector raises the profile of the community and voluntary sector within government to encourage co-operation and effective working relationships. You can find out more about the OCVS here on our website www.ocvs.govt.nz, by email at ocvs@msd.govt.nz, phone: 04 918 9555, or by fax 04 913 3080.

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[Issue 29 ends].

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