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“Volunteering is time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain.”
Volunteering Australia

Volunteering can:

  • give you a sense of achievement and purpose
  • help you feel part of a community
  • help you feel better about yourself by improving your self-esteem and confidence
  • help you share your skills, learn new skills and create a better work-life balance
  • help combat stress, loneliness and social isolation, and depression
  • help you meet new people, which can help you feel more connected and valued

WHAT IS A CEF LOCAL FOUNDATION?

A local foundation is a diverse group of like-minded community members committed to assisting the students in their local area. What works for some communities might not work for others. One of the great things about CEF’s model is that it can be adapted to the unique needs of your own community. While you will have to adhere to some basic guidelines and provide occasional reports, you are very much encouraged to work independently and in a way that will have the biggest impact for your local community and its students.

CEF currently has 46 local foundations across New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory, run by more than 430 volunteers.

JOIN AN EXISTING CEF LOCAL FOUNDATION

Volunteers are at the heart of our work. We cannot continue supporting rural and regional students to undertake post-school education if we don’t have amazing, passionate volunteers.

This is a generally a year-round commitment, and the level of participation required varies between locations and position held within the foundation. Duties could include:

  • Grant application shortlisting
  • Interviewing
  • Fundraising
  • PR and promotion
  • Student engagement and liaising
  • Office bearer positions: Chair, Treasurer, Secretary etc…

You can find a list of our current local foundations HERE. You can click on the foundation name to find out how they work and the best person to contact to get involved, or you can contact us at [email protected] if you aren’t sure where to start.

For information and testimonials about why you should volunteer for CEF and just how rewarding it can be, check out THIS PAGE.

START A NEW CEF LOCAL FOUNDATION

If there isn’t a CEF local foundation in your area but you are eager to get involved, you could consider forming a brand new local foundation in your area. These are the next steps you would need to take:

  • Identify people in your community who would like to join you. Your local foundation should consist of members from all walks of life and who share a passion for supporting local youth to achieve their goals. Experience indicates that an ideal committee size is around 5 – 8 people.
  • Complete the Expression of Interest on our website. The EOI will then be assessed by CEF to ensure your prospective local foundation will meet establishment criteria set by the organisation.
  • If your application is successful, a CEF staff member will be in touch. They will then assist you with completing all the necessary forms required by your Office of Fair Trading (or equivalent) in order to become an incorporated entity. Once you receive your Notification of Incorporation from the relevant state (or territory) authority, you can set up a bank account and are ready to operate.
  • CEF will provide you with a welcome pack including documents outlining CEF policies and the constitution and charter. We will also provide marketing collateral and tips and tricks on running a successful foundation. If at any time you are unsure, or have any questions, do not hesitate to be in touch, and one of our staff members will be more than happy to assist.

CEF national office will provide you with all the support and information you need to successfully establish and run your new foundation – there might even be a little cash in the kitty to help get you started! You can find more information HERE.

For more information on starting a CEF local foundation to help your rural and regional youth,  you can contact us at [email protected].  The more local foundations we have, the more students we can support.

NOT READY TO COMMIT JUST YET?

We understand that the decision to commit to being a volunteer can be a tough one. If you are not ready to take the leap just yet, there are a number of other ways you can support CEF. For a list and some ideas, click HERE.