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To inform, inspire and advocate |
Issue 21 – December 2007 |
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Download
print-friendly COPY of print edition here (pdf) NEW
DIALOGUE – ONLINE CONTENTS LIST FOCUS ON: Ageing in Aotearoa £
Christmas: a special time to share with ‘older
New Zealanders’ – Volunteering New Zealand £
Profile: Joan Lardner-Rivlin - Living proof
indeed! £
Strategy aims to improve the lives of older £
Overview of research on ageing – New Zealand £
The ten myths of ageing –
Age Concern New Zealand £
Advocating for a just and compassionate society With additional: £
Information links and sources Sector issues: Accounting services £
Are you getting what you need? Audits, reviews
and other accounting services – www.nzica.com/nfp Federation Focus £
How to give Board members a lift up – NZFVWO President,
Fran Hoover £
Massive returns on investment in voluntary
organisations– Executive
Director, Tina Reid Items may be reproduced, provided the source and,
where identified, the writer is acknowledged. We welcome contributions – the
next edition of New Dialogue will be published in February/March 2008. |
Sector strength comes from a
collaborative voice. NZFVWO is an active network of social
service organisations. We offer a unique opportunity to be involved in
strengthening community and voluntary services and increasing the influence
and power of the sector. In
addition to leading and managing sector-focused projects, NZFVWO publishes New Dialogue and Law Scene. New Dialogue is published four times a year, in
two versions: as a six-page print publication and electronically as an online
edition with extended content. Each edition of New Dialogue is focused on a selected special theme with
provocative contributions provided from across the sector. Both versions of New Dialogue are distributed for free.
Subscribe
here
Law Scene is published ten times a year. Subscribe
here
A
record of the Federation’s activity, including listings
of events and resources relevant to the community and
voluntary sector, is regularly updated and maintained at www.nzfvwo.org.nz CONTACT US Phone: (04) 385 0981 Executive Director Membership Communications |
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FOCUS ON: Ageing in Aotearoa
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Christmas:
a special time to share with ‘older New Zealanders’ Tim Burns, Executive
Director, Volunteering |
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The Christmas holidays are rightly regarded as a
special time for families to gather, and for children to take centre stage. That’s as it should be,
but this is also a time for recognising that Christmas is equally about
remembering the importance of the ‘older New Zealanders’ in our communities,
be they our parents, grandparents, friends or neighbours. We should specially
remember those who are single and live alone and those who are are not in the
best of health and cannot get out and about. It is at Christmas time, a
time especially of reviving memories and looking ahead to another year, that
a sense of loneliness can be most acute. At It is often the work of
volunteers, and those who work through the holiday season, that combines to
bring a genuine Christmas spirit to people in the community, a spirit that
regards all families as extended families and a spirit that puts a special
emphasis on respecting our kaumatua, our kuia, our elders, our older people.. |
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Profile:
Joan Lardner-Rivlin Living proof indeed! |
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Joan Lardner-Rivlin is
living proof of an active retirement. At 80 (going on 60) the
list of Joan’s current roster of service positions in or beyond Perhaps her many years
being around young people as a youth worker can explain an energy level which
sees Joan involved in organisations as diverse as: Age Concern, the Auckland
District Council of Social Services (she was a founder of the national
Council), a number of Citizens Advice Bureaux, budgeting services and
community facilities trusts, the Physically Handicapped and Able Bodied clubs
(which she introduced to New Zealand) and community access radio (Planet FM).
