Worknow_Aotearoa_NZ

Tomahawk Smaill’s Beachcare Trust, Dunedin NZ

Tomahawk Smaill’s Beachcare Trust is a non profit organisation that aims to develop community supported environmental restoration, education and awareness.

TSBT started in 2000 with the aim of replenishing the local environment by replanting, dune stablisation and catchment care. Since then the trust has been active with dune clean ups, planting days and community engagement.

The nursery, managed by Gaileen Ross will produce around 4000 eco-sourced native plants each year and is the hub of the Beach care movement. As a charitable trust TSBT is always keen for volunteers. As an environmental volunteer with TSBT you can:-

• gain hands on learning in horticulture
• gain hands on learning in plant propagation,
• learn about local native dune species.

Aramoana Conservation Group

The community volunteer team cares for Aramoana beaches and the salt marsh. People are welcome to join the relaxed volunteer team during Spring – Autumn. As an environmental volunteer with TSBT you can:

• build team work skills
• improve your botanical knowledge
• learn about local eco-systems
• nurture an appreciation for nature

Orokonui Eco Sanctuary

In less than 10 years, the Orokonui Ecosanctuary has become the only place on mainland South Island of New Zealand where native birds, animals and insects can live a life safe from predators.

Volunteers are provided with direction, a safe walking environment and any equipment and materials needed. Contribute to a project that provides a legacy to future generations, gain new skills and meeting like-minded people. At the moment we need new volunteers for:

• Planting and weeding
• Pest and fence monitoring
• Track building and maintenance
• Regular care of habitat areas

Conservation Volunteers Needed, Dunedin NZ

If you’re willing to learn and happy to work outdoors then gather your friends and workmates and come help out as a conservation volunteer. For more information on volunteer work opportunities check out our volunteer marketplace.

If the right job is not here yet then simply create your talent profile and receive volunteer opportunities that match your talent, skills and interests as they are posted.

If your a community or charitable trust that needs volunteers please register a profile to promote volunteer work on our website.

Catch22: Work Experience Required

You’ve got a great education, you’re keen to learn, you want to work and contribute to society yet it seems that to get the job that you want you need work experience, which first means you need to get a job

The transition from study to the workforce can be difficult even when you know exactly what is is you want and how you plan to get there.

Yet it is the minority of students that emerge from study that well prepared. More often than not, our work prospects and aspirations are about as clear as mud.

Talent vs Degree

I worry that our education system does not adequately prepare people for the realities of the workforce and that the career guidance taken up does little to inspire in young people the pursuit of the dream.

In fact in some cases, being sent off to talk to the local branch of some national or multinational company that has a internship programme that matches your degree, might be the completely wrong direction in terms of matching one’s talents and values.

As was indicated during a conversation I recently had with a final year commerce student (FYCS) – Majoring in Economics

Renee: So you’re final year right?, what do you wanna do next year? Work?
FYCS : Not really sure yet,
Renee: You can do anything you want, you know
FYCS:  I’m kinda interested in writing…
Renee: Yeah cool, I majored in journalism. What do you think is you greatest talent?
FYCS:  I’m not really sure…
Renee: Everyone’s got talents [usual expectant pause] ok then …how about looking at it like this. If you could have any job in the world what would you do?
FYCS: Writing, or design, maybe advertising?
Renee: So I’m hearing, something creative right?
FYCS: Yeah, but its not really my major”
Renee: Your major doesn’t really matter, it shows that you have discipline and you’ve already learnt the most important lesson, how to learn. Being able to learn, being able to solve problems you can take those skills anywhere. You can choose to do a job you will love.”
FYCS: But I worry about my grades”
Renee: Your grades won’t matter what matters is work experience. Find a company that you want to work with and offer to volunteer. It’s a foot in the door and I reckon volunteer work experience will trump your grades
FYCS: Thinks about this for a nanosecond and smiles
FYCS: You’ve just made me shift my idea of what I could do from here to here (indicating with hands an expanded vision)

While the above tale is unlikely to be a completely accurate replay – there were umms & ahhhh’s, frequent head nodding and gestures -  it’s the outcome that mattered.

