Many people, a large majority being students, desire to volunteer to help people and improve their situation (Spiby, Mcleish, Green and Darwin, 2017). Volunteering provides provide unique opportunities for people to make a difference in their context or even beyond (Hopkins, Olson, Baillie Smith and Laurie, 2015). Moreover, volunteering gives one an opportunity to develop skills and gain work experience, build community awareness, and meet new people (Jones, 2016). In other words, volunteering positively impacts a person’s life as well as the lives of those living around them (Stukas, Hoye, Nicholson, Brown and Aisbett, 2016). Happy volunteer workforce is usually critical to charity determining whether or not the objectives will be met (Peters, Hamilton, and Eames 2015). This calls for charities to ensure that volunteers have a positive experience to avoid losing not only good people but even worse to lose good faith (Manzano, Swift, Closs and Briggs, 2015).
The Nappy Collective Inc. commonly known as TNC is a charity based in Melbourne. Its operations spread across 65 cities and towns in Australia. Their main vision is to mobilize communities to provide nappies for children who are vulnerable across Australia (Whitford City, 2018.). Twice every year, they run campaigns that are usually coordinated to collect the disposable unused nappies that are leftover. Afterward, these nappies are redistributed to the organizations that support needy families especially the ones in crisis. The main focus is usually in safe houses and refuges.
The organization started off as a group of mothers who discovered that there are tons of nappies that no longer fit their toddlers anymore. From this, rather than throwing them away or waiting for the next child, they saw it wise to collect and distribute them to families in need or crisis. As time went by, this made a huge difference. In October 2013, the launched their first Nappy Collective via Facebook with the support of The Staple Store (The Nappy Collective, n.d.). The response was overwhelming especially after 1500 nappies had been collected. Since then, over 2 million nappies have been distributed to needy families. Now, the organization has partnered with over 300 businesses who assist in the operations as well as supporting over 200 beneficiary organizations at the national level.
The Nappy Collective is run entirely by volunteers who aim at making a difference through the handfuls of nappies they collect (Ellaslist Family Inspiration Daily, 2018). They make it easier for people to assist others by bringing them together in a practical way. This helps thousands of families in need, and mothers in shelters, who find it difficult to meet their young children at the point of their needs. The help received relives them from stress, financial difficulties and prevents health challenges that arise. Moreover, the organization is committed to building awareness in the community on matters appertained to violence on mothers with young children and the implications (Give now, 2018.).
The Nappy Collection main principle is to simplify the process of helping needy families by bringing together the community. They consider helping these families as a duty they have to undertake in order to ensure that the thousands of families in crisis, as well as mothers in shelters, are helped. In the long run, this helps in covering children’s basic needs relieving stress, preventing health challenges and giving them a way out of the financial difficulties they encounter. This mainly focuses on long-term and deeper children care by addressing the short-term stress and challenges they encounter. Children who benefit from the program grow and develop in good health since their parents get to have plenty of time to focus on challenges affecting their parenting.
The organization considers partnerships as a backbone of what makes Australia tick. The organization’s operations have been made possible thanks to the supporters and sponsors namely: Nova Pharmacy, Salts of the Earth, Sparkle Helmore, Toll, Huggies, Alperstein Designs, Alfasi group, Exchange Workspaces, Good 360, TaxiBox, Mirvac, Crinkle Cut, and St. Vincents Private Hospital (The Nappy Collective, n.d.). These supporters and sponsors have provided The Nappy Collective not only with material assistance but also advice and pro bono services. Moreover, there over 400 businesses nationwide that are supporting the organizations as drop points. The organization has offered support to women shelters and other organizations. These include the McAuley Community Services for Women, Melbourne City Mission, Barnardos Australia, Caring Mums, Good Shepherds, MSFIN, Benevolent Society, Wayss, and many others.
