Welcome Pack - theoaktree.orgtheoaktree.org/.../08/Welcome-To-Oaktree-2012-2013.pdf · Welcome....
Transcript of Welcome Pack - theoaktree.orgtheoaktree.org/.../08/Welcome-To-Oaktree-2012-2013.pdf · Welcome....
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Welcome.
Hello, and welcome to the Oaktree Foundation.
Oaktree is Australia’s first and largest youth run development agency. In 2012, you join a dynamic
team of over 350 volunteers, each dedicated to the eradication of extreme poverty.
Working at Oaktree is a unique experience. You’ll be given an immense amount of responsibility, and
very quickly see the impact you’re making. At Oaktree, we like to throw you in the deep end, because
we prioritise your development. We challenge ourselves to become and remain inquisitive, and hungry
for knowledge.
The year so far, has seen extraordinary growth; a year in which we pushed and challenged boundaries.
In the following pages, you’ll read about our achievements in the Live below the Line campaign, and
our new development projects in East Timor and PNG.
2013 is set to be even bigger. Through the Roadtrip, we’ll work to change public narratives and
political perceptions, and Live below the Line will be back – bigger and better than ever before, raising
critical funds for our development work overseas. As an Oaktree Volunteer, you’ll have the ability to
create social change, through highly informed action.
Throughout this year, there’ll be opportunities to increase your understanding of the aid and
development sector. There’s our development education program, our overseas project tours, and a
range of workshops, conferences and seminars.
You’ll also develop important skills in your area of work. You’ll network, and establish valuable
relationships, inside and outside the organisation. You’ll receive training, and have meaningful
opportunities to pursue personal development.
Welcome. We’re excited to have you on board.
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Contents
Welcome 2
The Oaktree Story 5
Mission Statement 6
What we do 6
Our Values 7
Who we are
Oaktree Senior Leadership 8
Overseas Projects
Partnership with community organisations 9
Where we work 9
Cambodia 10
Papua New Guinea 10
East Timor 12
South Africa 13
Our Generations Challenge 13
Youth Engagement
Generate 14
Schools for Schools 14
Campaigns
It Starts At Home 15
The Roadtrip 15
Live Below the Line 16
People and Culture
Communities of Excellence 17
Corporate Engagement 19
Administration 20
Finance
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Reimbursements 21
Donations 21
Legal 22
Communications
Resources and Guidelines 23
A note on Online Communications 23
Enforcement 24
An Oaktree Acronym Survival Guide 25
Online Tools 26
Contacts 27
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 28
Further reading 29
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The Oaktree Story
The Oaktree Foundation was founded in 2003, by Hugh Evans and Nic Mackay. Their goal was to
harness the unique potential of young people, and direct it towards fighting poverty. They believed first
and foremost in education – that it’s what enables communities to break the cycle of poverty.
Hugh lived and worked in the rural valley communities of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. And with his
work came an important understanding. To this day, Oaktree believes in the spirit of partnership, and
works through local partners in each community we support.
Since its humble beginnings in living rooms, cafés, school classrooms, and church halls across
Melbourne, Oaktree has emerged as one of the most dynamic aid and development organisations in
Australia.
We’ve grown rapidly since inception, with state branches formed in NSW and QLD in 2004, ACT and
WA in 2005, SA in 2007, and Tasmania in 2010.
We now have more than 98,000 members and have spoken directly to well over 500,000 people.
We’ve achieved an incredible media reach of over 100 million and, most importantly, our 350+
volunteers are bold, dedicated, and determined.
Young People Working Together to End Global Poverty
- Mission statement
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What We Do
Mobilise, educate, and act.
Oaktree runs dynamic, high impact campaigns, to ensure our government does its fair share. To
ensure aid is on the political agenda, and a part of public conversation. Working towards the end of
poverty should always be seen as relevant, and important.
We inspire, and we equip. In everything we do we build young leaders. In particular, our youth
engagement programs provide clear avenues for impact.
