From the CEO:
We're with you
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Happy new year. I am so looking forward to this year, which will be a very busy one for us here at People First -Total Solutions. How are you feeling about 2011? We are here to help you mobilise your people. For many people around the world, it has not been a Happy New Year. 2010 was the worst year for disasters in recorded history, with more floods, earthquakes, snow and fires than we have known before. It has been a reminder to us that humans are vulnerable: one hopes that that realisation will translate into a desire to work together to protect each other. It has been exciting to see donations and volunteering that have emerged: please consider how you can help. Here are some links to aid agencies: We salute those who are volunteering and facilitating (see my blog for more). This is our seventh year of producing People First E-News. I want to thank Melody Lord for her patience and dedication in putting it together with us. It was exciting to see our readership rise by 22.4% in 2010. We now have subscribers from 35 countries. Thank you for recommending the people First e-News to your colleagues. Please keep doing so - it's easy! This issue includes highlights from the most well-received newsletter articles of 2010. In reflecting on the year past and the stories that struck a chord, it is clear that our readers liked: - articles that challenged
- articles with practical tips
- articles with resources
In 2011, we aim to bring you more of what you want. We'll be monitoring your responses to issues in the newsletter, our Facebook page and in my blog: The Cowling Report. We really appreciate your feedback and comments -- even if it's just a few words. We have created a short online survey asking specifically about our E-News. The survey is running until February 9. It is a mere seven questions long but the information will be invaluable. As an incentive to participate, we will give away a $100 (�40) voucher to one lucky respondent. People First's commitments will keep me on the move for most of the coming year. You can stay in touch with me on my facebook and twitter spaces! (Use the buttons below.) Have a safe, peaceful and happy 2011. Yours sincerely, Martin J Cowling    |
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Survey
Answer the seven short questions in our survey about the e-Newsletter and be in the running to win a $100 (�40) voucher.
Click here to participate.
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| Who we are |
People First -Total Solutions Pty Ltd operates globally.
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Our Social Media
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Look back, leap forward
January 2011
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Greetings!
People First -Total Solutions is proud to be with you in 2011 and beyond.
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Effective People  Top stories of 2010
The second most popular Effective People story in September 2010 was our list of 21 volunteer appreciation ideas -- many of which are free to implement. Which ones did you find most useful?
Our January 2010 article "12 Volunteering Resolutions" was a very useful checklist to begin the new year. How did you rate at fulfilling your aims? How can we help you increase your success rate in 2011? |
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Better Organisations
Top stories of 2010
 As half the world''s English spellers use an "s" to spell "organisation" and half the world spells it with a "z", this section gains a lot of feedback from people concerned by our spelling! We continue to run one international edition which means our North American readers sometimes wince as they read "colour" and "realise", for example. We have talked about developing two versions of our E-news to cater for the linguistic divide! Our top Better Organisations article in 2010 was in September's issue, where we outlined the importance of saying thank you: "Getting thank-you letters right takes time, but it's worth doing. The more you make your donors and volunteers aware of how much you appreciate them, the more they will give." Our July focus on volunteer safety also garnered a lot of attention, with its example of a brutal attack on an Americorps volunteer and a discussion of the adequacy of the agency's response. The Better Organisations article on Volunteer Rights in December also drew quite a bit of interest. Not-for-profits have a legal obligation to keep their volunteers safe and happy, and it's not always easy to do so! |
Stronger Society 
We had four articles in this section of our newsletter that seemed to catch your attention:
The one that had the most response dealt with deprogramming bullies in the August issue, giving reassurance that there is a way to teach self-awareness and empathy to those who seem to lack it.
Writing articles about policy and procedures is difficult as this is not an area that grabs most people's attention. We seem to have struck a chord with our March 2010 piece: "10 steps to policy creation".
Number three in this section was a challenge to many agencies: how to fail at attracting volunteers (in our June issue). A number of readers downloaded the article and passed it onto their management teams for discussion.
Our July article on background checking gave a quick overview of this potentially thorny and important issue, with advice on resources to look at as we negotiate new laws and responsibilities and work towards creating a stronger society. |
People First -Total Solutions Company news
- Martin will be the keynote speaker at the Texas Volunteer Management Conference, March 3-4, 2011.
- Check out the exciting three-day NFP Sector Management Development Program Martin is helping to teach at the University of Technology, Sydney in April. Please pass it on!
- Booroondara Volunteer Resource Centre in Melbourne is featuring People First trainers in its 2011 training program.
- The 2010 Australasian retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management in Wellington, New Zealand, in May 2011 will open for applications on Friday January 21.
- We are specifically looking for additional bookings in Australia between April and July and in the USA in April, June and July.
- We have one day still available for training during Australian Volunteer Week and one during NZ Volunteer Week.
- Martin J would really like to provide training in Alaska when he visits the state in July - anyone looking for training?
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Quick Links
Most clicked links of 2010
- No. 1: People First's Resources page: most are free!
- No. 2: International Volunteer Manager's Day
- No. 3: Energize Inc!'s volunteer opportunities online
- No. 4: Charity in the USA: graphs and charts
- No. 5: UK volunteer wants an apology
- No. 6: Five ways to become happier today
- No. 7: People First's YouTube channel
- No. 8: Blogs and wikis on Volunteer Leadership
- No. 9: Philanthropy Australia
- No. 10: Rush Limbaugh attacks NFPs
- No. 11: Bullying resources list
- No. 12: Free e-cards to say "thank you" and "well done"
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Feedback Thank you Martin for your good wishes. I wish you and your colleagues a Joyful and Peaceful Holiday Season. I admire your boundless enthusiasm and energy for volunteerism. Tong Yuen, 1st Vice-President, RSVP Singapore -- The Organization of Senior Volunteers I had the pleasure of meeting you when you facilitated a program for Volunteer Victoria in beautiful Victoria, BC Canada. I just wanted to send you a note and let you know just how much I enjoy your newsletters. Please keep sending them - never stop! I always find one or two interesting pieces of information that help me to do my work or to take a slightly different approach. Well done and thank you for sharing your knowledge! Deborah Wakeham, Regional Manager, Junior Achievement of British Columbia Thanks for the stimulating newsletters. I found the story on volunteering a bit of a jolt: could do a bit more on that scene. Frank Purcell, President, St. Mel's Conference, St. V. de P. society Shepparton (Vic). I attended your workshop at the Tonic Conference this year in Tauranga. It was great though way too short. Thanks again, Maree Nicholson, Service Coordinator Tauranga Moana, NZ |
For general enquiries about People First -Total Solutions, please email us: peoplefirst @ pfts.com.au (remove the spaces)
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