Volunteers on board for the Global Good!

I’m lucky that I don’t have as many contact hours at Curtin this Semester, so I can afford to come into the office 3 days a week and really get the most out of my time here at the Global Good Foundation. This decision has proven to be really beneficial, as I can work on set projects and make more progress on a more constant basis! One of the main projects that the GGF communications department have been focused on lately is the lead up to the Global Good Gala Event, which is a large-scale ball to be held at the Hyatt at the end of October.

The main task I’ve been working on in regards to this is devising strategies to sell the remaining tickets to the ball! Which is much easier said than done, especially because the ticket purchasers largely belong to a specific market of the corporate world. The strategies that I’ve been putting into action have been based on social networking, corporate partnerships and the direct tactic of handing out flyers to the public. I’ve been organising days in Perth CBD, Cottesloe and other Western suburb areas for flyer handouts, which has included writing run-sheets, schedules and recruiting volunteers.

Recruiting volunteers has been a massive task, where I have reached different groups of people via the internal database of GGF, my personal contacts, word of mouth, online volunteer websites such as SEEK volunteer and call outs to universities such as Curtin and UWA. I have also managed to find a number of companies that pay their employees to do one day’s work a year volunteering for a charity organisation, such as Westpac, GE Money and Ernst and Young. It’s been really worthwhile contacting these companies, as many have shown interest and now there are a large number of Ernst and Young employees volunteering at the upcoming Royal Show on behalf of GGF!

The progress I have made with recruiting volunteers has really paid off. There are so many disheartening ‘nos’ in PR, particularly within the non-for-profit sector, but I’ve learnt that you just have to keep trying and when you finally get a ‘yes’ all the hard work is worth it! I feel that my work has been appreciated, as I was asked to be the project manager for GGF’s activities at the Royal Show this year, which involves having a sausage sizzle in the IGA tent and general promotion of the upcoming Global Good Gala Event. Some things I’ve been doing include coordinating the volunteers, devising a schedule and allocating shifts, compiling an information package and conducting training phone conferences with all the volunteers. The amount of responsibility I have been given and trust that GGF has in me has made a big difference to my self confidence and motivation. I’m looking forward to what looks to be a very busy week at the Royal Show next week and getting out the office to have some real-life event involvement!

On a final note, there are still a few shift spots left to volunteer on behalf of the GGF at the Royal Show from September 25 – October 2. You’ll get free entrance and be helping raise funds for GGF and awareness of domestic violence in the community by holding a sausage sizzle in the IGA tent. Time slots run from 10am-1pm, 1pm-4pm and 4pm-7pm. Please contact me via ciara@ggf.org.au or on 0412 303 080 if you’re interested!

P.S. I am looking forward to getting my hands on a Beertie Beetle showbag and not having to pay my little brother to get it instead for the first time in years...