Oaktree fundraises incredible amounts of money. We invest this money overseas, in educational
projects that help break the poverty cycle.
Creating a culture of success and sustainability is also a key part of what we do. It’s our organisation’s
attitude, and it’s reflected in our people, as much as it is our work.
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Our Values
Each and every member of the Oaktree community is governed by the following values. In everything
you do, you should strive to:
Think Big. Be Unafraid,
Embrace Change and Make it Your Own,
Be Relentless,
Build a Passion and Unique Community with a Spirit of Fun,
Be Humble, and
Be Inquisitive and Hungry for Knowledge.
Success and sustainability is… our organisation’s attitude…reflected in
our people, as much as it is our
work.
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Who We Are
We’re young, passionate. Hopelessly idealistic and ruthlessly pragmatic.
We’re dedicated to changing the circumstances of the world’s most marginalised, oppressed and
disadvantaged.
The Oaktree Foundation is run entirely by young, passionate volunteers under the age of 26. There are
over 350 of us around the country. We’re running educational sessions for school students and
creating cutting edge communications. We’re managing finances or drafting legal documents or
negotiating sponsorship deals. Insert your new Oaktree role. We’re now proud to say that we’re doing
that too.
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Overseas Projects
We believe young people are invaluable. If anyone can drive a community, a country forwards, it’s
youth. That’s why we primarily work with young people aged 12 to 30. Our focus: their education.
More specifically, we focus on three pillars of their development – quality formal education (both
secondary and tertiary), skills based training (focused on creating sustainable livelihoods) and
leadership training.
And we prioritise equality (gender and disability inclusiveness) and life skills as cross cutting themes of
work for all our overseas projects to encompass.
Partnerships with community organisations
We believe that our place in development is to enable local, community-owned organisations through
the funds that we raise in Australia. We are primarily a funding partner, but do provide technical
assistance where appropriate.
Local people on the ground have far greater knowledge, expertise and context in order to deliver the
development work. This is why we work in partnership. We recognise that the implementing
organisations that we work with are much better placed than us in being able to carry out meaningful
development specific to the needs of the local community.
We therefore choose to assist local, in-country organisations. We’re financial partners who provide
technical support, if there is a clear opportunity to do so.
Working with local partners means we support community ownership, and can be confident in project
sustainability. We help get things off the ground, before projects can be run independently by
communities.
Where we work
We focus our work on the Asia-Pacific region. We have a history of work in Africa, and in fact we do
have one current project in the region, which is finishing in December 2012. Having an Asia-Pacific
regional focus enables more frequent and cost-effective monitoring and evaluation of projects.
Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region are amongst some of the poorest in the world, including East
Timor, our closest neighbour, in which over 37.4% live in extreme poverty.
We’re now also able to run field and study trips to our projects. These are invaluable opportunities for
our volunteers and donors.
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Cambodia
The Beacon Schools Initiative – Kampong Cham
Cambodia has an extremely large youth population, with 70% of Cambodians under the age of 25.
Lack of quality education and teacher shortages means the country has one of the lowest literacy
levels in the region.
In Cambodia, we partner with an organisation called Kampuchean Action for Primary Education (KAPE).
KAPE aspires to a new generation of Cambodian public schools. Schools that exemplify good
governance, have outstanding professional standards, and provide high quality learning experiences.
KAPE’s educational development models are the tools for realising this vision. Their ‘new gen’
curriculum is enhanced with practical life skills.
Partnering with KAPE, we’ve taken three of the poorest performing schools in the Kampong Cham
region, and are working to renovate school buildings, as well as train and motivate teachers.
Our investment in the Beacon Schools Initiative: $566, 800 over three years and nine months.
Papua New Guinea
Men and Women’s Vocational Training – Port Moresby
85% of PNG’s population lives in isolated rural areas, yet many young people migrate to larger cities in
search of employment. The result is urban over-population. A lack of education and training means
that these relocated young people are unable to find employment, and are often forced to turn to
gangs and crime for survival.
