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Welcome to our information page for support groups! On this page, you will find information on grants, fundraising opportunities, seminars and workshops of special interest to support groups. Still to come are a collection of articles on aspects of setting up support groups, and our new Support Group Newsletter (Issue 1 to be published in November 2006). Watch this space for details!

Services for Support Groups
Workshops and seminars
Information sheets for support groups
Funding opportunities
Other opportunities
Handy links

SERVICES

SG News – Newsletter for Support Groups

We have now sent out two editions of SG News, a newsletter specifically for support groups. This short-and-sweet newsletter includes a great selection of information and details of upcoming events of interest to support groups for people with genetic conditions. Sections include ‘hot topics’, upcoming grants, info for your members, Genetic Support Awareness Week information for groups, events and advocacy topics.

One of the features of SG News is the ‘Your Say’ section. GSNV has around 140 genetic support organisations on its mailing list – and each group has considerable knowledge and expertise. The ‘Your Say’ section is a great way for groups to ask questions and get ideas from other group leaders who have faced similar challenges while running their groups. Groups are invited to write in to ‘Your Say’ with questions and ideas, and to respond to questions asked by other group leaders.

…and of course, if you come across something of interest to other groups, please let us know so we can put it in the SG News!

Does your genetic support group receive SG News? Contact your group to check, or phone Leah on (03) 8341 6315.

INFORMATION SHEETS FOR SUPPORT GROUPS

Recruiting and Managing Volunteers: pointers for support group co-ordinators

Listed here are resources available online for free from a variety of places. As you read through them, think about what is applicable to your own situation in your Support Group – not everything will be suitable. Most of this information is aimed at large organisations with more resources than your Support Group may have. For instance, you may feel that writing detailed position descriptions is going overboard, but you could adapt the idea and negotiate with your volunteers to create a short written description outlining the role and expectations. This will help ensure you and your volunteers are on the same page. Follow this link to read more.

Meeting Venues: pointers for support group co-ordinators

Covers Library Meeting Rooms, Neighborhood Houses, Council and Town Halls, and Ross House. Follow the link to read all about it...

GSNV thanks Michelle Howson, our intrepid Genetic Counselling placement student in 2007, for her magnificent work on these information sheets!

WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS

COSHG Workshop: Working Together for Successful Self Help Groups - Friday 27th July

The Collective of Self Help Groups (COSHG) is in its 30th year is holding a forum to enhance the skills and knowledge of self help groups and advocates and those who support such groups/people. This forum will include a panel session with representatives from the Disability Advocacy Resource Unity (DARU), the Disability Services Commissioner and DHS Disability Self Help Funding Program. Friday 27th July, 9:30am to 4:15pm, Flemington Community Centre, 15 Mt Alexander Rd, Flemington. Cost: FREE, RSVP to: 9349-2301 or email info@coshg.org.au

GSNV Workshop: Starting a Support Group

The Starting a Support Group seminar was held on Tuesday 7th March at the Wingate Avenue Community Centre in Ascot Vale. Six enthusiastic people joined us for a comprehensive rundown on starting a support group, some travelling from as far afield as Frankston and Geelong. Andrew Williams, founder of OzED, shared his experiences and tips, and Leah Lonsdale (GSNV Coordinator) provided some general information and hints. All participants received a copy of the great COSHG book called ‘In the Same Boat’. Handouts are available from the GSNV office. Phone Leah on (03) 8341 6315 or email Leah to have a copy of the notes posted to you.

FUNDING OPPORUNITIES

William Buckland Foundation – ANZ Charitable Trusts

The William Buckland Foundation strives to identify and support initiatives that can make a lasting, significant and positive impact on the well-being of the Victorian community. The Foundation supports

innovation in practice
strengthening the ability of not-for-profit bodies to deliver effective services to the community; and
building knowledge within the not-for-profit sector and the wider community.

Grants are generally awarded for the period of one year, and are usually for a minimum of $20,000. Emphasis is on the prevention of problems, addressing the causes of disadvantage rather than the symptoms; response to an identified area of need in the community; making a significant contribution to the body of knowledge of an area; or other positive impact on community wellbeing, especially for disadvantaged groups and rural communities.

Closing dates for 2007 are 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October. Call the ANZ Charitable Trustees on 1800 808 910 for further information, or download the application form to apply.

OTHER OPPORUNITIES

Survey on In-Kind Donations to Not-For-Profit Groups

The Committee for Melbourne runs a Young Leaders Program known as the 'Future Focus Group' (FFG) that encourages emerging young leaders to develop and implement projects that will contribute to the social, economic and environmental framework of Melbourne.

Infoxchange and a group of six individuals from the FFG are working together to create an online exchange that aims to modernise the way in which goods are donated ‘in kind’ to not-for-profit organisations. To research the viability and potential take-up of this concept, they have created a short questionnaire for you to complete.

It will take between two and five minutes to complete the questionnaire.

Visit the website to take part.

HANDY LINKS

Association Incorporation Kit
This link takes you to the Consumer Affairs Victoria Resource Centre, and contains everything you need to know about becoming incorporated! To quote CAV, "Incorporation of an association means that it becomes a separate legal entity in its own right, separate from the individual members. In other words, the association is considered at law to have a distinct identity that continues despite changes to its membership" (read more). Incorporation makes it easier for your organisation to receive membership fees, grant support, and donations, and decreases the liability of individual members for the actions of the group.

Collective of Self-Help Groups, and In the Same Boat
COSHG is a network of self-help and social action groups. These groups are made up of and controlled by people who are directly affected by a particular issue. Self Help Groups are groups of people who get together with others 'in the same boat' to support each other, share experiences and knowledge, and work together to improve their quality of life. f particular interest to those starting up a support group is their booklet, In The Same Boat, which is a book about self-help, social change, and how to start a self-help group and keep it running well. The booklet costs $6 and an order form can be download here.

Fundraising Ideas Australia
All the information you need to run your own fundraising activity... This site provides you with an enormous amount of free fundraising ideas, as well as a very comprehensive section listing fundraising companies with great fund raising products. All of them offer you fundraisers with proven track records of success.

ourcommunity.com.au - Easy Grants
Provides community, education and non-profit groups with funding advice, online donations service and a newsletter containing information on current funding opportunities.

Philanthropy Australia
Philanthropy Australia is the national Association which represents Australia's leading grantmaking Private, Family, Corporate and Community Trusts and Foundations. Here you can find information on what Philanthropy Australia is, a list of members and news of their activities.

VCOSS Clearinghouse

Provides information about training providers who can provide professional development training and support to community sector organisationsand groups, events including workshops and seminars, resources, including links to funding opportunities and business information for small organisations, and, our favourite, a list of Pro Bono Providers - Services and Skilled Volunteers, including links to providers of pro-bono legal work, volunteer databases, leadership and management training, and all sorts of other goodies.

Vicnet: free webhosting for Victorian community groups
Vicnet is a community and non profit group that can help you get your support group on line by giving you 10MB of web space with an FTP (file transfer protocol) account, technical advice, guides, and instructions, access to webhelp, statistics, and web design services, as well as listing in the Vicnet search engine so that people can find your site.