On top of which she has
also found time, somehow, to hold positions on an advisory committee or two,
as well as the Ministry of Social Development Older Peoples Reference Group
and the North Shore Disability Advisory Group. As could be expected Joan
is a life member of several organisations, but most importantly she is a
‘member of life’ whose philosophy on retirement is that “it means I can now
say I won’t be into the office till 9.30am”. Before settling in Joan has a pragmatic
outlook on the limits of positive ageing as a concept. “Positive ageing is
really a matter of how long you continue to have a modicum of good health, so
I strongly advocate that there should be as much help as possible for older
people to ensure they can access dental services easily, and receive support
for hearing aids and spectacles... these aren’t luxuries, they’re necessities
for a good quality of life and without such kinds of assistance it’s a
challenge to age positively”. Note: Joan received a
Queen’s Service Medal for services to the community in the 2007 Queen’s
Birthday Honours. |
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Did you
know? Information Sources |
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·
In line
with projections that we will live longer, the percentage of the population
who will be aged 65 and over by
2021 is 17.6%. The percentage aged 85+ will climb. ·
It is a
demographic trend that we are all greying! The median age of New Zealanders
in 1996 was 26 years, in 2006 it was 35.9 years and in 2051 it will be 46
years. ·
At the
2006 Census, 15 percent of the older population reported being involved in
formal volunteer work. This year Statistics
New Zealand produced a 166-page collection of data on the demographic and
socio-economic characteristics of older New Zealanders (aged 65 years and
over). This can be downloaded from www.stats.govt.nz/analytical-reports/new-zealand-65plus-population.htm
If a city is good for
older people, it improves the quality of life for everyone, including people
with disabilities. Are you living in an age-friendly city? Age Concern has a link to a World Health Organisation project on
this topic – www.ageconcern.org.nz/files/img/Global_age_friendly_cities_Guide.pdf In addition, the
following booklets can be obtained on request: ·
Ageing is
Living - A guide to positive ageing -
from Age Concern New · Coming of ... age: Bring on the baby boomers! – from www.presbyterian.org.nz
or email info@presbyterian.org.nz |
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Strategy
aims to improve the lives of older New Zealanders Natalie Lavery, Director,
Office for Senior Citizens |
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The Strategy puts into
action Government’s commitment to promote the value of older people and
affirms their importance in the community. It sets out the Government’s
vision for a society where everyone can age positively and where older people
are highly valued for their knowledge, skills and experience. Positive ageing
principles are a key feature of the Strategy and provide a framework within
which policy with implications for older people can be understood and
developed. Ten goals guide the development of policies and services across
central, regional and local government. When the Strategy was
approved, Cabinet agreed that an interdepartmental positive ageing action
plan be developed to include work items from departmental work programmes,
with progress on these work items to be reported to Cabinet each year. This is the seventh
Action Plan produced by the Office for Senior Citizens since the Strategy was
released in 2001. Part of the value of the Action Plan and Report is that it
reminds central and local government to keep positive ageing in mind while
they develop their work programmes. The document provides the
public with an overview of some of the work that is being undertaken by a
variety of government agencies around the country. It is a good platform from
which to commence a dialogue, particularly with local councils, on the
programmes and services they provide for older people in their communities. Each year agencies are
asked to include new and interesting work items in the Action Plan. Many
other policies and programmes which are ‘business as usual’ activities are
not featured, but can be viewed on various agency websites. Achievements for
2006-2007 include huge investments by both central and local government in
improving housing for older people with better insulation, cheaper rates and
better security for council pension flats. There was also good
progress achieved in safety and security initiatives including amendments to
the enduring powers of attorney legislation, the development of a code of
practice for home equity conversion schemes, and specific training for Work
and Income staff in recognising and responding to elder abuse. Highlights for the year
ahead include the upgrade of more than 1,500 “The Ministry of Research
and Technology will be developing a five year longitudinal research programme
investigating the quality of life for 5,000 older people. It is important to note
that the Action Plan does not give a strategic overview of the wellbeing of
older people in Wide community support
has been received during the production of this Action Plan and Report,
particularly from local councils working on positive ageing initiatives in
their communities. This year an additional ten local government authorities
have contributed, bringing the total number of local government authorities
featured in the Action Plan to 31. The Office for Senior
Citizens appreciates the enthusiasm of the local government sector for the
New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy, and is greatly encouraged by the
commitment of councils to positive ageing initiatives for people in their
cities and towns. You can find out more
about the Positive Ageing Strategy and the Positive Ageing Indicators report
at www.msd.govt.nz |
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Overview of
research on ageing Sally Keeling, Director, NZ Institute for Research on Ageing |
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The New Zealand
Institute for Research on Ageing (NZiRA) is based at Q: Are we a society that cares for our older citizens? A: At some levels, yes
(best universal pension system in the world, first country to remove
compulsory retirement) but there are signs of increasing complexity, along
with some worrying aspects of risk.