City Mission aims to reduce poverty and violence in Port Moresby by providing unemployed youth with
shelter, support, and vocational training. The current program helps men aged 18 to 24 break their
dependency on gang crime, gain a basic education, and learn skills for employment.
Together with City Mission, Oaktree has developed an education and vocational training program for
women, to run parallel to the existing men’s program.
Our investment in City Mission Vocational Training: $550, 000, over three years.
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Schools Building Project – Yangis & Kumbareta
In the community of Yangis, the Baptist Union PNG and Oaktree have identified the need for increased
sustainability since the reopening of the Yangis Community School. This is being addressed through a
focus on improving school infrastructure, new strategies for teacher and student retention and
improving the capacity of the School Management Board.
BUPNG is also working to address Yangis Community School’s
relationship with the PNG Government through the appointment of
a Field Officer who will be responsible for engaging government
support.
Additionally, Oaktree is supporting BUPNG in building a lower
secondary school in Kumbareta. This new school will be the only
high school in the Kumbareta area with four existing primary
schools which has until now meant limited options for students to
extend their education to a secondary level.
Each of these two schools will help to improve employment options
for students, teaching them practical vocational and life-skils.
Access for students will be additionally improved through a large
number of scholarships which will be given to disadvantaged
students who would otherwise have limited access to education.
With over 1,000 direct beneficiaries our investment in the BUPNG Building Schools Project: $1,095,000
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East Timor
Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development, Aileu
Oaktree partners with Plan in the district of Aileu, Timor-Leste, on a programme called Youth
Empowerment for Sustainable Development (YE4SD). Commencing in 2012 YE4SD is a holistic and
integrated development programme that addresses economic, social, cultural and political aspects of
life. Oaktree is partnering with Plan specifically in the economic security aspect of the programme.
The project aims to improve employment outcomes and business profitability for young men and
women by enabling linkages between youth in Aileu and existing vocational training, employment and
business development services in Timor-Leste. Importantly young people are involved in every step of
the programme from design and implementation right through to monitoring and evaluation. Working
alongside the youth of Aileu, Plan staff support, mentor and facilitate opportunities for these young
people to gain a steady and sufficient income.
Our investment in YE4SD: $90 000, over three years
Youth Empowerment and Peace Building Project, Dili
Oaktree supports a new Peace Building project with local organisation, Ba Futuru. Ba Futuru aims to
build youth’s capacity to prevent, manage and resolve violent situations peacefully and nonviolently.
This will be achieved by decreasing the rates of youth instigated violence, building advocates for
peaceful and human rights-orientated practices. This is particularly important in a country like Timor-
Leste where there is a large youth bulge and a history of national violence.
Since its independence ten years ago, East Timor continues to look forwards, but suffers many sever
development challenges. 90,000 youth are involved in martial arts groups and gangs, and half of the
population is unemployed.
The Youth Empowerment Peace Building Project with Ba Faturu worked to address gang violence by
conducting 20 training sessions for 600 ‘conflict prone’ youth in four communities in Dili. This makes
possible short-term mitigation of violence, as well as long-term conflict transformation and prevention
within communities.
Our investment in Ba Futuru: $150, 000, over one year.
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South Africa
Peer Education Program – KwaZulu Natal and Mpumalanga
The spread of HIV/AIDS has become so prevalent in South Africa that approximately 11.6% of the
population are suffering with the disease and almost 600 000 people have died due to the epidemic
between the years of 1997 and 2008.
Since 2007, Oaktree has been working with Generations of Leaders Discovered (GoLD) in 19 local state
schools. The program identifies natural leaders within a school community, and teaches them to
educate their peers about sexual health, drug use, and gang and domestic violence.
In developing young leaders, GoLD alleviates the impact of HIV/AIDS. It’s about peer education, and
prevention.
