2010 AAVA Volunteer Manager Award of Excellence

Nominations are now open for the 2010 Volunteer Manager Award of Excellence. AAVA annually recognises a manager of volunteers for his or her outstanding contribution to the profession of volunteer management.

2009/ 2010 has been an enormous year for volunteers and volunteer managers. With the increase in volunteers on the front line in increasingly dangerous events, volunteer managers’ roles have become even more critical. Pressures have been placed on communities because of the global economic crisis and as a sector we are starting to see more and more highly skilled people pick up the gauntlet and volunteer to make their communities a better place.

In Australia, unprecedented environmental activity across the country has placed enormous pressure on volunteer organisations. Community recovery teams have made their way to disaster zones, emergency services have mobilised thousands of volunteers for back to back disasters and the influx of volunteer enquiries across all community agencies has been enormous. The efforts of the outstanding individuals who manage volunteers and the volunteers themselves have seen many lives saved and improved.

In New Zealand, an increased societal awareness of the power of volunteering has seen over a quarter of the country’s population take to volunteering in increasingly diverse roles and capacities. The skill of New Zealand’s managers of volunteers has been evidenced through their creative and strategic response to the changing face of volunteerism, particularly as the country moves towards the enormous volunteer effort that will be the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In addition, a nationwide movement to improve the recognition of the pivotal role managers of volunteers play in their organisations and communities is taking shape, making the future of volunteering in New Zealand an even more exciting prospect.

The AAVA Volunteer Manager Award of Excellence is a tremendous opportunity to recognise these people. No matter whether the volunteer manager has been on the front line putting their lives at risk for the sake of their community or working in the community for sporting groups, the arts, local government, hospitals, environmental or community welfare organisations and the like, these people are ensuring the true value of volunteer contributions are felt.


To this end we would like to invite you to nominate an outstanding volunteer manager for this award. Nominations close by close of business 10 September 2010 and the winner will be announced at the Volunteering Australia 13th National Conference on Volunteering.