In 2013, Sandra called out to her friends on Facebook to see whether they had nappies that they could donate (Brown, 2014). She was offered a collection by a friend who freely gave her shop as a drop-off point. In 2016, Mater Nappies donated 300,000 Nappies to Needy families through the Nappy Collective (Retail Word, 2016). This donation was enough to provide 100 families in need with a full supply for a year. Kay Wilson, the director of Mater Mothers’ Hospital Birthing and Ambulatory Services asserted that Mater was a non-profit organization based on a mission to meet the community’s needs (Retail Word, 2016). The Nappy Collective redistributed the nappies to more than 100 organizations in Australia. These organizations support mothers who have fled from family violence, families struggling with extreme financial constraints, drug abuse, mental illness, and homelessness. In May 2016 the organization experienced its biggest collective since it was established spanning over 39 towns and cities countrywide.
In the first two and a half years The Nappy Collective was formed, over half a million nappies had been collected at the drop off points which at the moment was about 370 (Whittaker, 2016). Whittaker (2016) further states that the 350,000 babies who are born every year grow out of various nappies sizes. There is a likelihood that many parents, as well as grandparents who possess some of these nappies, will not find them useful anymore after the babies have grown and can no longer fit in them. Tax-deductible donations over $2 are highly appreciated by The Nappy Collective.
Unfortunately, cloth nappies are not accepted by the organization since the targeted families do not have access to laundering facilities. Averagely, the number of nappies in a week a baby can use is 50-70 (The Nappy Collective, n.d.). This not only does it require a significant cost but also time and commitment to laundering. To avoid it, The Nappy Collective ensures that these families are assisted by providing them with the easiest nappy options they can be able to deliver. The organizations recommend St Kilda Mums or Uplift Bra’s as a viable option to donate cloth nappies. However, unused nappies from open packaging are accepted but they must be clean. Also, ensuring their sizes are labeled greatly helps in the sorting process. Since the organization was founded, 2,460,784 have been collected (The Nappy Collective, n.d.).
The Nappy Collection is growing and increasing the number of collections points in order to reach many people. Contacting them via email or social media platforms such as Facebook will ensure one is updated on new drop off points. Nappies sent via couriers or mails are also accepted. Enquires made to set up the collectives in cities beyond the state have been received and The Nappy Collection is working hard to ensure that they expand as much as they can. Apart from nappies and disposable nappy bags, the organization does not accept any other baby goods. Instead, they recommend these donations to be made to other organizations like Dandelion Support Network, St Kilda Mums, and Big Hug Group which are equal for the task. In spite of the organization’s success, Sandra says that they will stick to nappies as the one thing that will do effectively. Ehrlich (2017) states that in leadership, focusing on one thing will guarantee effectiveness as opposed to having many things that will end up in causing divided attention.
In the midst of a fierce debate on matters pertaining to the increase of family violence rate is Sandra Jacobs, a Melbourne woman who took the action of helping women and children who are victims of domestic abuse (Fox, 2014). Sandra, The Nappy Collective’s founder, in an interview with Engaging Women, gives insightful points pertaining to motherhood. She asserts that motherhood is really challenging creating the desire in most mothers to help out each other. In the case of new mums, there is a chance of them getting inundated with advice from various sources (Engaging Women, 2018.). Sandra continues to say that most people get to experience motherhood with the best intentions with the aim of ensuring the experience is good even for others.
Sandra being a mother of three states that her 2-year old still wears nappies and her 4-year old wears them at night. Occasionally, she usually finds herself out of nappies even if she is in a position to buy them. However, the stress is real for many parents who have to face it day in day out not because they were not organized but because they cannot afford them. This drives her to collect leftover nappies and distribute them in order to support those in need. The idea of The Nappy Collective was birthed when she was doing volunteer work with a women’s shelter where she found out in every week a woman is killed by her spouse. This shocked her especially after discovering that people do not know that it’s actually 52 women every year.
The importance of nappies is well known to those who have ever had a baby or friends with family or friends with children (MediaWise Public Relations and Communications, 2014). Parents who can’t afford nappies go hungry in order to buy nappies for their children. In fact, in some communities, they pay middle-class people who are in a position to go to Costco or buy a box of Huggies (Engaging Women, 2018.). Sandra gives an instance of a lady who called her from a welfare organization saying that in some cases parents sacrifice their spare clothes as nappies. To make matters worse, they can go even for days if they are just wet and not soiled. This is unimaginable especially considering the health issues that could be brought as a result of leaving the child in a miserable and stressful situation. For instance, the lack of regularly changing nappies is the main cause of nappy rash in newborns and infants (Oshikanlu and Edwards, 2013).