It’s amazingly encouraging to have seen and heard someone gain even just an ounce more hope for the future. Score 1 to me! in favour of the pursuit of talent vs degree based career paths.

Volunteer Work Experience

We see volunteering as a highly effective means for young people to gain work experience, develop work ethic and build work skills.

Some of the skills volunteers can develop include:-

* Leadership & team building skills
* Relationship building skills
* Communication skills
* Negotiation skills
* Creative thinking skills
* Organisation & time management skills

Most importantly it is a testament to one’s willingness to work which, in my work experience, counts for a whole lot more than grades ever will. Welcome to the workforce people.

Four Simple Steps Towards Your Dream Job

It may seem too simple and idealistic but it’s worked for me. I love my job and would like to see more people living the work life balance that we enjoy

1. Identify you talents, your passion, your interest and values as it is these qualities when combined with work that will put you on the path to a job that you love!
2. Create you talent profile and list your talents, passion, interests and value and using the magik of the interweb we will match your talent profile with volunteer work opportunities
3. Put yourself out there to work and learn more about what motivates and inspires you
4. Gather  references that testify to your work experience so you can expand your options & pursue the dream then repeat

Pretty simple really. It’s about mindset and taking action don’t let others define your future for you. Start working towards you dream job, begin now.

Beta V1.0 Live 4:30pm Monday 31st May

It’s taken us a year, and four times longer than originally planned (luckily there was that recession) but we now have V1.0 of the online community marketplace live!

We are one step closer to achieving the goal of making it easier for us all to find volunteer work opportunities that match our talents, skills and interests.

Now that our design and development team have provided a marketplace the job becomes mine to find the people and groups that will benefit from our work and talent matching tools.

I hope, in collaboration with others to encourage more young people to volunteer

As life would have it, we live in a university town that is full of talented people pondering their future and with the support of brilliant teams like OUSA & Ignite perhaps the challenge to attract young volunteers will be shared.

If you are interested in volunteer work experience please create your talent profile today. N.B: we match you with all forms of work or potential new teams based on the keywords you include in your profile so list talents, interests, skills and passion because it’s time to start creating you dream job.

This year volunteering awareness week – June 20th – 26th will celebrate “Volunteering Across The Generations”.

In the lead up to this week Volunteering  NZ has again released statistics that testify to the generosity of our nation. Some of the outstanding facts and figures include:-

• More than 1,000,000 of us were actively involved in volunteer work in 2004
• New Zealander’s contribute 270 million hours of formal, unpaid work for non-profit organisations annually.
• The 270 million hours has been valued at almost $3.31 billion in the year ended March 2004.
• The highest number of  volunteers worked in primary/secondary education sub sector (16.1%),  sports clubs (13.5%) and in religious activities (11.4%)

For more information you can download a copy Facts & Figures on Volunteering in New Zealand or visit the Volunteering New Zealand Website

Volunteer Your Time and Talents

Volunteering is integral to the way of life we enjoy here in Aotearoa and we are all reliant on the generosity of volunteers on a regular basis; be it a sporting or cultural event, the church you attend or the community groups and activities we participate in.

HOW TO: Find Volunteer Work & Pay It Forward

1. Register as a member of our talent community
2. Create your talent profile, entering keywords and phrases that describe your interests & values, skills & talents.
3. Technology connects  you with volunteer work opportunities that match your talent, skills and interests (keywords).

Register your talent profile today

A recent study by researchers from the University of Konstanz (Germany) has found that volunteering can offer mental health benefits and may even help people to perform better in their paid work role.

Research was conducted via a 2-week diary study, with 105 employees to provide data for a total of 476 days. Research then examined relationships between the amount of time spent on volunteer work activities during leisure time, psychological non-work experiences in the evening, and work outcomes during the following working day.

Results confirmed the hypothesized positive relationships between the amount of time spent on volunteer work activities and psychological detachment from work, mastery experiences, and need satisfaction in the evening.

Positive relationships between the amount of time spent on volunteer work activities and psychological detachment from work and mastery experiences in the evening suggest volunteer work’s potential to provide a break from paid work and to offer opportunities for recovery experiences.

