National Volunteer Week 19-25 June 2022 honours the collective energies and mana of all our volunteers in Aotearoa.
More than one million people across Aotearoa volunteer for an organisation, contributing $4 billion to the economy. Much more happens within communities and informally between people.
This Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu – National Volunteer week, the theme is ‘Time to Shine – He wā pīataata.’ Let’s take the time to reflect – whaiwhakaaro on all those who give mahi aroha – volunteer for their communities.
It’s a time to recognise and celebrate volunteers, a time to shine – pīataata. It’s Matariki, a new year and a fresh start; a time to dream – moemoeā and make plans for the future.
These ideas have been inspired by national and international National Volunteer Week campaigns, as well as some new ideas for this year! Pick and choose the ones that resonate with you.
1 NVW2022: Firstly, check out nationalvolunteerweek.nz for everything you need to know about NVW2022. You can download all NVW copy and resources there. Don’t forget to use #NVW2022 and #timetoshine in your promotion!
2 Time to shine: He wā pīataata is this year’s theme – wherever possible, use the NVW2022 theme as the basis for all your activities and celebrations.
3 Social media campaign: Share pictures on social media, give a shout-out to your volunteers by holding star print-outs and share using #timetoshine.
4 Collaborate: Connect with local community groups to create a combined NVW2022 campaign (shared effort, more impact!).
5 Morning tea: Share the same cupcake recipe with your team, so you can all share the same morning tea! Try for coloured icing in the NVW2022 branding.
6 Thank you cards for your volunteers: Even better if they’re handmade.
7 Be the chalk of the town: Create NVW stars and quotes all over the pavements. You could ask your volunteers for quotes about why they volunteer and who they volunteer for – help inspire others to consider volunteering!
8 NVW stars over your windows: Print the NVW stars and stick them all over your windows at home, so people can see them from the street. You can download the stars from the Resources/ Other tab on the NVW website.
9 Certificate of recognition: Use NVW as an opportunity to formally acknowledge your volunteers.
10 Create thank you videos for your volunteers: Interview people online in your community and ask them to share what your volunteers mean to them and the impact they’ve had.
11 Good news stories: Contact local and national media with stories about your volunteers (even better when they’re told from the perspective of your volunteers).
12 Ask your volunteers: If you want to really do something your volunteers will appreciate, give volunteers options to choose from regarding how they’d like to be acknowledged.
13 Share your volunteer stories with VNZ: VNZ love receiving good news stories about volunteers and they can be shared on social media, VNZ’s blog or volunteering stories page.
14 Contact your local Volunteer Centre: Your local Volunteer Centre is the best place to start for learning about what online events and activities are happening in your region for NVW2022.
15 Use NVW2022 to encourage regular interactions between your whole team: If you’re a volunteer involving organisation, consider how regular team interactions between volunteers and paid-staff help strengthen relationships. Create a team to enter online quiz nights or other community activities.
By Margaret McLachlan
Communications Manager, Volunteering New Zealand