Examples here would be Age Concern reports of the scope and types of
elder abuse reported to their services, and the relatively low rates of pay
for those who work in the aged care sector, both in residential and
home-based care services. Q: To what extent are older people “hidden away”? A: The risks of
marginalisation of frail older people from wider society have been well
recognised by gerontologists and social scientists for many years, and in
some ways, the “positive ageing” movement has distanced itself from those who
do not conform to the current images of bungy-jumping grandmothers and
veteran athletes. Those who suffer from the advanced stages of some of the classic
diseases of old age, such as dementia, Parkinsons and arthritis can face huge barriers to inclusion. Social isolation and depression, including
high suicide risk in older men, are recognised as silent and invisible
epidemics of contemporary society. Our high rates of institutionalisation of
the most frail, and concerns about the quality of care in these settings are
further suggestions of “out of sight, out of mind”. Q: Are patterns of family care in A: There is a broad
similarity. Internationally we know, for instance, that roughly 80% of the
help, care and support received and needed by older people comes from family
and community sources. The other 20% involves specialist expertise, public
funding or private providers. Questions will arise “on the margins” of this
picture. Gaps can and do occur if the connection between the 80% and the 20%
is blurred, or if it isn’t working at its best. Q: What benefits could a Carers Strategy provide? A: Having a Carers
Strategy is certainly likely to raise the profile of family care, and should
provide a clear policy framework for this recognition to be extended, and
developed through training, the right to flexible work arrangement recently
passed into law, and improved services such as respite care. Q: Are there cross-cultural models we could learn more from? A: We are fortunate in
this country to share in a variety of cultural traditions. Even so everyday
actions based on respect, and the values of aroha and whanaungatanga need to
be translated into practical ways of supporting older people to live their
lives with dignity, and to be engaged with their families and communities. My
concern is that the potential for stronger bonds are under challenge from an
increasingly mobile population, with an emerging pattern that is seeing
families dispersed between countries and around the world. Q: Are there other new phenomena to be aware of? A: The main thing is that
we should expect to experience a growing complexity on every front. The ‘baby
boomer’ generations have grown up with the notion that the world can be
changed, so one wouldn’t expect them to go quietly into the night, and that
should make for interesting times ahead. Q: How can voluntary welfare organisations contribute to research into
the implications of an ageing population? A: The New Zealand
Institute of Research on Ageing has a byline ‘Understanding ageing through
research and partnerships’. We are always open to working with organisations
in any or all of these ways. Further information including details on how to
contact us can be found at www.vuw.ac.nz/nzira
As
we head into another local government election, expect the usual catch cries
to ring out. |
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The ten
myths of ageing Jill
Williams, National President, Age Concern & Alistair Stewart,
Communications Manager, Age Concern |
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Age Concern’s work for the rights and
well-being of older people, koroua and kuia includes a focus on being our
very own mythbusters. We call them the ten myths of ageing, and we believe
they lead directly to ageism, which in turn lays the foundations of elder
abuse and neglect. The first myth is that
growing old is a depressing topic filled with decline and loss. The
truth is that every indicator of older people’s welfare is rocketing
upward. Life expectancy, health,
lifelong education, and economic welfare are all improving every year
throughout the world. A second myth is that
older people are all the same. In fact, differences in
gender, genetics, lifestyle and outlook make older people the most varied of
any age group. Age Concern’s challenge
is to celebrate the people experiencing positive ageing, without losing sight
of those less fortunate. The third myth is that older
people must be frail. In fact, the great majority of people remain
physically active well into later life. A related myth says ‘you
can’t teach an old dog new tricks’.This is dead wrong. New
research has shown that older brains, right up to 80 and 90-year-olds, can
match or outperform younger brains. The fifth lie is that
old people are economic burdens. The truth is that older
people make a huge contribution. They are the fastest growing sector of the
workforce and add even more to the voluntary and unpaid sector. For many families, older people provide the
childcare and support which lets other family members work. Myth number six denies
older people the right to work. Some employers believe
older workers must be less productive than younger people. In fact, workers’
performance does not appear to be significantly impaired by age. Despite
this, some older job seekers have difficulty finding work. This is obviously
a tragedy for them. It’s also bad for
our economy to waste such a valuable resource while there are skills
shortages. Age Concern also disputes a recent Statistics New Zealand report
that one-in-five older people have workplace accidents, as it drew faulty
conclusions. The seventh myth is that
growing older means loneliness and depression. It is true that
losing friends, family and colleagues is a part of later life. However, social centres and community
carers such as Age Concern’s Accredited Visiting Service, which trains
volunteers to visit socially isolated older people in their own homes, do a
lot to keep older people involved in their communities. The eighth group of stereotypes
concern older people and money: they’re either seen as poverty-stricken or jetting off overseas for luxury
holidays. The truth is that older people, just like everyone
else, have a range of incomes, although they remain the poorest group of
adults in our society. Superannuation
is the only income for most retired people, and that only provides for a
basic lifestyle. The ninth myth denies
older people’s sexuality. The truth is that many older people
want – and have – active and satisfying sex lives. And the last of the myths
is that older people are more likely to be victims of crime. The
opposite is true: over 60s are by far the safest group in our society. Age
Concerns which operate Elder Abuse and Neglect Prevention Services still
report too many older people are experiencing elder abuse and neglect though.
