Tag: community organisation

Upcoming Council Elections

Posted on by alex

Thank you to the many individuals and community organisations that have shared their time over the past seven years. It has been an absolute honour to represent the Loughnan’s HIll Ward and the Mullum Wards in the City of Maroondah.

We accomplished a lot over these years, including new investment in community infrastructure, a focus on public transport advocacy and a Council that responds to needs in the community. During my time as Mayor I reversed twelve years of budget deficits and improved the accountability of Councils by encouraging debate and discussion during Council meetings.

I was the first elected Councillor to regularly maintain a blog, documenting my Council activities and to engage communities through social media. I provided a range of contact options to ensure that constituents were able to easily make contact with an elected representative.

After seven years I will not be renominating at the upcoming Council elections. I would like to thank the many people who have offered support and encouragement for providing the opportunity to respond to their concerns.

We have a great seven years together but it now time for me to focus on my career and other pursuits. I like the people of Loughnan’s Hill Ward and the Mullum Ward for the opportunity to serve as their elected representative.

Volunteering Victoria Panel Session on Social Media

Posted on by alex

Volunteering Victoria is the peak state-based body representing volunteer based organisations within Victoria. The organisation provides a range of activities to support its members, including professional development sessions.

This afternoon I was invited to participate in a panel session on social media to discuss my experiences in utilising social media within community organisations. The panel explored the usage of social media tools, including Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and LinkedIn to reach volunteers and encourage community participation.

It is important that social media is used to complement other forms of marketing and communication that are undertaken by an organisation. The benefits of social media are best realised that they are used in conjunction with other forms of marketing, ensuring a consistent approach in reaching potential volunteers and promoting the organisation.

Resourcing is also an important consideration when utilising social media. Given that most community based organisations work within considerable resource constraints it is imperative that social media is utilised efficiently and effectively. Fortunately social media tools, like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Youtube can be integrated ensuring a consistent and easy to maintain presence across these networks. Furthermore, new website content can be integrated with these tools extending the reach of a website and providing further content for social media.

Social media networks do need to be maintained and kept up-to-date with new content, integrating these tools and combining them with website updates ensuring an active presence and multiple opportunities to engage people via these networks.

The session was well attended, with excellent questions from attendees and I commend Volunteering Victoria for organising a dedicated session on social media. Community organisations can clearly benefit from social media tools if utilised effectively and integrated to provide a consistent and efficient marketing approach.

Eastern Volunteers Business Booster Breakfast with Greg Fordham

Posted on by alex

The Eastern Volunteers Business Booster Breakfasts are designed to connect businesses with community organisations. The breakfasts, which are held quarterly, feature a guest speaker with business experience who can discuss strategies to link with the community.

This morning guests heard from Greg Fordham, the Managing Director of Airbiz, an Australian based international consultancy that provides advice on aviation and airports. Greg discussed how he incorporates volunteering as part of his team building strategy, providing an opportunity for staff to partner with a community organisation.

The corporate volunteering program was designed to not only benefit the community organisation, but also to improve morale and enhance team building. Greg discussed some recent examples of the work undertaken by his team, including support for people affected by the recent Victorian Bushfires.

Greg’s discussion clearly highlighted how businesses and community organisations can both benefit from a partnership that delivers mutual value through support and team building.

The next Eastern Volunteers Business Booster Breakfast will be held on Wednesday the 8th of August, for further details please visit www.easternvolunteers.org.au.