Our investment in GoLD: $272, 424, over two years
Our Generation’s Challenge
Twice a year, we offer 10 high performing volunteers the chance to visit one of our project sites. These
field trips are designed to enhance personal and professional development. They also strengthen and
forge NGO, civil society and other relationships in developing communities.
Volunteer education includes the history, culture and development challenges of the country being
visited. We meet with individuals and organisations at all levels of development and information
exchange is an important goal.
Our Generation’s Challenge is an invaluable opportunity for volunteers to gain some inspiration, and
challenge their level of knowledge and understanding. It’s a rare opportunity to see our achievements
firsthand, and to learn from a whole network of in-country organisations.
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Youth Engagement
Schools 4 Schools
Schools4Schools gives secondary school students the chance to involve themselves in the anti-poverty
movement.
Australian Schools are partnered with schools in either South Africa or Cambodia. Oaktree provides
each school with a mentor to educate students about the issues their partner school faces. S4S
mentors are young people; they’re Oaktree volunteers. They bring their experience and their insight,
and share it with other young people. It’s grassroots, built on relationships, and student ideas.
Schools4School runs in over 50 schools nationwide, across 6 states and territories.
Generate
Generate is Oaktree’s program for university students. Just like Schools4Schools, it’s run by our
volunteers. It’s about shared learning, practical experience and entrepreneurship.
Generate is volunteering 101, with a focus on social good. It’s development theory, aid policy, and
business-mindedness.
Specific training areas include public speaking, project management, communications, and advocacy.
Through fundraising and active campaigning, Generators make a significant contribution to Oaktree’s
efforts in the fight against poverty.
The program runs for seven months of the year and is exclusive to first and second year university
students. Each year we accept roughly 300 participants, from thousands of applicants Australia wide.
We run one program in every state, with program sizes varying between 25 and 40.
In 2012, we’ll be accepting 260 young people into the Generate program.
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Campaigns
Oaktree’s campaigns are run according to the following criteria:
1. Strong theory of change First we identify what we need to change
We then create a strategy, outlining what we will do
We then identify tactics to achieve the strategy
2. Considerate of the political climate
3. Must be decision-maker focused
4. Builds the movement to end extreme poverty.
The Roadtrip (2013)
In March 2013, over 1000 young people from all across Australia will travel from capital cities, through
local communities, campaigning and engaging the public around foreign aid. We’ll meet in Canberra for
a politically based event, then finish the week in Sydney directly engaging thousands of Australians to
party for change.
After the 2012-2013 Budget commitment, we decided that the Roadtrip was one of our last chances to
show the government just how important foreign aid is to Australians before the next election. So our
policy ask is for a multi-partisan commitment to 0.7% GNI to Foreign Aid by 2020.
Don’t Cut Aid
Just before the 2013-2013 Budget, Oaktree got inside word that the government was considering
cutting aid. We didn’t have a lot of time so we needed to act fast. Pulling capacity from wherever we
could, we banded together with other organisations (like MICAH Challenge and Vision Generation) to
launch our campaign to hold the government to its word.
With the amount of calls, letters and e-mails going through to our target politicians (Wayne Swan, Bob
Carr, Penny Wong and Julia Guilard), we had staff members asking, “Are you from the Oaktree
Foundation?” before we even mentioned it. The result? The government postponed their promise by
one year, but we had politicians contacting saying it was because of this campaign that the Foreign Aid
budget wasn’t cut further.
It Starts At Home
Launched in October 2011, It Starts At Home challenges the notion that only
a certain type of person is passionate about ending global poverty.
The campaign encourages anyone doing their bit to end global poverty, to
share their story with local MPs. By showing decision makers our
commitment to the cause, as well as the depth and breadth of support on
the issue, we strengthen our policy platform. We demonstrate its relevance
and importance, increasing our chances of seeing government action.
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The MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY Roadtrip (2010)
From the 8th-15th May 2010, 1000 young people travelled across
Australia, spreading the MakePovertyHistory message. Once again, we
sought a commitment to 0.7% (70 cents in every $100) to foreign aid.