Our challenge is to get the truth about ageing out there. It won’t be an easy fight as attitudes are
lagging years behind the new realities of ageing. However, one in four New
Zealanders will be aged 65 or older by the middle of this century. As
increasing numbers of vital and positive older people become visible
throughout society, we look forward to the day when ageism fades away. Age Concern |
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Working beside older people to achieve justice & compassion … Paul Barber, Policy
Advisor, NZ Council of Christian Social Services |
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What should a just and compassionate society for older people be like?
It is about social transformation that brings better lives for older people
who are at the margins, a society where their voices are heard and they able
to live fulfilled lives with dignity. Throughout the country the Christian social services agencies
represented by the NZ Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS) are providing
a huge range of support and care services such as drop-in centres and day
care, home support services, residential aged care, supported rental
accommodation and retirement villages. Our ageing society is a huge social achievement! It is the greatest
gift our generation has received that we can expect to live longer and in
better health than any generation before. Talk of older people as a
burden on society, taxpayers and health services is ageist and unfair. In the
future older people will most likely be generally healthier than today and
will continue their already essential social and financial contributions well
into advanced age. There
are however increasing risks for older people with
few assets and low incomes and/or high needs whose options for access to
services and appropriate living situations are limited and not ideal. Without
careful planning for future needs across all aspects of support and care,
many older people may be left much worse off than today. NZCCSS is advocating for a robust continuum of support and care with a
holistic approach to services that recognises the spiritual, social and
health support needs of older people. Flexibility in care and support services is becoming increasingly
important and the future will see far more movement between
types and levels of care. Policy and funding models must support this. Flexible packages of care and support that are funded across all
accommodation settings would help to allow older people and those funding and
providing the services to choose the best possible options. A wider range of affordable accommodation options that are matched
with appropriate support services will be needed, as well as more help with
home maintenance and modification to meet the needs of the increasing number
of older people with greater needs living in the community. Urgent work is being done right now on making caring for older people
an attractive place to work. Changing attitudes in society towards care for
older people goes together with an action plan for the workforce that
includes funding for quality training, attractive career options and
appropriate employment conditions. Supporting
older people to make their own good choices about how they wish to live and
build support networks they require is the way towards a truly just and
compassionate society. It is also an investment in wider social wellbeing
that cannot be captured in narrow assessments of market financial
sustainability. NZCCSS represents the
Anglican Care Network, the social services of the Baptist, Catholic and |
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Sector issues : Accounting services |
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Are you getting what you need? Audits, reviews and other accounting
services Carolyn Cordery, - |
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It’s almost that time of the year
again when networking conversations turn from “where are you spending your
holidays” to the more pressing question of “and do you know of a
(good/cheap/available) auditor?” Sometimes it seems that voluntary
organisations pounce on anyone foolish enough to carry a calculator in their
handbag, identify them as an accountant, and expect them to be qualified to
carry out the ‘required’ audit. We would like you to spend more time
networking positively this year and less time trying to find an elusive
auditor, because we believe you will be more satisfied with your accountant
if you really know what it is that you need. We find that too often
organisations, their members and funders demand an audit when it is not
really necessary. It has often been said that audit is
the most misused word in the English language. Historically, it described the
verbal account given by a steward to the landed gentry. The problem is that
the demands for this simple accountability mechanism have exploded in what Michael
Power calls our “audit society” (The Audit Society, Oxford
University Press, 1998). Audits (especially audits of financial statements),
have developed into complex engagements. An audit of financial statements is
designed to provide a high but not absolute level of assurance on financial
statements. In may be requested in
order to enhance the degree of confidence a reader has in the financial
statements. This is not an opinion
on the financial viability of the entity, whether the entity has an effective
system of internal controls, or whether fraud has occurred in the
organisation. The quality of financial statement
audits has been receiving increased focus, especially in the wake of
significant international corporate collapses. Increasing government and regulator
intervention has intensified the demands on auditors. Increased risks have lead to increased time
spent on audits and auditors’ insurance costs. These costs need to be recouped somehow –
and this normally means increased fees to clients. It can also mean that it’s
harder for voluntary organisations to find an auditor willing to undertake
this work pro bono. Funders and members of voluntary
organisations are right to seek external assurance, but we suspect too much
is expected from the audit process and that an undue reliance on audit is not
helpful. Alternatives to requiring audited financial statements include:
·
an audit
on something other than the financial statements. For
example, a member of the Institute may be engaged to express an opinion on
whether the entity has complied with the terms of a grant.
