Community resources

The City of Wanneroo is made up of a diverse mixture of ages, genders, cultures, and abilities. Everyone wants be part of a welcoming and inclusive community, so we encourage you to consider this in your activities.

Resources

Factsheet - How to be inclusive

General information

Delivering an Acknowledgement of Country before the commencement of a meeting or activity is a meaningful and respectful way to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land that we are on within the City of Wanneroo- Noongar Whadjuk country. To learn more about making an Acknowledgement of Country, visit the City’s Reconciliation page.

Your group might want to consider recognising special days of cultural significance- this is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to be welcoming and inclusive for people from diverse cultural backgrounds. How you choose to recognise these occasions can be through small gestures up to bigger acts such as running an event. Visit the Australian Government’s Calendar of Cultural Dates for information about the special days that you could recognise.

For those who speak English as a second language, help might sometimes be required to support effective communication. There are various translating and interpreting services that can assist with this. Visit the City’s Translating and Interpreting Service page for more information.

External resources

• The What, Why and How of Being an Inclusive Group
• How to Make my Group More Inclusive
• Workbook- Setting up a peer support network for people with disability

Do you have a board or committee? Or are you interested in starting one? Boards and committees are formal arrangements that require ongoing commitment and responsibility.

Resources

Instructions- Becoming Incorporated

Virtual Training Hub

Visit the Virtual Training Hub for training resources on topics such as boards and committees, grants and tenders, fundraising, volunteers, risk management, COVID-19 and marketing. Visit the Virtual Training Hub to preview information and to sign up for your free membership. Be quick because free memberships are limited and are only valid until March 2024. 

Please note: memberships are available to not-for-profit community groups or organisations located within the City of Wanneroo, or those providing support services to a large number of City residents. Each community group is entitled to a maximum of two free memberships

Visit the Wanneroo Learning Hub page 

Communicating effectively with your members, volunteers, the community and funding bodies is critical to the success of your group.  Did you know that meetings are one of your most important communication tools?

Resources

• Instructions - The beginning, middle and end of your meeting
• Template- Meeting agenda
• Template - Meeting minutes

Virtual Training Hub

Visit the Virtual Training Hub and access articles, short courses and videos on topics such as whether you should consider incorporating questions to ask your board and legal responsibilities of committee members.

Before you start raising funds, running events, holding meetings or helping the community, you need to be very clear about your goals. Take the time to consider what you want to achieve.

Resources

• Checklist - Test Your Ideas
• Checklist - Things to consider if you're interested in starting a street-based initiative 
• Guide - Community gardening in the City of Wanneroo
• Instructions - Turn your passion into action
• Template - Project plan

General information

If you’re interested in starting, joining, or developing a community garden, Community Gardens Australia has you covered. They offer a range of resources, including tip sheets, how-to guides and a directory of all community gardens in the country.
If street libraries are more your thing, then visit Street Library Australia. They offer support and inspiring information about planning, building and maintaining street libraries.

At some point you will most likely need some money to help you to achieve your goals. There are many ways that you can access funding, including fundraising and grants. You’ll also need to take the time to carefully plan how you’re going to manage your funds on an ongoing basis.

Funding opportunities

• The Wanneroo Funding Finder
• The City of Wanneroo Community Funding Program

Resources

• Factsheet- City of Wanneroo Community Funding Program - Eligible Receipts for an Acquittal
• Guide- City of Wanneroo Community Funding Program - Preparing Your Application
• Template- City of Wanneroo Community Funding Program - Budget Planner

Virtual Training Hub

Visit the Wanneroo Virtual Training Hub and access articles, short courses and videos on topics such as the different types of fundraising, an introduction to grant writing, common mistakes grant writers make and how to read and analyse your financial statements.

Marketing can help you promote your group, ideas, and activities. Most importantly, effective marketing can help your community group grow.

Promotional opportunities

Did you know that the City of Wanneroo has an online Community Directory? You can list your group or club and promote specific events or activities for free! It is viewed by thousands of people each month and provides a valuable opportunity for you to promote what you do. Visit the Community Directory

Resources

• Factsheet - Ideas for promoting your group or project
• Instructions - Developing a community group brand

Virtual Training Hub

Visit the Virtual Training Hub to access short courses and videos on topics such as why you need to focus on marketing, developing your marketing messages and building your website. 

Events are an effective way for you to connect with the local community. Events allow you to attract new funding, gain new members and volunteers, and raise awareness of your cause and what you do.

Resources

• Checklist - Event planning
• Template - Event run sheet

Virtual Training Hub

Visit the Virtual Training Hub to access short courses and videos on topics such as event risk management, common event management mistakes and tips to deliver events on a $0 budget.

Volunteers are the heart of our community and essential to your group’s success, so it’s important to engage with them effectively.

Resources

• Checklist - Ongoing Tasks to Run a Successful Volunteer Program 
• Instruction - How to Recruit New Volunteers 
• Template - Volunteer Exit Feedback 
• Template - Volunteer Induction Checklist 
• Template - Volunteer Role Description 

General information

Volunteering WA  are the official source of information when it comes to all things volunteering. They offer information, training, advice, network meetings and resources, many of which are free.

Learn more about your legal obligations when recruiting volunteers, youth volunteers and other volunteer management need by visiting Not-for-profit Law and making use of their training, guides and factsheets.

Both volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations have certain legal obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020. To learn more about the responsibilities that organisations engaging volunteers have under the WHS Act read the Work Health and Safety Guide for Volunteer Organisations.

If you’re looking for a more affordable and easy way to get police clearances for your volunteers, consider the WA Police Force Volunteer National Police Certificate program. While this isn’t your only option for police clearances, it is a popular one amongst volunteer-involving organisations due to its ease and affordability.

The Australian National Standards for Volunteer Involvement will give you a quick and easy-to-understand overview of what is considered best practice when it comes to managing your volunteers. You can download the document for free and suggest using it as a checklist so that you can rate the operations of your group.

Virtual Training Hub

Visit the Virtual Training Hub to access short courses and videos on topics such as how to attract youth volunteers, tips for recruiting and keeping volunteers and creating a positive volunteering culture.

The Community Toolkit includes a range of additional resources to support with a variety of other functions.

Resources

• Factsheet - Characteristics of a Community Leader
• Guide - Advocacy and Campaigning

General information

The City is fortunate to have a passionate community wanting to help. It is in the face of emergency events that this becomes so important. At such times community members often look for ways to help each other during the emergency and after. In such cases community-led resilience and emergency networks are critical. If you’re interested in setting up such a network, then read the Community-led Resilience Teams Guide developed by Australian Red Cross.

Workshops

The City will sometimes run in-person capacity building workshops for local community groups and individuals wanting to make positive change in the community. We’re always seeking ideas for new topics to cover, so please get in touch with Community Development if you have a workshop idea, or you’re interested in hearing about future workshops. Email: communitydevelopment@wanneroo.wa.gov.au or phone 9405 5600.