Ad scam targets not-for-profits, again!

Volunteering Australia would like to clear up any misconceptions about our involvement with a number of magazines claiming to represent the volunteering community.

We do not endorse, support, provide information, advertise in or have any relationship with any commercial publications or organisations which operate by soliciting advertising revenue from not-for-profits and small businesses.

Not-for-profit organisations need to be on the look out for businesses which run unsolicited ads relating to your organisation in their publications, then contact you demanding payment for advertising which you haven't requested or authorised. Or they might try to sell you a 'community directory' or publication based on data lifted from other sites, such as GoVolunteer, or from other publications.

What organisations like this are really doing is recycling information put together and owned by other organisations, and trying to make money out of it. At the same time they are harnessing the goodwill attached to concepts such as 'volunteering', 'community' and 'not-for-profit' to gain a marketing advantage for their products.

Over the past two years Volunteering Australia has received many complaints and warnings from not-for-profit, community organisations and small business operators about such organisations. But they keep popping up.

If as a volunteer or a not-for-profit you have had any unsatisfactory dealings with them or contact with any businesses representing themselves primarily or solely as community organisations supporting volunteering rather than businesses, please obtain legal advice and/or contact us with the details so that we can retain your information on file.