Frequently Asked Questions

General Queries about Our Community

Our Community Membership

Security/Privacy

Our Community website, products, services & publications

Conferences and events

Online Donations - GiveNow

Click Here to open the Frequently Asked Questions page for the Our Community online donations website, GiveNow

What is Our Community?

Our Community is Australia's Centre for Excellence for the nation's 600,000 not-for-profits and schools, providing advice, tools, resources and training.

A multi-award-winning social enterprise, Our Community's offerings include:

  • OurCommunity.com.au - Australia's centre for excellence for the nation's 600,000 not-for-profits and schools: where not-for-profits go for help
  • Institute of Community Directors Australia - the best-practice governance network for the members of Australian not-for-profit boards, committees and councils, and the senior staff who work alongside them
  • FundingCentre.com.au - the best place to go to get information on grants and fundraising in Australia
  • GiveNow - online donations and peer-to-peer fundraising platform that helps not-for-profit organisations better connect with supporters by giving them access to the cheapest, most intuitive and most user-friendly payments technology.
  • GoodJobs.com.au - the place to advertise and find value-centric roles and services
  • Communities in Control - Australia's most inspiring annual community sector gathering: thought leadership for the not-for-profit sector
  • Australian Institute of Grants Management - information, inspiration and education for government, philanthropic and corporate grantmakers, including Australia's most-used online grants management solution, SmartyGrants
  • Australian Institute for Corporate Responsibility - creating and facilitating authentic connections between enlightened businesses and their communities
  • The Innovation Lab - the engine room for sharing ideas to drive social change

Our Community is evolutionary as well as revolutionary. We have a number of staged developments and product offerings. Our website and our offerings are always changing.

Click here for more detailed information about who Our Community is and what we do.

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Is Our Community a not-for-profit organisation?

No. We are a privately held enterprise that provides a number of business and community services. Our Community supports community groups with free training, and we have developed a number of free services on our sites such as GiveNow, to give back to the community.

For too long organisations have concentrated on either being a business or community organisation, putting in place strict boundaries between the two. We believe there can be a quality balance between being a commercial business that is sustainable and ethical as well as providing a range of quality and effective services to the Australian community sector.

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How do not-for-profit and community organisations get listed on the Our Community website?

For you to list your organisation's details on the site's Directory of Organisations, you must be an Our Community member. This is one of the many advantages that our members receive from registering. Joining is free.

Click here to find out more about Our Community membership.

You can also sign up to be listed on the GiveNow website, which is operated by Our Community as well. Click here to find out more.

You can now also create a free listing for your organisation on Good Jobs, an employment, services and career website built with the not-for-profit sector in mind. Click here to start the process.

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How do I become a member of www.ourcommunity.com.au?

You should follow the following steps in becoming a member of www.ourcommunity.com.au:

  • Registration (by you)
    Complete a registration form. This is a simple process that you can complete within two minutes. Click here to go to the online membership registration form.
  • Validation (by our team)
    We will validate what type of membership you are listed under (e.g. community organisation, council, individual, business, etc.) and activate your membership. This usually occurs within 24 hours.

If you don't want to be a member, you can still sign up to receive our free e-newsletter, Our Community Matters - subscribe here.

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What are the benefits of membership of www.ourcommunity.com.au?

Becoming an Our Community member connects you with Australia's leading community site, entitles you to a wide array of privileges and is totally free!

Click here to find out more.

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Is there a fee or charge for membership?

There is no charge to become a member and register your organisation with www.ourcommunity.com.au.

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Can more than one person from each organisation become a member of www.ourcommunity.com.au?

Yes. We identify members based on individual email addresses (i.e. people), rather than their organisation's name. Therefore multiple people from the one organisation can be members; this allows you to meet your individual needs while working with an organisation with (potentially) multiple channels and chapters.


 


Can non-members use the Our Community website and access our products?

You can use the website, however if you want to access an Our Community product (books, newsletters, etc.) or sign up to receive online donations, you will have to become a member.

Joining is free. Click here for more information.


 


Can an organisation be removed from www.ourcommunity.com.au, or refused membership?

Your organisation can choose to remove itself from the www.ourcommunity.com.au website at any time. To be removed, please send an email to service@ourcommunity.com.au.