It was an election year, and the year progress on the Millennium
Development Goals was reviewed. In the 7 days of the campaign, 17
million people heard our message through the media, and 47, 091
people signed our petition, the Act to End Poverty. In just 45 minutes
we met with 143 political leaders. And the Act to End Poverty was
passed as a motion in both houses of federal Parliament.
Live Below the Line
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the size of the problem, but Live Below the Line is a straightforward
way to make a clear impact.
Our signature fundraising campaign, Live Below the Line is about changing the way Australia thinks
about extreme poverty. The campaign challenges participants to feed themselves with just $2 a day for
5 days – the equivalent of the International Extreme Poverty Line. 5 days is all it takes to start
transforming perspectives on poverty. It’s a campaign built on experiences and conversations, and it
makes a big difference to our development work.
Live Below the Line began in 2010. In 2011 alone, we raised over 1.4 million dollars for our initiatives
in Timor, PNG and Cambodia. In 2012 we reached a total of over 1.9 million dollars and 2013 is we are
setting ourselves an even more ambitious target…
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People & Culture Through fostering the Oaktree Way and providing meaningful development, the volunteer experience
at Oaktree empowers a generational force of young leaders to drive social change on ending global
poverty.
This is the mission and purpose of People and Culture.
People and Culture at Oaktree is guided by three core areas of work:
- Creating a positive and nurturing volunteering experience
- Facilitating world class professional and personal development for all our volunteers - And most importantly, ensuring that who we are, who we want to be and everything we do at
Oaktree, is in line with our organisational values – the Oaktree Way
This includes:
A focus on Growing Leaders
Oaktree offers a range of leadership development opportunities, both in-house and with partner
organisations, including The Leaders Project and the Boston Consulting Group.
- Changemaker
Offered exclusively for 10 high-performing ELT-level volunteers, Changemaker comprises of two
intensive 2-day retreats, ongoing mentoring with industry professional and access to regular support from the People and Culture team. This program has been a successful pipeline in
building the next generation of senior Oaktree leaders
- Slingshot 20 emerging and high potential leaders apply and are chosen across Oaktree to attend an
annual 2-day intensive retreat, and have access to shadowing opportunities with in-house
senior leaders of the organisation and other training camps.
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Communities of Excellence
We all love being a part of a community. In communities we feel a part of something bigger than
ourselves. Oaktree communities exist in states, operational teams, and sometimes across whole
programs.
People and Culture create communities that unite people by the type of work they do, and what they
have in common. Communities have and will continue to be formed around crucial skills areas, such as
facilitation and campaigning.
Communities are excellent platforms for innovation, and for forging relationships. Communities extend
our capacity of to more fully realise our collective impact.
In early 2012, we were thrilled to launch the Facilitation community and Campaigns community.
The communities take shape as a series of training opportunities, and community building events
throughout the year.
National Conference
Whether you’ve been volunteering with us for 3 years, 3 months or 3 days, the
Oaktree National Conference is your
chance to connect, vision, and celebrate.
Held over a weekend in early December, National Conference is an opportunity to
experience some brilliant training
(sessions are run by experienced
professionals), and amp up your development literacy. It’s also a chance to
catch up with your Oaktree buddies, make
some new ones, and stock up on
inspiration for the year ahead.
This is a great way to improve your volunteer experience, so we encourage you to get involved.
Through fostering the Oaktree Way and providing meaningful
development, the volunteer
journey at Oaktree empowers a generational force of young
leaders to drive social change on ending global poverty.
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Corporate Engagement
The Corporate Engagement vision:
Embrace our young, relentless, inquisitive and fresh qualities, and portray this in our own abilities, perfectly,
Place relationships as priority #1 in all settings,
Work with the corporate sector in ending global poverty, through partnerships of support (both
financial and in-kind).
