My Volunteer Experience - Flavia
Volunteer Flavia with her IXcel CEO Award December 2022
Flavia joined the SAcommunity Team on the 12 September 2017 as part of the SAcommunity Council Partnerships Program with the City of Prospect. Initially starting in the Customer Service Team, she joined the Media & Communication Team to tell not-for-profit stories, and the Grants & Partnerships Team to foster our SAcommunity networks. She volunteers for ~4 hours a week around her other volunteering commitments with a number of community development groups in the Prospect area.
Total Hours 471* This Year 110 Joined 12 September 2017 Last Check-in 25 October 2024
Total Hours 471* This Year 110 Joined 12 September 2017 Last Check-in 25 October 2024
*count from 2019
SAcommunity wanted to highlight our affection for 'the old guard' our experienced and established SAcommunity veterans. People who make up our core team, return regularly each week to volunteer and keep the service running. They assist in decision-making, idea development and implementation, check and create processes, and critically, help our new volunteers and interns find their feet. We felt we were more than overdue to introduce, acknowledge and thank some of our team members.
Image: Volunteer Flavia and Rex Porter at the Connecting Up Office 5 July 2024
SAcommunity wanted to highlight our affection for 'the old guard' our experienced and established SAcommunity veterans. People who make up our core team, return regularly each week to volunteer and keep the service running. They assist in decision-making, idea development and implementation, check and create processes, and critically, help our new volunteers and interns find their feet. We felt we were more than overdue to introduce, acknowledge and thank some of our team members.
Image: Volunteer Flavia and Rex Porter at the Connecting Up Office 5 July 2024
Our Volunteer Flavia
Flavia began volunteering at Connecting Up along with fellow City of Prospect council volunteers Stathis Avramis and Rex Porter to keep the Prospect records up-to-date for council, local services and community use, promoting partnerships and networking. The group joined as part of the Council Partnerships program, with council sharing their volunteers with SAcommunity to assist in keeping community service contacts in the area up-to-date, for use by residents, local services, and the council itself. The information is able to be used for council referrals, exports for council-led community information e-campaigns, research for resource/grant distribution and more.
Flavia's focus is in the Media and Communication Team, capturing stories on local community service events and activities. A portfolio of all Flavia's media articles created for the SAcommunity service can be found >>here at https://sacommunity.org/blog/17092. Flavia collates images and events for the monthly calendar, and has collected stories, and authored multiple articles on community organisations operating in Prospect and state-wide. Whilst assisting to keep the local Prospect area listings up-to-date for council, community use, partnerships, and networking.
Flavia is also part of the Grants and Partnerships Team, as our networking link to both the Prospect Community Sector and the City of Prospect Council. Flavia assists SAcommunity in this team by attending the annual Prospect Spring Fair, and not-for-profit sector events, speaking with various community groups to advocate for SAcommunity. In this way she introduces SAcommunity to local organisations to help them promote their services, activities and events on the online directory and be discovered. She also presents the tech-based services available through Connecting Up offer that can assist these not-for-profit organisations achieve their missions through technology.
Image: City of Prospect Spring Fair
Flavia has always been community-minded, recognising the importance of volunteering to society. Consequently, she contributes to charities and not-for-profit groups in Prospect and across Adelaide. She participates in a range of charity events, including taking part in the Ronald McDonald House Adelaide City Plunge abseiling 70 metres down an Adelaide city building, and many other activities. She kindly advocates for SAcommunity, including speaking on behalf of the service at those community service groups she is involved in. She has presented at Rotary Regency Park, and annually attends the City of Prospect Annual Spring Fair, where she wears both her volunteer hats in representing the council and SAcommunity.
This annual community fair is a family friendly event filled with entertainment and activities with more than 50 stall holders present including a range of local community groups. Here Flavia meets local service providers in-person to introduce them to the SAcommunity and Connecting Up services available that may be of help to them. Taking the opportunity to update community group directory listings so they can reach new users through the SAcommunity platform. She also cultivates connections for media articles on the blog as part of providing these groups with new promotional opportunities for their organisation's events and activities. For charities and not-for-profits she also explains how they can access low-cost tech products and free and discounted training through Connecting Up.
