Becoming a member of Neighbourhood Houses Victoria brings with it many benefits which will support and enhance your organisation's capacity, as well as your own professional development.

Influence

• Political clout: Neighbourhood Houses Victoria maintains strong relationships with relevant Ministers, advisors and State Government departments.
• Advocacy: Practical support with local and state-wide campaigning to meet the needs of neighbourhood houses and their communities.
• Partnerships: Participate in partnerships with State Government departments, government agencies, peak bodies and organisations.
• Have your say at a state level: Participation in research and consultations to inform and influence State and Local Government policy.
• Have your say at a national level: Through NHVic’s representation on the Australian Neighbourhood Houses and Centres Association (ANHCA).
• Data and research: Access to individual neighbourhood house datasets and research reports.
• Profile-raising: Through NHVic’s involvement in high-level committees and strategic partnerships.
• Publicity: Increased sector exposure via the NHVic website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
  
  

Information and support

• Regular direct communications: You'll receive a weekly summary of sector news, grant funding, professional development, job vacancies and upcoming events.
• Information sessions: Access to in-person and online information sessions to find out more about key initiatives, legislative updates, grant programs and more.
• Resource Library: Access to our member-exclusive online library of resources including policy, procedural and other document templates to customise towards your needs. 
• Information and referral service: via email or phone on community governance, industrial issues, financial management, legal and regulatory requirements, conflict resolution, policy development, online information and communications tools.
• Collective Agreement for Neighbourhood Houses and ACE Providers: facilitated by NHVic on behalf of the sector to ensure employment arrangements are attractive, fair and compliant.
• Private Facebook groups: Access to our members-only Facebook groups to network, seek advice and share learnings and resources. 

The support I receive from NHVic has held me in good stead as a relatively new Neighbourhood House Coordinator. The newsletters are extremely informative and relevant and provide information that is easily transferred to assist me in meeting the needs of our community. I am able to keep our Advisory Group informed of what is happening in the sector and make timely applications for grants. Any contact with the team has always been extremely helpful and welcomed.

- Julie Hallifax, Coordinator, Colac Neighbourhood House

Professional development

• Annual conference: Discounted registration fees for our annual flagship event, the NHVic Conference, a multi-day professional development and networking event for neighbourhood house staff and committee members.
• Professional development calendar: Free or discounted professional development workshops held all year round on a variety of relevant topics with the aim of keeping our sector upskilled in best practice community development. 
• Mentoring2Management course: A free, eight week course for recent managers/coordinators, covering foundational managerial skills.

NHVic's training is so wonderful! I finished my degree last year, the direct relevance to work that NHVic training provides is so vastly different to the academic learning and makes the theory really make sense. 

- Louise Pacor, Community Programs Coordinator, Dallas Neighbourhood House

Recognition

• Awards program: Eligibility to nominate and have your work recognised and celebrated on a state-wide scale.
  
  

Leadership

The following benefits apply to full members only:

• Eligibility to nominate for the NHVic Board of Governance and Board Working Groups and participate in leading the sector.
• Eligibility to vote in NHVic Board elections and at General Meetings, influencing organisational and sector development.
  
  

LGA Associate Member Benefits

The benefits for local councils include:

• Customised Data for your LGA[1]: Customised reports providing aggregated data on your local neighbourhood houses including participant numbers, volunteer contributions, employment, income, programs and activities, etc. NHVic can also provide LGAs with similar demographic data on neighbourhood house participants.
• Opportunities for joint advocacy: in areas of common interest, such as better resourcing of community infrastructure and the impact of rate capping on our sectors.
• Information: Access to the weekly eBulletin with a summary of the latest sector news, grant funding, professional development, job vacancies and upcoming events.
• Special offers: include discounted registration fees for the annual NHVic Conference and various training professional development events.

[1] Note: for LGAs that have only one neighbourhood house, for privacy purposes the neighbourhood house must consent to the sharing of their data with their local council before it can be distributed.