Value of attending Volunteering NZ conferences

Volunteering New Zealand offers scholarship tickets to our annual conference. We want to enable volunteer managers or leaders from small organisations to attend.

Joy Reid, the Chief Executive of From One Mother to Another, says attending VNZ conferences are valuable for the learning and connection offered.

Joy had a scholarship ticket to attend in 2024 in Christchurch.

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“This was an incredible opportunity for both me and our organisation. As a small charity, there is simply no way we could have afforded to attend otherwise, and at the time I honestly wasn’t sure whether a conference of that scale would be relevant for us. I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

Joy says the content was relevant; sessions on AI in volunteering, and another on inclusion broadened her horizons about what was achievable in From One Mother to Another.

“Beyond the sessions themselves, I made valuable new connections and, perhaps most importantly, felt part of a much bigger volunteer community working towards positive change across New Zealand.

Size no barrier to contribution

“Being in those conversations encouraged me to lift my eyes beyond the day-to-day realities of running a small charity and start dreaming about what our future could look like. It gave me confidence that organisations of all sizes have a place at the table and can contribute to the wider volunteering sector,” Joy says.

Last year, her organisation paid for their new Volunteer Coordinator to attend the hui in Auckland. She came back full of fresh ideas, new contacts, and renewed enthusiasm for her role.

Joy says the value was so clear that attending the conference has now become part of their planning as their volunteer community grows at pace. 

“What started with one scholarship has created an ongoing connection to a nationwide community of volunteers and organisations. For us, that has been invaluable.  Thank you for making it happen.”

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