·
a review
engagement. This provides a
moderate level of assurance, relying on mainly analytical procedures to
express an opinion on the financial statements. As with an audit, assurance
skills and techniques will be applied, but the timing and extent of these
will be more limited than an audit engagement.
·
an
agreed-upon-procedures engagement, where a member of the Institute agrees with the
client to perform specific procedures with respect to financial information.
The report from such an engagement will present the evidence collected to the
user, i.e. report on factual information.
·
a
compilation engagement. In
this engagement a member of the Institute compiles the financial statements
with professional competence and due care. The member must read the compiled information and consider whether it
is free from obvious material misstatement. In addition, the member must ensure that the information compiled is
consistent with their understanding of the entity and with the information
from which the information was compiled.
While the first three of these
services should be undertaken by an accountant independent of the entity,
independence is not a requirement for a compilation engagement (but the
report should make a statement about this, if it is not so). We recommend that voluntary
organisations consider what they need and then identify which
services will best meet those needs after taking into consideration the
expectations of members, supporters and other funders. For example:
One consideration in deciding on
appropriate accountability mechanisms is the cost involved compared to the
benefit. Because of the decrease in risk, and time spent on procedures, the
costs reduce as assurance levels reduce. In addition, voluntary organisations
may find it easier to locate a Chartered Accountant willing to undertake for
example, a review, as the pool of available suitably qualified Institute
members is wider. The need to comply with the Institute’s Code of Ethics
relevant engagement standards applies across all work undertaken by Institute
members. If you do decide to change from requiring audited financial
statements, you may also need to change your Constitution or other founding
document to reflect this. Discussions on levels of risk,
assurance and accountability will be ongoing. This article highlights
different types of assurance services that are available, to help you to
decide if you are getting what you need from your Chartered Accountant. If
you would like a copy of our brochure that explains this information in more
depth, or more information on these processes, please contact Professional
Standards staff at the Institute (psd@nzica.com)
or visit our website www.nzica.com/nfp
and explore the audit pages. |
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Financial
reporting changes for small and medium not-for-profit organisations |
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Thousands
of small and medium sized not-for-profit entities will be affected by the
decision of the Accounting Standards Review Board (ASRB) and Financial
Reporting Standards Board (FRSB) to delay the mandatory adoption of the Following
a 2002 decision by the ASRB and FRSB, all What does this mean for
not-for-profit organisations? Small
and medium sized not-for-profit organisations
must make a choice - they may apply NZ IFRS in their 2007/8 financial
statements or they may continue to
apply existing Financial Reporting Standards. Which alternative
not-for-profits choose will be influenced by a number of factors including
the future intentions of the organisation (such as whether it intends to
issues securities in the near future), whether third parties (such as
funders) have imposed any expectations on the organisation and other matters.
The New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants has recently released a
Not For Profit Financial Reporting Guide – while this is based on NZ IFRS, it
also provides a wealth of guidance for organisations which choose to continue
to use existing Financial Reporting Standards. Further guidance and
information is available at www.nzica.com/nfp |
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Federation focus |
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A view from
our President… How to give Board members a lift up Fran Hoover, President,
NZFVWO |
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Here’s a litmus test you’ve probably heard
of: can you convincingly convey your organisation’s purpose or mission to a
stranger in only the time of an elevator ride? I tried it
recently, and while I’m sure I imparted a clear description, I know I missed
the target on the convincing bit.