Specially, corporate engagement:
Engages with external stakeholders in order to increase the quantity and quality of partners in
our network,
Connects the work we do at Oaktree with the wider corporate and business community,
Builds many levels of mid-long term interaction that do not always include financial
partnerships,
Develops partnerships with businesses, companies, community groups, city councils and state
government, volunteers & alumni, and other individuals through innovative, youthful and
engaging meetings/events,
Seeks out opportunities for in-kind giving, sponsorship, donations, and on-going financial and
logistical support,
Works with states to provide in-kind resource s and support (including venues, stationary, catering etc),
Directs individual philanthropists to Oaktree’s Future Fund, and manages these relationships as
appropriate.
Key features of corporate engagement at Oaktree:
High standards of warm, professional and youthful engagement with corporate sponsors and donors,
Increased support and resources available to state business development volunteers,
Developing the strong communication and interpersonal skills of volunteers required to
professionally manage corporate relationships (according to ‘warmth and wealth’ of potential
donor/sponsor).
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Administration
The administration team is based in the National Office (Melbourne) and handles general enquiries. The
team is also responsible for coordinating our National Conference, held annually in Victoria.
Other Admin functions:
Setting up email accounts and maintaining mailing lists
To request an Oaktree email account, please fill out the Volunteer Registration Form (available at
theoaktree.org/people-processes).
To add or remove an email address from a mailing list, please fill out the Mailing List - Join or Exit
form, on the same page.
Managing external speaker requests
Know of someone who needs an Oaktree speaker? Let the Admin team know and they’ll organise
for an appropriate person to attend.
Opportunities
Admin promotes relevant external opportunities to the volunteer base – anything from essay
competitions to overseas internships to interesting public lectures. Look out for the Opportunities
update in your inbox, and get in touch if you know of any opportunities we can share.
Office maintenance
Although the admin team is responsible for the general cleanliness of the office, please make sure
you tidy up after yourself if you happen to be using the space.
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Finance
The Finance Team supports all of our operations, in terms of any financial obligations that might arise.
Reimbursements
All volunteers need to be familiar with the reimbursement process, for expenses are incurred from
Oaktree related work.
Fill out the reimbursement form If you have spent money yourself and want it reimbursed,
or an invoice form if you want us to pay someone external directly.
Make sure you get authorisation. This must be obtained from your relevant budget holder
before spending money. This is usually your state or project manager.
Always keep a copy of your receipt when you spend money. This doesn't mean the one
from the ATM terminal if you pay by credit card. It means the one from the company, with a
breakdown of what items you bought, how much each of them cost, and how much GST you
paid in the transaction.
Donations
Giving is easy and secure.
All donations are managed automatically by PayPal. All you need is a credit card or PayPal account. You
can give $10, $20, $30, $50, $100 or $400.
All donations are tax deductible.
Check out: theoaktree.org/donate/
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Legal
The Legal Team supports all of our operations, in terms of any legal obligations that might arise.
The types of matters can range considerably, but typically involve:
Insurance
Making sure that any Oaktree events and/or projects are covered by our insurance policies in case something goes wrong.
Contracts
Providing advice and drafting assistance on any agreements made with third parties, especially
of a commercial nature.
Working with Children
Making sure all volunteers are legally able to work with children and are properly trained in their
obligations.
Risk Assessment and Management
Identifying any hazards or potential problems that could occur with an event/project.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)
Making sure we provide a safe work environment and are providing training.
Trademarks and Intellectual Property
Making sure our logos, media and any ideas of Oaktree are protected.
Internal Oaktree Policies
Ensuring that all volunteers abide by a uniform standard of conduct throughout Oaktree in areas
such as privacy, workplace behaviour, child safety, dispute resolution etc.
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Communications
Philosophy
The Oaktree Foundation is committed to truth-based communications. We believe in connecting
audiences to the truth of what we do. We carry out our work, not with the objective of selling or
convincing, but of changing public perceptions and behaviours. We use fact, truth and logic - and
present it in broadly appealing ways.
When it comes to our programs, we communicate strengths. When it comes to campaigns, we
communicate the need for change. And when it comes to our projects, we communicate real stories.