Our Community reserves the right to remove any organisation from our website at any time at our complete discretion, but in particular if we believe the organisation has supplied false or misleading information, or if we believe removal is advisable or necessary in light of applicable laws, ordinances or regulations. In such cases where we are advised an investigation or inquiry is underway by state or federal government officials, we will immediately withdraw the organisation from the website and suspend the account until a clear outcome is detailed by the necessary officials.


 


Does Our Community endorse individual not-for-profit or community organisations?

No. We are a link that facilitates interaction between the community organisation and members of the public. We do not endorse specific organisations, nor do we market on the behalf of specific organisations. We rely on the individual organisations to provide accurate and up-to-date information about themselves. We do not rate or review not-for-profit or community organisations. If you have questions about a specific organisation, we encourage you to contact that organisation directly.


 


Is my personal information safe?

We worry about security as much as you do. We take all reasonable steps to ensure the security of the personal data we hold from such risks as loss or unauthorised access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure of data.

Our Community wants to ensure that all of our customers can interact with us with complete confidence online.

  • We have created a secure transaction environment for commerce on the internet. Our e-commerce system uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) technology to ensure your experience is safe, sound and secure at all times.
  • TLS locks all information passed from you to www.ourcommunity.com.au in an encrypted envelope. This makes it almost impossible to be intercepted by an unauthorised party, as long as your browser and local network support the use of encrypted data transmissions.
  • TLS is the system that is used by all reputable e-commerce sites. The industry standard for encryption technology, TLS is compatible with all major browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera and more.

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Is Our Community's website secure?

Any time we ask for financial information from an individual or an organisation we use industry practice and protocols. All such, information is encrypted when transferred over the internet using certificates from Thawte, an industry leader in internet safety. Your browser will show a green bar with our name "Our Community Pty Ltd" whenever an encrypted TLS connection is in use, which confirms that your data is being transmitted securely and it is us that you are providing it to.

All account and profile information located on our website is password-protected to provide additional security. All transactions conducted on our site are treated with the privacy and respect that all such transactions deserve.

For more information on our security measures, refer to our Privacy Policy.


 


What is Our Community's privacy policy?

Our Community is committed to protecting your privacy. Establishing a trusting relationship with our users is both good manners and good business. Our policy covers all key areas to be considered when managing an ethical and appropriate privacy relationship.

Our Privacy Policy discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for all of our online activities and is based on the Australian Privacy Commissioner's National Principles for the Fair Handling of Personal Information. If you have comments or questions regarding our privacy statement, please contact: denism@ourcommunity.com.au


 


How do I contact Our Community?

By email: service@ourcommunity.com.au

By telephone: (03) 9320 6800

By mail: PO Box 354 North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3051


 


How can I get on the distribution list for the free Our Community Matters newsletter?

You can subscribe for Our Community email updates, including Our Community Matters, here.


 


Can I reproduce or pass on articles from Our Community newsletters, or Our Community help sheets, policies from the Policy Bank, and other material provided on the website?

COPYRIGHT & DISCLAIMER

All Our Community newsletter publications and website content are copyright. This includes any Funding Centre, GiveNow, Institute of Community Directors Australia, or Communities in Control websites and publications.

The free Our Community Matters newsletter may be circulated and any article from this publication may be reproduced as long as any print article contains a small credit line "courtesy of www.ourcommunity.com.au", and any online use contains a direct link to the www.ourcommunity.com.au website.

Policies from the Institute of Community Directors Australia's free Policy Bank may be reproduced and altered without restriction by any not-for-profit community organisation for any non-commercial purpose.

For all other Our Community websites and publications, no part may be reproduced or redistributed without permission. Please email to service@ourcommunity.com.au stating which material you would like to use and the proposed purposes for its use.

Our Community online help sheets and materials (excluding policies - see below), and any listings or directories, may be used or reproduced* for any non-commercial use as long as:

  1. You obtain permission first by emailing service@ourcommunity.com.au (please include a copy of or link to the material you plan to use); and,
  2. Any print article you create contains a small credit line "courtesy of www.ourcommunity.com.au / www.communitydirectors.com.au / www.fundingcentre.com.au / www.givenow.com.au", and any online use contains a direct link to the www.ourcommunity.com.au website (or other relevant Our Community website); and
  3. Reproduction or use of Our Community's original material by a government body or consultant does not involve wasteful duplication - we prefer that you link to the material on our website, rather than moving it to your own.