Constrained by time, I ended up sounding like an annual report. A variation on the theme… if you are a Board or Committee member, could
you explain your role effectively under the same conditions? Really explain what it means for you in the
context of your organisation that is. I was thinking about this because of
AGM season, the time when new Board and Committee members are being elected
to NGOs all over the country. I wonder
how much induction they are receiving?
I wonder how clear they are (or any of us are) about our roles in a
direct, rubber hits the road kind of way? Recently I’ve heard the role of the Board summarised as: (1) Appoint a
fantastic CEO, ask them what the strategy is, hold them accountable, and stay
out of their way; (2) Make sure the organisation performs (fine, if somewhat
vague); (3) Be direct passionate advocates and use your own relationships and
networks in support of the organisation; (4) Set strategy, decide or delegate
policy, monitor implementation, appoint and monitor the CEO, and be
accountable to stakeholders; and (5) Uphold their fiduciary responsibility. I don’t disagree – it’s all of that. However, I believe that
as Board members our first role has to be to do whatever we need to do to
gain a real gestalt of our organisation – how it works internally and
externally, how things get done, what it does, who the people are, who it
works with, where the money comes from, how it is spent, what its reputation
is, where it’s headed, and so on.
Unless we really know the answers to these questions we don’t have a
context, and so our ability to fulfil the other roles of a Board member will
be limited. New Board members -
ask lots of questions, because you’ve got the privileged position of
‘innocence and ignorance’ for quite a while.
Continuing Board members
– ask even more questions, because you’ve got more context. Board chairs – encourage an environment
where it’s not only possible, but necessary for everyone to ask questions –
of the CEO and of the Board itself. Don’t misunderstand me – I’m not advocating meddling in operations or
nitpicking your way through Board papers.
Rather, I’m suggesting we focus on those things that might impact on
the achievement of the mission, the strategy, the key project… and then ask
questions about those till the risks and opportunities are clear, so they are
outed and can be addressed in whatever way is appropriate. As a by-product, I guarantee that the next “stranger in a lift”
explanation you try will be articulate, passionate and convincing. I think I’ll try it again, though maybe
I’ll wait until I’m in |
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From the
Executive Director’s desk… Sharing communications across the community Tina Reid, Executive
Director, NZFVWO ed@nzfvwo.org.nz |
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Voluntary
organisations are established to make a difference in the world – to affect
some change that is identified by the founders, and, they hope, continued
through ongoing commitments from others in their community. This focus on achieving an outcome is a driving
force for organisations – and translates into crafting goals, purposes,
objects, missions and visions for organisations. These are reflected in a
range of documents and communications – such as constitutions, strategic
plans, promotional material, and so are a frequent focus for most
organisations. This provides us with a strong intuitive
understanding of the outcomes we are seeking to achieve in the world. There are not many opportunities to examine more
closely how this translates into practice. It can be difficult to describe
how the time effort and resources that go into our work relate to the change
we are making, and even more difficult to provide evidence of the impact we
have. At the same time, there is significant interest from
government on focusing on outcomes as part of examining the nature of funding
relationships and contracts. This is driven by seeking to understand how to
assess what makes for effective and efficient use of government funds and the
use of limited resources. Discussions about focusing on outcomes raise many
complexities, such as: ·
There are many factors
involved in achieving social outcomes. Factors such as education, life
experiences, family, friends and a range of activities and agencies are
involved in affecting change for any one individual or system. ·
There are different
levels of outcomes - immediate ones to provide things such as shelter,
comfort, information, assistance; longer term ones about improved well being
and security and longer term again about
increased potential and personal satisfaction. ·
These happen over very long
time frames – and often intergenerationally.