This annual community fair is a family friendly event filled with entertainment and activities with more than 50 stall holders present including a range of local community groups. Here Flavia meets local service providers in-person to introduce them to the SAcommunity and Connecting Up services available that may be of help to them. Taking the opportunity to update community group directory listings so they can reach new users through the SAcommunity platform. She also cultivates connections for media articles on the blog as part of providing these groups with new promotional opportunities for their organisation's events and activities. For charities and not-for-profits she also explains how they can access low-cost tech products and free and discounted training through Connecting Up.
Image: Alison Wall, Community and Volunteer Program Coordinator and Flavia Prospect and SAcommunity Volunteer at the annual City of Prospect Spring Fair
Flavia proactively offered her help to assist at the Fundraising Institute Australia's SA Fundraising Showcase on Friday 3 November 2023 at Club Marion, where Connecting Up was proud to be a marketing partner for the event. The showcase featured a range of speakers to assist not-for-profits gain skills and knowledge towards revenue sustainability and fundraising success in a challenging period for the fundraising sector.
The biggest local fundraising event of the year included highlights such as:
- Elaine Bensted, Chief Executive at Zoos SA, on creating a vision that inspires donors and creates a culture of fundraising in your organisation.
- A Philanthropy Speed Session, with powerful, punchy presentations on Major Giving and Gifts in Wills.
- A keynote from Juanita Wheeler from TEDx Brisbane about why public speaking is a powerful tool for your non-profit, its mission and the people you serve.
Thank you Flavia!
Thank you Flavia!
Image: Flavia at the SA Fundraising Showcase - Grassroots at the heart of Fundraising Success 3 November 2023
Training and Development - Digital Learning Platform
Flavia and SAcommunity volunteers have the opportunity to understand more about tech in the not-for-profit sector to encourage digital literacy. Volunteers and interns are provided with access to the Connecting Up Digital Learning platform, a training and development online learning platform with a selection of relevant live upcoming webinars and recorded webinars, workshops and webcons from a range of subject-matter experts who also have a deep experience with not-for-profits.
Professional Development at Infoxchange is a balance of approximately 70% project / 20% peer-to-peer learning / 10% formal learning. For the SAcommunity Team there is approximately 15 hours of project work, 3 hours of peer-to-peer learning, and 1 hour of online webinar with 30 minutes of feedback to reflect and strengthen team members understanding of what was learnt and what their personal takeaways were from these educational sessions facilitating life-long learning.
Most volunteers 4 hours a week: 2hrs 48mins project; 48 mins peer-to-peer; 24 mins formal learning
Some volunteers 7.5 hours a week: 5hrs 15min project; 1hr 30 mins peer-to-peer; 45 mins formal learning
Some volunteers 15 hours a week (max): 10hrs 30mins project; 3hrs peer-to-peer; 1hr 30mins formal learning
Most volunteers 4 hours a week: 2hrs 48mins project; 48 mins peer-to-peer; 24 mins formal learning
Some volunteers 7.5 hours a week: 5hrs 15min project; 1hr 30 mins peer-to-peer; 45 mins formal learning
Some volunteers 15 hours a week (max): 10hrs 30mins project; 3hrs peer-to-peer; 1hr 30mins formal learning
Relevant webinars, workshops and webcons selected by Flavia have included:
Become a Canva King or Queen
Investigating the Canva app creating imagery on the desktop and mobile version including animated gifs, stories, social posts
Image: SAcommunity Team Intern Hong Hong, Volunteer Flavia, Intern Jordana, Volunteer Stathis Avramis, Volunteers Frank, Camille and Neil 2 August 2023
Become a Canva King or Queen
Investigating the Canva app creating imagery on the desktop and mobile version including animated gifs, stories, social posts
Image: SAcommunity Team Intern Hong Hong, Volunteer Flavia, Intern Jordana, Volunteer Stathis Avramis, Volunteers Frank, Camille and Neil 2 August 2023