Important Note: We generally do not grant copyright clearance for reproduction/use of any of our materials for written/online guides that are produced by consultants for a fee. If in doubt, please contact us by emailing service@ourcommunity.com.au.

Some copyrights may be held by other parties. Where this is the case, we will advise you but it is up to you to seek additional copyright clearance from the copyright holder.

When reading, citing or distributing our materials, please note the disclaimer below.

*We recommend that you link to rather than reproduce our online materials. We update our content regularly to take account of legislative changes and to refine and improve content. If you copy the information, you take a snapshot of information available at that time; if you link to it, you will ensure you always have access to the latest version.

DISCLAIMER

Information provided through the Our Community website and publications is intended as a guide. Our Community Pty Ltd, its staff or representatives are not responsible for any actions taken by, or losses suffered by, any person on the basis of, or in reliance upon, any information in the newsletter, nor for any omission or error in this information service.

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How do I use the Search functions on the www.ourcommunity.com.au website?

A Keyword Search facility operates on each of our websites. This is located on the top right-hand side of each webpage.

There are also specific search forms that will help you to search the

  • Grants database
  • Directory of Organisations
  • Online Donations listed at GiveNow.com.au
  • Board Matching Service
  • Community sector jobs


 


I have received an Our Community newsletter but I can't open/read it. What's the problem?

Most Our Community newsletters are sent in PDF format - the most common filing system on the internet - and you will need Adobe Acrobat to read them. This can be downloaded for free at the Adobe website at: http://www.adobe.com.au/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

Click here for more detailed help about downloading and reading our newsletters.


 


Can I get my event listed in the Calender of Key Events?

The Calendar of Key Events is our listing of nationally significant events focussed around a major community or advocacy/awareness issue.

If you believe your event fits this description, you can send the details to service@ourcommunity.com.au.

The events listing cannot cover local one-off events. To assist you in promoting these types of events we have prepared two help sheets:


 


Can I provide a link from my website to www.ourcommunity.com.au?

Yes - go for it!

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I've forgotten my password. How can I log in?

Please click here to be taken to a page where you can recover your password.


 


I would like to buy an Our Community product but I'm not sure how to start

The first step to buying any of our products is becoming a member of Our Community. Membership is free and it means that you'll receive a regular update of what's happening in the community sector, among many other benefits. Becoming a member can be accomplished by clicking here and following this you will be able to order our fantastic range of newsletters and books and make use of services such as the free online donation service offered via the GiveNow.com.au website.

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When will my book order be shipped and how?

We package and dispatch hardcopy book orders on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They are posted, free of charge, as regular parcel mail through Australia Post.

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Can I attend an Our Community conference or event for free?

Regrettably our own financial pressures mean that we're not able to provide free places at our conferences and events.

We always encourage groups wishing to attend professional development opportunities that are beyond their budgets to check with their local council to see if they may be able to assist. Some councils maintain small funds to allow community groups to attend development opportunities and while we naturally can't speak for your local council, there's no harm in checking.

Similarly, there may be a peak body relevant to your organisation that might be able to sponsor your attendance.


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Is there a better price available for community groups / students?

Our Community has been servicing Australia's 600,000 not-for-profit and community groups for more than 15 years.

We understand the pressures and needs of the not-for-profit sector and we tailor our events program and prices accordingly.

The prices we publish balance the financial risk we take to stage events and the financial pressures on those we know would love to attend. Our own financial pressures mean that we are not able to offer further discounts.

We often make group discounts available for registrations for two or more people. If this is the case, the discounted price options will be shown clearly on the event registration page on our website.


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Can I purchase a split ticket / share a ticket with someone else?

Our conference events attract hundreds of delegates and the complicated logistics involved in managing such large groups mean we are unable to allow split / shared tickets.

Further, for the safety and security of all our delegates, we are required to know who is under our care at all times. We ask our registered delegates to support these efforts by not sharing their ticket with other people across multi-day events.


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Can I work at a conference or event as a volunteer?

Our events are fully staffed by Our Community team members and the nature of our insurance and our venue agreements mean it's not possible to engage volunteers.

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