Mosman Municipal Council has over 500 volunteers involved in a wide variety of programs. Volunteering is given a high profile by Council and is recognised as a vital and important component of this community.
An objective of Council’s volunteer program is to ensure that all its volunteers are supported, trained, recognised and valued as an indispensable community asset. Council’s Management Plan, MOSPLAN, has a range of strategies that are designed to achieve these objectives. Monitoring the program, evaluating its performance and identifying possible improvements occur as part of Council’s annual Management Plan reviews.
Staffing for the volunteer program includes a Community Volunteers Coordinator and a Volunteers Support Officer. These officers coordinate the volunteers including interviewing, placing and training. They also liaise with Council officers responsible for individual volunteer programs such as Meals on Wheels, the Community Visitors Scheme, Bush Regeneration and the Art Gallery, to ensure that policies and procedures are implemented consistently. This enables Mosman to be a professional, progressive workplace for volunteers with equitable, effective and supportive management practices.
Opportunities that use the volunteers’ skills and talents and promote volunteering as a valuable, enriching experience for all age groups are also pursued. Prospective Council volunteers are provided with a volunteer manual. This provides information on issues, such as volunteers’ rights and responsibilities, insurance, working with children and young people, the range of volunteer programs available, and job descriptions for each position.
After the initial interview and reference check volunteers are introduced to the officer of the program of their choice for orientation. Volunteers may then move between programs, enabling their needs to be met and the Mosman community to benefit from their skills and talents.
For further information, contact Council’s Community Volunteers Coordinator, Liz Nagel on (02) 9978 4000.