·
Different elements often
serve to reinforce each other, and so the impact of one element cannot be
understood in isolation ·
Unintended outcomes of
any action can play important role – and risk not being recognised. ·
Outcomes from whose point
of view? There will be different perspectives from different players in any
situation. Given the complexities of understanding and
describing outcomes, there are significant difficulties and risks in
focussing on outcomes too lightly. But at the same time, as voluntary
organisations this has always been our driver, and in seeking to understand
the impact we have on the world, the Federation has been working with PricewaterhouseCoopers to
provide economically valid measures of the work of voluntary organisations,
in terms of inputs (resources) outputs
services) and outcomes (results). We published Counting
for Something – the Value Added by Voluntary Agencies (VAVA project) in
2004, which was a ground breaking study of measuring the value of voluntary
inputs to the work of voluntary organisations. The quantifying of volunteer
time, of additional voluntary and in kind inputs over ten different national
organisations demonstrated clearly that for every dollar invested in
organisations, between $3 and $5 worth of services are delivered in the
community. Based on this work, over the last two years two
member organisations (Plunket NZ and Literacy Aotearoa) have been working to
develop measures of their outputs and outcomes. This is a pilot study, which
aimed to develop a methodology that could be used by a wider group, and to
provide a source of information and discussion about the analysis of
outcomes. Both organisations identified hugely significant
returns on investment on selected outcomes over extended time frames. The
study focussed ion selected outcomes, and the results need to be understood
and used by each organisation in their own context. In very general terms
they identified a conservative return of between $14.30 and $39 for every dollar invested over time periods
of 15 – 30 years. The net economic benefit of these selected activities is
estimated at more than $750 million, from an investment of direct government
funding of less than $50 million per annum. More significant for each of them was the process of
discussion, analysis and gathering of information for the study. The
opportunity and discipline of focusing on their outcomes, then examining
their activities and considering assumptions and measures of outcomes
provided incredibly valuable opportunities to reflect on their work and
increase understanding of the links between these different elements. Early in December we are releasing a report on this
work - Counting for More. Again
this provides groundbreaking evidence of the huge economic impact of the work
of these two organisations, and a basis for discussion about the value of
focussing on outcomes. This is available in two formats – as a summary or a
fuller discussion – from www.nzfvwo.org.nz
or can be ordered in hard copy for a cost of $15 |
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Classified
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The
Bisvision kit gives you a straightforward planning process to follow and over
170 prompt cards, each of which asks you a question. As you think through,
and answer the questions that are relevant to your organisation, your
strategic plan is automatically developed. A clever software template
automatically collates your answers into a structured Microsoft Word document
so you come out with a written plan. If
you buy the full Bisvision toolkit this month you’ll get a 10% discount.
That’s $540.00 +GST instead of $600.00 +GST. Contact
Mindspring direct to qualify for the discount. Find out more about the kit,
download more sample questions and register for free monthly strategy tips
at: www.bisvision.com |
Contact us at: 09 845 2939 or damiand@mindspring.co.nz |
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Investment
Management & Decisions for NGO’s, Trusts & Maori Trusts Are you in charge of overseeing
the operation of an NGO or not-for-profit organisation? You might not have a
comprehensive financial background; nevertheless, you are required to make
decisions on projects and investments that will have financial implications. |
If
you want to improve decision-making and gain better understanding of
investments and project proposals, Bright*Star’s Investment Management
& Decisions for NGOs, Trusts & Maori Trusts is the right course for you. A practical course designed to benefit those with some
basic or limited finance knowledge, this course will enable you to:
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A
recipient of the Commonwealth Medal (for State Owned Enterprises and
privatisation contributions) in 1990, Brent
Wheeler is a highly regarded instructor who is committed to ensuring you
come away from this course with useful tools and a better understanding of
managing and making sound investment decisions in the not-for-profit sector. For further programme information
please click the link below: http://www.brightstar.co.nz/nz/investment-management-decisions-for-ngos-trusts-maori-trusts.html To
register phone (09) 379 5892, fax (09) 309 7986, email register@brightstar.co.nz or
visit our website at
www.brightstar.co.nz |
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Contact us at
Governance Strategies to strengthen your board focus and improve your board
performance. We will work with you utilising our wide-ranging experience in
the Community and Non Profit Sector. Professional development courses offered from February to November 2008 in 11
different locations. Alternatively, courses can be delivered on demand
to single or several boards. Contact: 027
340 8186 or email to enquiries@governancestrategies.co.nz
or visit www.governancestrategies.co.nz |
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To advertise in the online
edition of New Dialogue please contact NZFVWO Note: Advertising in this
edition of New Dialogue is FREE to Federation Members. The electronic version
is distributed to over 2,100 subscribers. |
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