Volunteer Mataura

I need a logo for Volunteer Mataura ... a new volunteer jobs board launching in May both online and offline.

The website will look something like this:

If you'd like to volunteer to design a fab logo get in touch!

100 Ways to Make a Difference

This is a post by Caroline Ganun and was originally posted on her blog at DevelopmentCrossing.com.

Are you looking to make a difference in your community? Approximately 1.6 million more volunteers served in 2009 than in 2008, making this the largest single-year increase in the number of volunteers since 2003 (annual data collection for volunteering statistics started in 2002). A total of 63.4 million volunteers contributed 8.1 billion hours of service in 2009, equaling an estimated dollar value of approximately $169 billion for their services.

Here are 100 ways to make a difference:
1. Help teach a younger child to read.
2. Help cook and/or serve a meal at a homeless shelter.
3. Gather clothing from your neighbors and donate it to a local shelter.
4. Make “I Care” kits with combs, toothbrushes, shampoo, etc. for the homeless.
5. Pack and hand out food at a local food bank.
6. Adopt a “grand friend” and write them letters and visit them.
7. Visit senior citizens at a nursing home.
8. Rake leaves, shovel snow, clean gutters, or wash windows for a senior citizen.
9. Pick up groceries or medicine for an elderly person.
10. Go for a walk with a senior citizen in your community.
11. Deliver meals to homebound individuals.
12. Hold an afternoon dance for your local nursing home.
13. Teach a senior friend how to use a computer and the Internet.
14. Paint a mural over graffiti.
15. Invite local police officers to present a drug awareness or safety program.
16. Tutor a student that needs help learning English or another subject.
17. Organize a canned goods drive.
18. Clean up a vacant lot or park.
19. Organize a campaign to raise money to purchase and install playground equipment.
20. Plant flowers in public areas that could use some color.
21. Volunteer to help at a Special Olympics event.
22. Set up a buddy system for kids with special needs in your community.
23. Raise money for Braille books for visually impaired people.
24. Read books or the newspaper on tape for visually impaired people.
25. Bring toys to children in the cancer ward of a hospital.
26. Contact your local political representative about key issues.
27. Register people to vote.
28. Organize a public issues forum for your neighborhood.
29. Volunteer at a polling booth the day of an election.
30. Take a friend to the polling booths.
31. Vote.
32. Offer to pass out election materials.
33. Plant a garden or tree where the whole neighborhood can enjoy it.
34. Set up a recycling system for your home.
35. Organize a carpooling campaign in your neighborhood.
36. Adopt an acre of a rainforest.
37. Clean up trash along a river, beach, or in a park.
38. Create a habitat for wildlife.
39. Create a campaign to encourage biking and walking.
40. Test the health of the water in your local lakes, rivers, and streams.
41. Contact your local volunteer center for opportunities to serve.
42. Volunteer at your local animal shelter.
43. Help build a home with Habitat for Humanity.
44. Walk a neighbor's dog or pet sit while they are on vacation.
45. Teach Sunday school.
46. Learn to be a peer counselor.
47. Send a letter to one of America's veterans or overseas soldiers.
48. Volunteer at your local youth center.
49. Participate in a marathon for your favorite charity.
50. Become a candy striper at your local hospital.
51. Mentor a young person.
52. Serve your country by joining AmeriCorps.
53. Become a volunteer firefighter or EMT.
54. Donate books to your local library.
55. Donate clothes to the Salvation Army.
56. Start a book club in your area.
57. Adopt a pet from the Humane Society.
58. Hold a door open for someone.
59. Give up your seat on the bus or train to someone.
60. Donate your old computer to a school.
61. Give blood.
62. Coach a children's sports team.
63. Become an organ donor.
64. Teach a dance class.
65. Participate in Job Shadow Day (February 2).
66. Organize a project for National Youth Service Day (visit www.ysa.org/nysd).
67. Volunteer on a hotline.
68. Meet with local representatives from your area.
69. Don't drink and drive.
70. Listen to others.
71. Write a letter to the editor about an issue you care about.
72. Bring others with you when you volunteer.
73. Shop at local, family owned businesses.
74. Become a Big Brother or Big Sister.
75. Take a historical tour of your community.
76. Write a note to a teacher that had a positive effect on you.
77. Get together with some friends to buy holiday presents for a family at a shelter.
78. Recycle.
79. Drive responsibly.
80. Get CPR and First Aid certification.
81. Don't litter.
82. Shop responsibly.
83. Don't spread or start gossip.
84. Tell someone that you appreciate him/her.
85. Hold a teddy bear drive for foster children, fire victims, etc.
86. Make a care package for an elderly or shut-in person.
87. Teach at an adult literacy center.
88. Sing for residents at a nursing home.
89. Befriend a new student or neighbor.
90. Baby sit.
91. Look for the good in all people.
92. Coordinate a book drive.
93. Donate money to your favorite charity.
94. Make quilts or baby clothes for low-income families.
95. Bake cookies and bring them to your local fire or police station.
96. Donate toys or suitcases to foster children.
97. When visiting someone in a hospital, talk to someone that doesn't have many visitors.
98. Around the holidays, visit the Post Office and answer some letters to Santa.
99. Start a neighborhood welcome committee.
100.Visit www.SERVEnet.org to find volunteer opportunities in your area.
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Did YOU Turn Your Lights Out?

