SkillsBank has been a huge success this year.

In fact, such a success that we have had to put a temporary hold on applications.

So, as of July 2009, we are not accepting any new applications to SkillsBank as we focus on our existing projects and our continued commitment to providing Victorian bushfire-affected communities with volunteer support in the reconstruction process. Should you require the names of other skilled volunteer organisations to contact, please click here.

If you’d like to be notified when applications reopen, join our SkillsBank mailing list and we’ll keep you informed.

What is SkillsBank?

SkillsBank is the practical community engagement section of Leadership Victoria. Its purpose is to provide Leadership Victoria Alumni with opportunities to give back to the community by offering a variety of skills and expertise to not-for-profit organisations on a pro bono (free) basis.

Fellows are graduates of the Williamson Community Leadership Program (12 month program). Now in its 20th year, this program brings together participants with demonstrated leadership potential from the business, public, private and community sectors. Associates are graduates of the ExperienceBank Program (6 month program), who are accomplished senior leaders and who are keen to make a difference through community engagement. On completion of their leadership program, Alumni agree to provide volunteer support and advice, through SkillsBank, to not-for-profit organisations that seek such assistance but do not have the resources to pay for it.

The range of skills offered by Alumni includes: leading and managing organisations and teams of people; governance and Board development; change management; strategic and business planning; marketing; organisational review and development; event planning; training and project development, as well as specific skills related to their chosen professions (e.g. law, accounting, urban planning, film-making, etc.). Their backgrounds are varied, but they all have a high level of interest in and awareness of local and international events, issues and trends.

In 2008 there were more than 700 Leadership Victoria Alumni, 60% of whom volunteered through SkillsBank, assisting more than 130 not-for-profit organisations.

Assistance can be provided in these areas:

• Board members for boards or committees of management
• Mentoring for the CEO or executive staff of a not-for-profit organisation
• Speakers or presenters on leadership topics
• Facilitators for strategic or business planning sessions
• Project teams to assist an organisation work through a range of issues or challenges

The emphasis is on advice and support. Fellows and Associates all have work, family and community commitments. The purpose of their voluntary contribution to an organisation is to support and strengthen the capacities of its staff or members, rather than to undertake significant hands-on work themselves. The ideal SkillsBank placement works on an immediate problem for the organisation but, in the process, transfers skills, knowledge and contacts from the Alumni to that organisation so that it is in a stronger position to tackle similar projects or problems by itself in the future.

All SkillsBank placements are managed by the SkillsBank Initiatives Manager, whose responsibility is to match each request with a suitably skilled volunteer, provide the organisation with some background information about that person and to monitor the process, including evaluation of the final outcomes. The average length of time for a match to be made is between two and four weeks, with some project teams taking longer to put together.

At the present time, it is not possible for SkillsBank to find suitably skilled people for Boards seeking treasurers or people with financial management skills or people with fundraising/PR skills. We do not have sufficient people on our books to match the number of requests we receive. However, we can supply organisations with the contact details of other skilled volunteer brokers.

Because Fellows and Associates operate as voluntary advisors and work through SkillsBank in addition to their normal professional commitments, and because their involvement depends on a conjunction of interest, skill and available time, there is no guarantee that SkillsBank can find Alumni for all application requests. However, in practice, there are few instances where a suitable Fellow or Associate cannot be found and a not-for-profit will be promptly advised if their request is not able to be serviced.

To be informed about new SkillsBank opportunities sign up for SkillsBank notifications here.