In her search to help in stress reduction, she thought it wise to mobilize people to donate nappies they could spare so as to donate to some shelters. At first, they drove to people’s houses to pick them but a friend suggested a better idea of letting people drop them at her shop. Over 1500 nappies in two weeks’ time which were the starting point of The Nappy Collective. Being in a position of donating nappies is a great opportunity to connect with mothers who are in disadvantaged situation something that could make a huge difference in not only their lives but also to their children and the community at large.In March 2014, Sandra’s organization managed to collect 26,500 nappies that were dropped off in 20 locations in Melbourne and Sydney (Fox, 2014). They were redistributed to 15 shelters.
One factor that has led to the success of The Nappy Collective organization is one girl who is part of the committee who is much involved in philanthropy. Moreover, she is also a member of other committees. Another member is a lawyer for acquisitions and mergers who has volunteered and has been very instrumental to the organization. In addition, The Nappy Collective has chartered an accountant where Sandra is a financial advisor by profession. In other words, the team members are focused on the community managing to get traction in a quick way.
Sandra goes forth to encourage people to pitch in by registering to have a party in one’s context. Inviting a group of mothers, friends or something similar to collect the nappies would be a great way of engaging in areas where The Nappy Collective has no collection points. The fact that there are women who fear for their lives and run out without minding to have a box of nappies as statistics show is what particularly touches Sandra’s heart in regard to the impact The Nappy Collective has.
Similarly, in an interview with Mamamia, Sandra said that the group of mothers she founded was mainly interested in helping in a tangible manner by raising awareness of domestic violence. She was amazed by the fact that most people have a lot of nappies lying around. These nappies have been of great help and impact to tens of thousands of babies (Curtis, 2016). Sandra continues to say that as opposed to a few nappies which might not be able to make a difference, a million can. Moran Dvir, the co-founder stated that it is universal to have spare nappies which make it easier to give especially after knowing where specifically they will go and who they will help. Despite this being something straightforward and simple, they had the confidence that it shall be of huge impact to the community and the country at large.
Hechtman (2014) stumbled on The Nappy Collective initiative as she was trawling through her Facebook account. She caught up with Moran Dvir and Sandra Jacobs who are part of the Collective’s board to learn more. She learned how the organization started, the motivation behind it and how the idea got off the ground. She discovered how it worked, who were Collective’s beneficiaries. Moran shares one of the stories from the organization’s work that touched her heart which they received on Facebook. The team was being commended for the good work they had done where the sender had donated over 100 nappies. She said that the volunteer work moved her heart for she was in a position of identifying what the beneficiaries were going through. Her mother fled from her father who was abusive at the age of four. As in most cases, she was still in her nappies and it would have been easier for her mum by then if such an organization there. She expressed her sincere gratitude knowing that the organization makes it easier for mothers (and fathers) in parenting matters.
In addition, positive messages received from caseworkers about how nappies can bring brighter days to mothers in crisis are very touching for the organizations giving proud moments. Among the beneficiaries, there are mothers in shelter despite not knowing how they will afford nappies are now relived and can use their energy to rebuild their lives. Moran thinks of the nappies as unseen hugs from one mother to the other. This is in the sense that families that donate these nappies not only acknowledge the situation these mothers are in but also show that they care.
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Title of Project: The Nappy Collective Evaluation Report |
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References to Use/How will you find details: Ø I will find details through The Nappy Collective official website and other online sources that have relevant information. Ø Academic articles and peer reviewed journals with relevant information that might be of help to the report will also be used. Ø An interview done on the subjects involved will be sourced from the interviewer’s website. |
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Outline of Method/Procedure including which group member will complete the area/task: Ø Background and Introduction of The Nappy Collective. Ø Evaluation of The Nappy Collective. Ø Responses to Interviews from The Nappy Collective Founder and Co-founder. Ø Interview Questions and Answers. |
References
Brown, S., L. 2014. Nappy not-for-profit helps mothers fleeing violence. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-30/nappy-collective-has-babies-covered/5634988
Curtis, R. 2016. A million spare nappies help mums in need. Retrieved from https://www.mamamia.com.au/the-nappy-collective/
Ehrlich, J., 2017. Mindful leadership: Focusing leaders and organizations. Organizational Dynamics.