Of course you did . . . right?  And now you're wondering what to do next?  Why not commit to an hour of world changing, earth saving action every day between now and Earth Day on April 22nd - that's 26 days ... 26 hours of making a difference!  Imagine what you'll achieve!!

Need some inspiration?  Here's 26 ideas to help get you started:

1. Go for a walk
   Get to know your neighbourhood, get some exercise and give your car a rest!
2. Cook up a storm
   Get together with a few friends and fill your freezers with delectable dinners and tasty snacks.  Its fun, its real food - and it will save you money and make eating in easier than take-out!
3. Attend a Council meeting
   Find out what the issues are in your community.  Attend local government meetings.  Have your say.  Get involved!
4. Plant something
   It can be basil on the windowsill, tomatoes in the patio, a tree in the backyard or a glorious edible landscape.  Join a Community Garden (or start one), engage in guerrilla gardening, get some dirt under your fingernails and enjoy the beauty and bounty of nature!
5. Play board games
   Turn of the TV and have a night in with the family.  Board games are fun and teach kids to take turns, to count, to strategise, and to win (and lose) with grace - among other things.
6. Shop local
   Have yourself a local meal - with nothing on the plate that comes from further away than 100 miles.  Invite your friends and neighbours and help spread the word about the great food producers you have on your doorstep.
7. Volunteer
   Donate an hour or two of your time to a good cause.
8. Clean Up
   Take a walk around your neighbourhood picking up litter, or clean up your favourite spot in nature.
9. Read Aloud
   "When parents take time to read aloud, children are touched not only by the stories, but also by their parent's love" Calm and Compassionate Children by Susan Usha Dermond
   And you don't have to stop just because your kids can read for themselves.  Some of my most vivid and comforting childhood memories are of my father reading to me as a 'big kid'.
10. Make Do
    Do you really need new?  Or will what you have already do the trick?  Can you borrow from a friend or neighbour?  Can you repurpose something else to do the job?  Making do isn't just about doing without or being frugal, its creative too!
11. Pay AttentionMake a point of noticing the good things that happen in your day, share them with your loved ones and encourage them to do the same.  Keep an eye out for the beautiful, the unexpected, the inspirational, those little things its so easy to miss as we go about our busy lives.
    "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."- Albert Einstein
12. Go Without
    Try 26 days without buying anything new, or without buying any chocolate/coffee/shoes . . . and use the savings to help pay off any debts or donate it to a cause that moves you.
13. Give
    Give something away every day between now and Earth Day.  Make a point of being generous.
    
