Student Interviews

Interview with Theresa Hoogland, SVM Graduates

What job do you do and for what organisation?

I was the Event Coordinator for the Smith Family and I am starting a new and exciting role as an event coordinator for Guide Dogs Victoria.

How, if at all, do you work with volunteers in you role?

In my role with the Smith Family I manage a range of events and the key one in terms of engaging volunteers is our Christmas activities. During the month of December we use over 1000 volunteers and they do everything from packing toys and food hampers to delivering them to helping us with clean up and post event activities so it is a really frantic time of year.

Why did you choose to do an SVM course?

I thought it would be a really good opportunity to hone my skills. In the not-for-profit sector you tend to get thrown in the deep end regularly and you are always doing bits and pieces that you are not always qualified for. This, along with my volunteer work with the Girl Guides which I had done for many years previously led me to think it would be a really good opportunity to understand more about the structure and process behind volunteering - dealing with issues such as HR, storing volunteer reports, dealing with conflict and all of that sort of stuff.

It is one thing to have your volunteers turn up on the day and to get them engaged in activity but there were all of the other issues around OH&S, making sure they've filled out the right form, that we've captured the right details and that that information is being stored appropriately and we are recognising the work of our volunteers post event. So being able to understand that in greater detail was the motivation.

Can you tell me the most important thing you learnt from Train Small Groups?

Train Small Groups taught tangible examples of how to engage with groups to get the best out of them, particularly in terms of how to work with them to get a job done in the most effective way.

What were the positives and challenges of distance education?

It was actually really good. Different to how I thought it would be. I initially thought I might flounder a bit and if I put in a query it would take ages for it to come back but working with the School and Lynne was fantastic. If I submitted something I'd hear back straight away that yes we've received it and if I had a query, or if I didn't understand what I was reading, they were always happy to talk it through with me. I thought doing it by distance was a great way to do it, particularly working full time and having other stuff going on over weekends it was good to fit it in around my life and not have to attend classes to do that. I thought it was a great way of learning.

Would you consider doing another SVM training course, and if so, which one?

I probably would but I haven't had an opportunity to see what else is on offer. I finished the last one and went "oh, done that one, take a breather". The assistance the school has given me and the way the course has been presented was just excellent. I would have no hesitation of doing more with them if I found something that was of interest.

What is the most important thing you will take away from the course?

I think the understanding of the importance of effectively engaging with volunteers. It's not just about doing a ring around and getting some volunteers in to maybe move some boxes of toys or that sort of thing, it's actually about that there are great processes behind it. If we can build up a rapport with volunteers, it's going to not only help the organisation but indeed the whole sector and we can really lift the bar in terms of the way that we work with volunteers and the way that they work with our organisations.

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