The study “Volunteer Work as a Valuable Leisure-Time Activity” was published online in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology

Letter to IRD Re: tax + GST obligations of the charitable or business organisation

Time to be specific. What I wanted to know was whether organisations would be penalised for participating in a time trade community that supports volunteer mentoring and business based work-experience.

While my letter was only one page long it solicited a three page response from the IRD. More good news confirming the tax free status of time trade but rather than providing this information in part, I offer for your interpretation, copies of both my letter and the IRD response.

Tax Inquiry 26 January 2010 / IRD Response 24 March 2010

For more information on the IRD treatment of Time Trade please refer to Tax & GST

People are assets

I was moved today by a simple thank you from a friend…

thanks Renee for showing me I’ve something to offer

Perhaps I’m still a bit emotional from watching Avatar yesterday but her simple note made me cry because it reassured me that this concept – that People are Assets -  can and does make a difference in lives and communities.

This talented lady is currently my go to person for anything regarding the preservation of food. She is talented,  fun and generous with her time and knowledge.  She continues to teach and inspire me.

We volunteered together to provide a preserves workshop last year, in which she shared her time and knowledge about preserving. The connections made from that initial volunteer effort have lead to further connections and opportunities, in an ongoing movement toward community resilience.

It is people like this that make our communities stronger, happier and healthier places to live and enjoy life and I am immensely thankful today for these people who sustain my capacity  to live [work] & hope.

Sailing is an investment of time that I consider a rather noble pursuit but then I am biased because my dad was an avid sailor -  John Lee, Skipper of the Leeway – and he was easily one of the hero’s of my life.

leeway: To slip sideways downwind while moving forward.

Yet this adds weight to the fact that I’ve heard several people talking about sailing this year, from simply learning how to sail to planned journeys around the world.

And it is their sense of purposeful adventure and discovery that has inspired my thoughts on the direction of my personal endeavors as well as our company this year.

Time to change tack

I resolved earlier this year to keep a written journal, a common device of those sailing the oceans.  Indeed, I much prefer the creative process of writing ones thoughts vs blogging and I struggled immensely over the past week to find the inspiration to add value to our blog conversation so far.

Beside commenting on articles that inspire conversation or challenge my thinking it seems 2009 provided all the time needed to convey our vision, values and service. Upon reflection I realise that I have said all I need to say about Worknow and it is simply time to change tack.

Tacking – Basic sailing maneuver refers to turning the bow of the boat through the wind so that the wind changes from one side of the boat to the other side.

While we maintain our heading, we now power up the sails with the stories of those with whom we collaborate and whose bearing impacts on the work that we do.

Indeed, it is only through the collaboration and support of people, with the vision and creativity to apply Time Trade as a tool to encourage volunteering in their own community, can we hope to reach our way-points.

Ready About

I hope to increasingly use this blog to share the story of those that serve our communities in the most direct sense of the word. I hope, like me, you will find their stories inspiring and thought provoking.

Most importantly I hope to convey the conscious, collective community spirit under which these people and teams operate in order to inspire and encourage us all  to volunteer our time and talent on a regular and ongoing basis.

Using the simple tools now at your fingertips just imagine what we can achieve, what change we can effect and the difference we will make when we work now, together for causes that benefit us all.

Letter to IRD Re:Tax obligations for volunteer work experience

Dear Sir / Madame,

Thank you for your letter dated 24th September outlining the legislation upon which your advice is based. I now seek clarification on two points please.

1. We intend time trade to be a tool to promote, support and encourage people to volunteer in the community. For example;

• Sue Smith volunteers with the SPCA to walk a dog one afternoon. After the work is done the SPCA provides feedback for Sue’s online talent profile with the comment “Sue did a great job, she was on time and works well with animals” . They also credit Sue 1 hour for the 1 hour she volunteered.

• If charitable organisations use time trade as a means to provide recognition of volunteer work and offer constructive feedback on volunteer contributions will such an exchange be liable to any type of tax or GST?

2. We want to facilitate volunteer work experiences for young people and believe time trade provides a means to promote, encourage and reward volunteer work experience. However, if a business offers students Volunteer Work Experience for example;

• to shadow and learn from a business person
• attend meetings and take minutes or
• work with employees and contribute to a business project

And then use our time trade system to

1. place constructive feedback about the volunteer and;
2. credit the volunteer time in recognition of the time they volunteered

Would such activity be liable for Tax and GST?