14. Bring Your Own
    Take your lunch to work each day.  Take a reusable coffee cup for your morning coffee on the way to work.  Make sure you have reusable cutlery in your drawer at work so you can say no to plastic stuff if you get a take-out lunch . . .
15. Get Rid of Clutter
    Clear out your closets and cupboards of things you no longer need - hold a garage sale, list your goodies on FreeCycle, hold a swap party or donate them to charity.
16. Be Prepared
    Put together a 'going green kit' stocked with reusable grocery bags, a BYO lunch kit, Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs, a water bottle, a travelling coffee mug, a selection of green cleaning products . .
17. Start Composting
    You don't have to have a big back yard to be able to compost your food waste.  A Bokashi system can fit under your bench, or you could set up a worm farm on your patio.  And if you don't have room for much of a garden you can always donate the results to your local community garden or share it with your neighbours. 
18. Build a Community
    Invite your neighbours over for a board games extravaganza, organise a street party, play charades, start a food co-op, have dinner with friends.  Connecting with others is good for the soul!
19. Watch a Movie
    Get inspired, get outraged, get informed.  Invite your friends around to watch a documentary about an issue that you are passionate about or that you feel you need to know more about.  It could be coffee, dolphins, capitalism or sustainable living . . .
20. On Yer Bike
    Ditch your car and bike to work. 
21. Smile
    Make a point of smiling at people.  Even when you don't feel like it.  Especially when you don't feel like it!!
22. Swap Your Old Books
    Update your library with a book swap.  You can do it online, or organise your own neighbourhood book swap.
23. Make It Yourself
    Make your own jam, knit your own socks, bake your own bread . . . pick a project and perfect a new skill over the next 26 days.
24. Help Someone
    Mow your neighbour's lawn, share your umbrella, look after your sisters kids for an hour.  Go out of your way to lend a hand every day for the next 26 days.
25. Do It By Hand
    Do you really need a machine to do that?  Get out your shovel to clear the snow from you driveway, use a rake to tidy up the autumn leaves in your back yard, try opening the cans with a manual can opener, get out of your chair to change the channel.  There are gadgets for everything - and sure they can make life easier, but they use power and make us less active.  How much technology do we really need to live happy, productive lives?
26. Spread the Word
    Tell as many people as you can reach what you are doing to change the world between now and Earth Day.  Share your actions in the comments below, on your blog, with your work colleagues, family, neighbours, the guy next to you on the bus . . . Who knows what movement you will inspire :)

Are You a Rebel with a Cause?

Image by Blondi000 via Flickr

In times of economic turmoil, non-profit organisations need their supporters more than ever. When there is less money to go around, there is usually more need - and when you put that together with the fact that donating to charity is often first to be cut from the budget when money gets tight, you can see how charity organisations are caught between a rock and a hard place in the midst of recession.

Supporting the cause that you are passionate about isn't just about giving money. There are plenty of things you can do that can help your favourite non-profit out that won't cost you anything but a little of your time. Not that some financial support isn't needed - but if you are not able to give that just now, try some of the things below. You can make a difference!!

1. Become an expert
If you want to become an effective advocate for your cause, you need to be informed.

Read widely, talk with people who understand the cause you support, talk with people who have differing opinions from yours so you are aware of all sides of the issue - even if you disagree wholeheartedly!

The more you know the better you can answer other people's questions, counter other people's arguments and spread awareness about the cause you are passionate about.

2. Spread the word
Most charities don't have a ton of money to spend on marketing (and are often condemned if they are perceived as spending too much money on advertising) so they appreciate the work of their supporters bringing awareness to the cause!

3. Donate things you no longer need
You may (or may not) have spare cash to donate, but charity organisations need more than just money. You can donate clothing and other items to your local goodwill store, material scraps to your local school or pre-school, outgrown toys to the women's refuge . . .

4. Vote with your wallet
Be aware where your money goes. You may not be able to give money to support your cause - but by spending mindfully you can make sure you are not supporting companies and industries that go against your values.

5. Volunteer
If you have some time on your hands, consider volunteering for your favourite charity. Even if you only have an hour or two a month, you can make a difference. Volunteers are the lifeblood of most non-profit organisations.

6. Find ways to give for free
There are plenty of great opportunities to support causes you believe in online that cost you nothing. From Care2's Click to Donate, to Better the World, to Everywun . . . not to mention all the Facebook applications that donate money to charity.

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In Praise of Volunteers!

Image via Wikipedia

Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. --Margaret Mead

Volunteers are the lifeblood of every community. From Victim Support to the Volunteer Fire Brigade, the local school to the Scouts and Girl Guides, from Local Government to local sports clubs, they work hard to provide for the needs of the community for little or no financial reward and sometimes at significant cost to themselves.

Volunteers help to build strong, sustainable, connected communities. Without them our communities would be unsafe, unfair, uninteresting and without direction.

In New Zealand, volunteers contribute some 270 million hours of formal, unpaid work for non-profit organisations annually. These millions of unpaid hours benefit human rights, faith communities, health, education, sports and recreation, social services, arts and culture, emergency services, the environment and conservation, animal welfare, and community support and development.

Often their work goes unnoticed - volunteers seldom make the headlines. They do, however, make a significant difference. Imagine what our communities would go without if it weren't for all this unpaid effort? The work that volunteers do is often of such value to those who benefit from it that it is quite literally priceless.

Lets hear it for the volunteers in our communities!

Do you volunteer? Share why you do it in our Volunteer Poll here.

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