The Volunteering New Plymouth Trust (VNP) aims to build a strong, connected and sustainable community by connecting people of all ages with meaningful volunteer opportunities. They also work with community organisations, helping to enhance their volunteer and fundraising programmes.
However, like many of the organisations they serve, VNP operates on the smell of an oily rag.
“Our small office has had second-hand equipment and computers handed on from other organisations. We set them up ourselves, so we probably haven’t managed our equipment to maximum capacity,” said Marie Riordan, Manager.
“During the pandemic, we operated from home with challenging systems and realised we needed a major upgrade. We’ve always made the most of what we have, but we didn’t realise how great our work environment could be with additional support.”
Toi Foundation funding allowed VNP to buy IT equipment, plus ongoing support and resources like teardrop flags and EFTPOS terminals.
“This grant has been life-changing, not only for us at VNP but also the community organisations that have registered to borrow the EFTPOS terminals. Using these at fundraising events has increased the money received by smaller groups by a whopping 360% in the past year,” said Marie.
“One organisation told us recently that they ‘couldn’t operate fundraisers without these machines now, because no-one carries cash these days.’”
“So, the grant has not only enhanced our work environment but also had a huge impact on the community.
“We are freer, more flexible, and more visible with our flags and Signage Pull Ups. When we are out and about, it is now easy to have a noticeable presence with signage and mobile data, allowing us to work on either our laptop or phone to capture real-time info from potential volunteers and new organisations.
“We’re very excited to see how we can utilise all this in the future. Thank you so much to Toi for making these funds available to the community.”