We challenge ourselves to present the realities of extreme poverty in clear, strong, targeted and
creative ways.
Within the organisation, we work to encourage collaboration between all teams and open
communication. Shared knowledge and opinions always bring the highest quality output, and fresh
minds always bring fresh ideas. It’s best to involve people from the beginning of a project, rather than
surprising them halfway through.
We’re here to help where ever possible, and always eager to help ensure your success.
Resources and Guidelines:
Brand Style Guide
Details the uniform style requirements (text, colours etc) expected in all internal and external
communications.
The Brand Style Guide comes with:
The Oaktree logo, in four different file formats: JPG, EPS, AI and PDF. Any of these formats can be
used on standard Microsoft Office files.
Two branded document templates: Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. The Oaktree Foundation letterhead
must be used on all internal publications. All external publications must include a cover page
(supplied).
Writing Style Guide
Details the uniform style requirements (language, tone etc) expected in all external communications.
The Writing Style Guide provides information on achieving the Oaktree ‘Voice’, across a range of
media.
Social Media Guide
Guidelines for interacting with supporters though various social media pages. Includes procedures for
the creation and management of social media accounts. As an organisation, we want our social media
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impact to be as big as possible - so we always recommend chatting to the Communications team first
before embarking on any new Social Media ventures.
Additional Support Services and Mechanisms
Since the 10st of February 2012, all state and program communications have been managed centrally,
through the Communications Request Form (CRF). This is so that we, as an organisation, can maintain
a unified voice as well as the highest-quality outputs in all of our communications.
The CRF gives you access to all of Oaktree’s communications tools. This includes the website, social
media - even our video and design team.
The CRF is available as an easy-to-use online form. You tell us what you want to promote and choose
how. Communications will contact you no later than 4 days after receiving your submission - we’ll chat
to you about what we can achieve, and sometimes even bring new ideas to help your project be as
successful as possible.
For more information, please visit theoaktree.org/crf
The CRF is a requisite, rather than optional service.
A note on Online Communications
Communications experiences a lot of demand for online services. This is indicative of the strength and
effectiveness of the medium. However, website and social media communications are highly sensitive,
and almost entirely uncontrollable. They therefore pose a significant risk, if not appropriately managed.
Please use the Oaktree Communications Request Form to lodge any online communications activity. If
you’re not sure exactly what you’re looking for, please contact the Communications team directly using
the contact details below.
Admin access to our website or main social media accounts (including content and data management
systems e.g. Salsa, Google Analytics etc) will generally not be granted. In exceptional circumstances,
Communications may grant access to an inter-functional volunteer or team. This is entirely at the
discretion of the Communication Leadership Team. Access may be revoked at any time.
Enforcement
Communication strictly enforces all guidelines and mechanisms. Instances of non-compliance will be
dealt with on an individual basis, and can be kept confidential (on request).
In extreme cases, where a significant risk to brand is posed, Communications will look at shutting the
campaign/initiative/program down, or suspending operations until the risk has been eliminated.
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An Oaktree Acronym Survival Guide
ELT – Extended Leadership Team
SD – State Director
ASD – Assistant State Director
SM – State Manager
SMT – State Management Team
S4S – Schools 4 Schools
GM – General Manager
P&C – People and Culture
OGC – Our Generation’s Challenge
LBL – Live Below the Line
ISAH – It Starts At Home
WTM – Whole Team Meeting
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Online Tools
Oaktree You (theoaktree.org/you) – your one-stop shop for all things Oaktree!