Can you please clarify the treatment of these time trades for all tax or gst purposes. I appreciate your help to understand where our tax and legal obligations are on these matters. Thanks for your time.

Kind Regards,

Renee Lee
www.worknow.co.nz
renee@worknow.co.nz
+64 21 18 300 50

IRD Response Received 18 January 2010

On the basis that:-

• volunteer workers are freely undertaking volunteer activity within New Zealand chosen either by themselves or a group of which they are a member and
• volunteer activities do not form part of a business activity ordinarily carried on by the volunteer and
• a benefit is provided to the community or another person for which there is no intention of private pecuniary profit for the person

NO TAX LIABILITY ARISING

• the crediting of time to the volunteer and
• the posting of feedback on their volunteer contribution

IS NOT considered to give rise to an INCOME TAX or GST liability to the volunteer undertaking the work.

The time credit is considered to be a form of reimbursement of time and or costs that may have been incurred by the volunteer in undertaking the volunteer work, which is accordingly TAX EXEMPT

Copies of Correspondence

Tax Inquiry 7 December 2009 / IRD Response 18 January 2010

For more information refer to Tax & GST

Trust & Collaboration

Companies and leaders in today’s knowledge economy are beginning to recognise that traditional command and control methods of leadership are no longer the most effective way to inspire the best from people. Instead there’s a growing recognition that networked collaboration is the way of the future.

Ok, I am bias because collaboration is one of our founding values and I have issues with 80’s management theory. Words like power and  control, creep me out.

But no use complaining right, one must act hence our new venture - Worknow - where we connect talented people willing to trust and collaborate with each other and support flexible forms of work such as contract, project, freelance, and volunteer work.

Now, I noticed recently my tendency to sing about co-operation when contemplating ways to collaborate which raises two questions.

Are collaboration and cooperation the same thing?

They are defined quite differently by www.dictionary.com 

co⋅op⋅er⋅a⋅tion[koh-op-uh-rey-shuhn]

NOUN

1. an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit; joint action.

2. more or less active assistance from a person, organization, etc.: We sought the cooperation of various civic leaders. 

3. willingness to cooperate: to indicate cooperation. 

4. Economics. the combination of persons for purposes of production, purchase, or distribution for their joint benefit: producers’ cooperation; consumers’ cooperation. 

5. Sociology. activity shared for mutual benefit.

6. Ecology. mutually beneficial interaction among organisms living in a limited area.

VS

col⋅lab⋅o⋅ra⋅tion[kuh-lab-uh-rey-shuhn]

NOUN 

1. the act or process of collaborating.

2. a product resulting from collaboration: This dictionary is a collaboration of many minds.

Yet, I always “assumed” an interdependence becasue by my understanding effective collaboration requires co-operation. But now to the next question, which speaks even greater volumes about my education…

Why this song? “Co-operation, makes it happen. Co operation, working together”

 Clearly it was a song lyric from somewhere and when I goggled the lyrics I was not at all surprised to find that its actually one of the regular skits from an influential childhood programme…go on, take a guess. Here’s a clue. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12…

Yes, apparently my entire philosophy around collaboration stems from the Muppet’s on Sesame Street. Which in turn supports my belief that early education is a great place to develop a more collaborative and entrepreneurial culture.

Co-operation … makes it happen

Co-operation … working together

Dig it!

Co-operation … makes it happen

Co-operation … working together

Muppet In Shades:

I saw these crazy dudes

And they went out on the street

They were cleanin’ out the empty lot

And makin’ it neat

I said, “Man is this cool

What you tryin’ to do?”

They said, “Makin’ a garden

For me and for you.”

They said:

All:

Hey man, join us

Come on, let’s go

Together we can make a pretty garden grow

Girl: I’ll dig a hole

Guy: And I’ll plant a seed

Together: And we can add the water

That all growin’ things need

All:

Co-operation … makes it happen

Co-operation … working together

Dig it!

Co-operation … makes it happen

Co-operation … working together

metrolyrics.com

Not only do I heed the advice of muppets, I’m also involved with community gardens.  Scary, influential stuff our early childhood education.