When we share our networks, resources and knowledge, we can achieve great things.
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.
“Many of our VSA young professionals have come back to Downer requesting greater leadership roles. Downer has seen them take on larger projects, ask to work more independently, taking ownership of a complete project and offering to work in remote areas of New Zealand with confidence. It is this increased confidence that is making a crucial difference to the way young professionals are positively approaching their career development and role choices within Downer.” - Jan O’Neill, EGM People and Culture, Downer New Zealand
Interested?
To find out what your company or organisation could achieve through partnering with VSA, please get in touch with our dedicated team. Please email us here.
Staff volunteering programme
“At its core, how we work in future will be more networked, more devolved, more mobile, more team- based, more project-based, more collaborative, more real-time, and more fluid... This will require better and different ways to communicate, collaborate, and network. “ - Deloitte on the Future of Work
We can work with you to design volunteer programmes that will work for your team and organisations in the Pacific region. Volunteer assignments can be short or long term. VSA has a proven history of preparing skilled volunteers 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 safety, security or health issues.
Volunteers get the chance to live and work in one of New Zealand’s neighbouring countries, developing valuable cross-cultural intelligence and a lifelong connection to the Pacific. Your staff can use their skills and experience to develop innovative solutions to real-world problems, making a huge difference to the lives of others. Staff develop skills in working with ambiguity, effecting change with scarce resources, flexible thinking, and creative problem solving.
While travel is restricted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, volunteering opportunities can be designed to engage with our overseas partners and projects remotely, from New Zealand.
All of VSA’s assignments contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“The assignment gave me a lot of confidence in my ability to project manage, and was a crash course in thinking outside the square. The challenges I faced were more to do with people and culture, rather than technical challenges. This gave me the opportunity to develop my soft skills, and look at ways of getting people on my side, as well as being open to alternative ways of thinking.” - Zubin D’Sousa, Downer volunteer
Benefits of staff volunteer programmes
"The competition to hire the best will increase in the years ahead. Companies that give extra flexibility to their employees will have the edge in this area." Bill Gates
- Leverage the strengths of both our organisations. VSA has decades of experience in sending volunteers and working in the Pacific. We have great systems for looking after our volunteers and making sure they have a fulfilling and safe experience.
- Develop the talent of your staff with innovative leadership challenges and professional development opportunities.
- Offer a unique point of difference when recruiting – a placement overseas offers the chance for brand differentiation in a crowded market. Genuine corporate social responsibility enhances both external and staff perceptions of reputation.
- Fast track development of talented future leaders. Staff of all ages are increasingly purpose driven and want a workplace that supports meaningful work. From Millennials to Baby Boomers, people expect career flexibility and development opportunities. A volunteer assignment can help you to recruit and retain top talent.
- Millennials are moving into management roles, which is a great time to offer them a stretch assignment, a chance to test their skills in a new environment, and an international experience. This aligns with millennials expectations that their employer will make a contribution to society, promote diversity and inclusion and offer development and pay benefits to earn their loyalty.
- Gain valuable experience living and working with Pacific communities and enhance your reputation as a responsible organisation in the wider Pacific
- We ask for a contribution to expenses, and offer a wraparound, cost effective service.
Read more
Deloitte Building Leadership Skills Through Volunteerism
Herald Go further, faster, with volunteering
Other ways to help
Fundraising support
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 the role
- 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
If you are interested in making VSA your charity of choice, please contact the Fundraising Team here.