Our Partnerships

“People who are able to volunteer offshore bring new ideas, different ways of doing things... exchange is always good because it’s an exchange of people, cultures and ideas.”
Rt Hon Helen Clark

At VSA, partnerships are the foundation for all the work we do. We bring together New Zealanders and our Pacific neighbours to share their skills and experience, working to transform lives and create a fair future for all.

Together with our partners in New Zealand and across the Pacific in the business, public, academic and NGO sectors, we work alongside governments, business and communities to build lasting positive change that will continue for generations to come. We do this through programme development and delivery, skills exchange, and fundraising.

We value respectful partnerships, working and learning together, cross-cultural understanding and the spirit of volunteering.

Interested? 

To find out what your company or organisation could achieve through partnering with VSA, please get in touch with our dedicated team.

Contact: partnerships@vsa.org.nz.

Our Partners

We’d like to thank our partners who support our work. They share our commitment to sustainable development in developing countries to reduce poverty and contribute to a more secure, equitable and prosperous world.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) are a key partner for VSA. MFAT delivers the New Zealand Aid Programme by drawing on the knowledge and skills of a wide range of people and organisations to tackle priority issues for the Pacific, especially climate change and health and education. Their work also has a strong focus on good governance and transparency, human rights, women’s political and economic empowerment, and youth.

We currently have agreements with over 20 partners, ranging from fellow NGOs to large multinational companies and UN agencies. By working together, we can build on each other’s strengths. 

Partnering with VSA

Whether you’re an NGO, a government agency or a private sector organisation, becoming a VSA Partner will give you access to our expertise as an international development agency working through volunteers to achieve lasting, positive outcomes.

We have great networks throughout the Pacific, based on longstanding respectful relationships. VSA has a proven track record of recruiting skilled volunteers, preparing them for their time overseas, and ensuring they have a fantastic experience while they are there. We have offices throughout the Pacific, and have specialist staff to manage any safety, security or health issues.

We’re interested in working with partners who have a commitment to making real change in the Pacific, who are committed to developing people to realise their potential, and who support collaboration, capacity building and sustainability.

We can work together with you to develop innovative volunteering opportunities which benefit all partners involved, or can help find skilled volunteers to help you meet development goals.

What could be achieved by working in partnership?

• Support sustainable development in developing countries to reduce poverty and contribute to a more secure, equitable and prosperous world
• Support the work of VSA through fundraising, in kind or cash donations
• Enhance your reputation as a responsible organisation in the wider Pacific
• Develop the talent of your people with new leadership challenges and career development opportunities
• Gain valuable experience living and working with Pacific communities 
• Leverage the strengths of both organisations

Here’s how we can work together

When we share our networks, resources and knowledge, we can achieve great things.

Make VSA your charity of choice and:

• Sponsor a volunteer assignment in an area of interest to you
• Have a staff fundraising event to support our work
• Provide goods or services that we can use as prizes for fundraising
• Encourage staff to donate to VSA through payroll giving – and you could match it to provide an incentive
• Provide in-kind support to help one of our partner organisations’ projects succeed
• Support VSA by providing a percentage of profits or holding special events

Share your technical expertise and knowledge

• We often need experts to help on our interview panels – your staff could help us to select the right candidate for an assignment
• We sometimes need advice when scoping up a technical role – we’d love to access your advice to make sure we are creating an assignment description that will get us great candidates with the right skills
• Provide pro-bono training or services to VSA

Help to spread the word about VSA

• Share our news and volunteer assignments on social media and with your networks
• Host a VSA function or event at your workplace

We know that successful partnerships come about when partners have a good understanding of each other’s context, requirements, and capacity. We look for opportunities to find common goals and co-create great partnerships that build on our strengths to meet development needs. Let’s talk!