Each year, in celebration of International Volunteer Managers Day, VolunteeringACT hosts the Volunteer Manager of the Year Award.

This Award recognises and celebrates the efforts of Managers and Coordinators of Volunteers who support and facilitate the engagement of volunteers throughout the Canberra region and acknowledges the critical role Managers and Coordinators of Volunteers have in providing safe and supported volunteering experiences.

Nominations are now closed! Thank you to everyone who nominated your Manager or Coordinator!

The Award ceremony will be held at Howling Moon on the morning of Friday 4 November. This is an invite-only catered event for nominees and nominators of the Awards. 

2021 Volunteer Manager of the Year Award Winners

Mansour Buges and Sean Curtis, Night Patrol Officers from St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Mansour and Sean have maintained a strong connection with the 360 Night Patrol volunteers throughout the year through training, information nights and program updates. They are continually tempting to update current procedures and processes, ensuring best practices and efficiency are applied to all facets of the program. They have recently updated all food safety standards and practices and are constantly creating new initiatives allowing Vinnies to best support our vulnerable population.
These two officers have worked tirelessly through COVID filling all Night Patrol shifts while the volunteers were unable to fulfil normal operational requirements. With the onset of COVID 19 restrictions both Sean and Mansour have been rostered 7 nights per week for several months. During this period, they have adapted operational requirements, food provisions, extra safety requirements and additional training of other staff. All these requirements have been in addition to their daily job obligations as well as maintaining support, connection, and communication with volunteers.
Mansour and Sean are true leaders. Every day they come to work they are inspiring in their ability to collaborate with other Special Works teams, accept changes and adaptions are needed and perform each task with pride and inclusion.

While working with those who are vulnerable and struggling in our community is challenging work, these two team leaders are a wonderful example of how to work with empathy and integrity 

Congratulations Mansour and Sean!  

 

2021 Volunteer Manager of the Year Award Highly Commended

Megan Watts, President and Volunteer Manager for Diversity ACT.

Megan has taken on the role of Volunteer Manager for Diversity ACT and has gone well beyond the position description. She has a particular passion for developing our next generations of volunteer leaders.

Megan actively mentors’ young people in the youth group, Queer Youth Together. She works closely with young people at all levels of the group, providing opportunities and support for upcoming leaders to overcome barriers to their leadership, both personal and social. Young people who had never previously considered themselves leaders are now confidently taking up leadership positions within the group.

Through the Audrey Fagan Board Traineeship Program, Megan recently introduced an emerging volunteer leader to the realities of not-for-profit management committees, to enhance her future skills in the volunteer space, and provided significant mentoring.

This focus on enabling the next generation of volunteer leaders, and her immense efforts to enhance Diversity ACT’s ability to attract, support and maintain volunteers, has been done in addition to her responsibilities as President of Diversity ACT and her involvement in several of our subcommittees.

Megan is a true inspiration to all the members of Diversity ACT, especially those of us on the Management Committee who get to see her passion, energy and enthusiasm firsthand.
  

Congratulations Megan.
 

Congratulations to all nominees for the 2021 Volunteer Manager of the Year Award 

 

Lynn Bloomfield, Roundabout Canberra

Amelia Carr, Ronald McDonald House Charities ACT and South East NSW

Kathy Morris, St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn

Sean Curtis, St Vincent de Paul Society Night Patrol

Mansour Burges, St Vincent de Paul Society Night Patrol

Megan Watts, Diversity ACT