G-Mail (gmail.com) – used to send and receive e-mail messages through an Oaktree user account
Dropbox (dropbox.com) – used to share photos, documents, and videos with other Oaktree
volunteers
Doodle – used to schedule meeting times with other volunteers
Google Docs (via gmail.com) – used to edit and share documents with other Oaktree volunteers
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Contacts
Cambodia Country Director [email protected] (Steph)
East Timor Country Director [email protected] (Chelsea)
PNG Country Director [email protected] (Elyse)
Development Education Director [email protected] (Tori)
Overseas Projects [email protected] (Jess)
TAS Director [email protected] (Rob)
VIC Director [email protected] (Hugo)
NSW Director [email protected] (Ellie)
ACT Director [email protected] (Keyta)
QLD Director [email protected] (Nikki)
WA Director (Acting) [email protected] (Hayley)
SA Director [email protected] (Helen)
Generate [email protected] (Liz)
Communications [email protected] (Sarah)
S4S [email protected] (Tom)
[email protected] (Quan)
Administration [email protected] (Scott)
Legal [email protected] (Andrew)
Finance [email protected] (Ele)
[email protected] (Eloise)
Live Below the Line [email protected] (Dan)
[email protected] (Eva)
Roadtrip [email protected] (Nina)
People and Culture [email protected] (Minto)
Corporate Engagement [email protected] (Caroline)
Organisational Development [email protected] (Claire)
The above list of contacts is subject to change. Contact your State Director/Assistant State Director or email [email protected] for relevant updates for this information.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the minimum expectations of me as an Oaktree volunteer?
We pride ourselves on having fun at work, but equally value professionalism and accountability.
Minimum expectations will be clearly communicated during a formal induction, and should include the
following:
Replying to e-mails within three business days,
Treating other Oaktree volunteers with respect and maturity,
Maintaining a clean working environment at the Oaktree office.
If there are any concerns or further queries to the above, contact your manager.
What percentage of funds raised go towards our projects?
80% of the money we raise goes towards our overseas projects, and the programs we run in Australia.
This is in keeping with the majority of NGOs in the Aid and Development sector.
Why doesn’t Oaktree work in indigenous communities?
There is appalling poverty in some indigenous communities, and it’s an absolute disgrace that those conditions are able to exist in Australia. Everyone at Oaktree is passionate about making Indigenous
poverty history, but we don’t do development work in pursuit of this. There are a few reasons for this:
There’s an enormous amount of money being poured into indigenous communities by the Federal
Government. As an organisation that only provides financial support (see page), our impact in indigenous communities would be small, compared to what we achieve overseas.
The Federal Government has the resources necessary to end this injustice – and it should be doing
more to do so. We think our resources should go to communities and countries that have no ability to provide for their most basic needs.
We focus first and foremost on those
who need it most – no matter where they are. This means we focus on
extreme poverty (defined as those living
on less that AUD$2 a day), and whilst
the poverty in some indigenous communities is appalling, it is not
extreme poverty as defined by
organisations like the World Bank.
At Oaktree, we like to throw you in
the deep end, because we prioritise
your development.
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Why do we focus on the Asia/Pacific?
Focusing our development work in the Asia-Pacific gives us the opportunity to significantly maximize
our impact.
Of the 1.4 billion people living in extreme poverty, 900 million of them are in Asia. It’s an area of
incredible need.
Due to lower project management and operational costs, our funds will go further in the Asia-Pacific.
This allows us to spend more money directly on projects and the people who benefit from them.
We’re closer, so can visit more often. This means we’ll have a better understanding of the communities and partners we’re supporting, allowing greater expertise and focus.
We challenge ourselves to present the
realities of extreme poverty in clear,
strong, targeted and creative ways.
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Further Reading
theoaktree.org
livebelowtheline.com.au
itstartsathome.com.au
The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. Jeffrey D. Sacchs (author), Bono
(foreword)
The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It. Paul
Collier (author)
un.org/en/development/ - United Nations: Development
un.org/millenniumgoals/ - United Nations: Millennium Development Goals
ausaid.gov.au/ - Australian Government: AusAID
hdr.undp.org/en/ - Human Development Report
makepovertyhistory.org/takeaction/ - Make Poverty History
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Young People Working Together to End Global Poverty
For feedback and further information, please contact:
Minto Felix – Director of People and Culture
0433 228 497