Ellaslist Family Inspiration Daily. 2018. Donate your unused disposable nappies to a great cause: The Nappy Collective. Retrieved from https://www.ellaslist.com.au/articles/donate-your-unused-disposable-nappies-to-a-great-cause-the-nappy-collective
Engaging Women. 2018. The Nappy Collective. Retrieved from https://engagingwomen.com.au/stories/sandra-jacobs-nappy-collective/
Fox, A. 2014. Fighting the Scourge of Family Violence One Nappy at a Time. Retrieved from https://www.essentialbaby.com.au/it-pro/fighting-the-scourge-of-family-violence-one-nappy-at-a-time-20140502-zr3ad
Give Now. 2018. The Nappy Collective Inc: Support the Nappy Collective. Retrieved from https://www.givenow.com.au/thenappycollectivevirtualdonation
Hetchman, M. 2014. The Nappy Collective. Retrieved from https://wonderwomenglobal.com/the-nappy-collective/
Hopkins, P., Olson, E., Baillie Smith, M. and Laurie, N., 2015. Transitions to religious adulthood: Relational geographies of youth, religion and international volunteering. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 40(3), pp.387-398.
Jones, D.A., 2016. Widely Assumed but Thinly Tested: Do Employee Volunteers’ Self-Reported Skill Improvements Reflect the Nature of Their Volunteering Experiences?. Frontiers in psychology, 7, p.495.
Manzano, A., Swift, C., Closs, S.J. and Briggs, M., 2015. Active listening by hospital chaplaincy volunteers: Benefits, challenges and good practice. Health and Social Care Chaplaincy, 3(2), pp.201-221.
MediaWise Public Relations and Communications. 2014. Nappies and Partnerships. Retrieved from https://mediawise.net.au/blog/nappies-and-partnerships
Oshikanlu, R., and Edwards, J. 2013. Module 4. The prevention, treatment and management of nappy rash in newborns and infants. Journal of Health Visiting, 1(4), 1-7.
Peters, M.A., Hamilton, D. and Eames, C., 2015. Action on the ground: a review of community environmental groups’ restoration objectives, activities and partnerships in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 39(2), pp.179-189.
Retail world. 2016. Mater Donates 300,000 Nappies to Needy Families. Retrieved from https://www.retailworldmagazine.com.au/mater-donates-300000-nappies-needy-families/
Spiby, H., Mcleish, J., Green, J. and Darwin, Z., 2017. ‘the greatest feeling you get, knowing you have made a big difference’: survey findings on the motivation and experiences of trained volunteer doulas in England. Midirs Midwifery Digest, 27(1), p.22.
Stukas, A.A., Hoye, R., Nicholson, M., Brown, K.M. and Aisbett, L., 2016. Motivations to volunteer and their associations with volunteers’ well-being. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 45(1), pp.112-132.
The Nappy Collective. n.d. Beneficiaries. Retrieved from https://www.thenappycollective.com/benefit.html
The Nappy Collective. n.d. FAQ’S. Retrieved from https://www.thenappycollective.com/faq.html
The Nappy Collective. n.d. Retrieved from https://www.thenappycollective.com/
Whitford City. 2018. Donate to the Nappy Collective. Retrieved from
https://www.westfield.com.au/whitfordcity/event/VreY45BKi2mSQkmkoAiIS/nappy-collective
Whittaker, J. 2016. Donated nappies make young lives safer. Retrieved from https://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/news/opinion/jodie-whittaker-donated-nappies-make-young-lives-safer/news-story/e94adbac3a1d7258948ee3e978513d5f#load-story-comments
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